James Webb Space Telescope To Hunt For Newborn Exoplanets Forming Around Infant Stars

James Webb Space Telescope To Hunt For Exoplanets Forming Around Infant Stars
(Photo : Wikimedia Commons/NASA/MSFC/David Higginbotham/Emmett Given)

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is an advanced space telescope designed for infrared astronomy. Researchers are banking on it to find more exoplanets, according to a new report.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) To Search For Infant Exoplanets

A team led by scientists from the University of Michigan, the University of Arizona, and the University of Victoria decided to use JWST's sensitive infrared instruments to detect developing exoplanets. The scientists used the large scope to observe the protoplanetary disks HL Tau, SAO 206462, and MWC 758, supplementing data gathered by the Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA).

They are utilizing the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to search for planets still developing near young stars. The powerful telescope immediately delivered great results, which still surprised the researchers.

These young planets form in whirling masses of gas and dust known as protoplanetary disks, where they accumulate mass in the process. Though astronomers have observed several of these protoplanetary disks, they have only seen the planets in the formation process on a few occasions.

According to team member and University of Michigan astronomer Gabriele Cugno, in every disk, they observed with high enough resolution and sensitivity large structures like gaps, rings, and, in the case of SAO 206462, spirals. There are other reasons for these structures besides the presence of giant planets, but the majority, if not all, can be explained by developing planets interacting with the disk material.

"If we manage to finally see these planets, we can connect some of the structures with forming companions and relate formation processes to the properties of other systems at much later stages. We can finally connect the dots and understand how planets and planetary systems evolve as a whole," Cugno added.

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JWST To Investigate Aurora on Saturn and Uranus

JWST has been proven very helpful in astronomy. Many researchers turn to it to explore various elements in the cosmos.

For instance, the $10 billion space telescope will be used by two separate teams of University of Leicester astronomers to study auroras in distant planets -- Saturn and Uranus. The objective is to provide a comprehensive explanation of the mechanics that underlie the polar light displays on multiple planets.

Although auroras have been seen over several planets in the solar system and should be possible to surround any planet with an atmosphere and magnetic field, little is known about these extraterrestrial light shows. Astronomers are still trying to find out how they occur on Uranus, an ice giant primarily made up of water, ammonia, and methane.

It took 30 years of research and only this year, under the guidance of PhD student Emma Thomas, when a team of scientists from the University of Leicester School of Physics and Astronomy, were able to prove the existence of an infrared aurora on Uranus.

"The JWST is already changing how we perceive the universe, from the solar system, our very own cosmic backyard, to the first galaxies formed at the beginning of time," said Henrik Melin from the University of Leicester School of Physics and Astronomy who will lead the Uranus investigation, in a statement. "I am thrilled to have been awarded time on this remarkable observatory, and this data will fundamentally shape our understanding of both Saturn and Uranus."