Announcement

James Webb reveals violent planet formation through collisions in young stellar systems

Webb observations of protoplanetary and debris disks show high-energy impacts between Mars-sized bodies creating planet-forming structures. Silica-rich and silica-poor debris comparisons plus gas giant migration effects now observable in infrared.

3 Sources, 2h ago, first seen 2h ago

TLDR

Webb's infrared capabilities uniquely reveal planet-formation processes in young systems that mirror our solar system's violent early history. Direct observations advance understanding of how exoplanets form and our own solar system's origins. Complements recent ALMA imaging of gas around forming protoplanet WISPIT 2b, providing multiple windows into active planet-building mechanisms.

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Announcement

James Webb reveals violent planet formation through collisions in young stellar systems

3 Sources, 2h ago, first seen 2h ago

Artist’s concept of a star and its debris disk against the black background of space. The star is in the background, right of center, and depicted as a small, luminous sphere. The debris disk is a large blue ring that encircles the star. The debris disk is angled toward the viewer, so that the portion nearest to the viewer extends beyond the bottom frame of the illustration. Many dark, rocky fragments are scattered throughout the debris disk. In the foreground, toward the left, is a small planetary embryo colliding into the left side of a larger spherical object. The impact site glows bright yellow and orange and has a mottled appearance, as though chunks of both colliding bodies are breaking up and being destroyed. Orange-yellow streams of vapor extend outward from the collision area. Behind the debris disk and its star are many small stars in the background. A label in the bottom right corner reads “Artist’s Concept.”

TLDR

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Combined views

60.5K

3 Sources, first seen 2h ago

355 likes7 comments28 saves42 reposts

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