Latest news with #Nasedkin
The Print
a day ago
- Science
- The Print
Study of young exoplanets reveals new insights into their formation
'When we looked at the smaller, farther-out companion (planet), known as YSES 1-c, we found the tell-tale signature of silicate clouds in the mid-infrared (using the James Webb Space Telescope),' co-author Evert Nasedkin, a postdoctoral fellow in Trinity College Dublin's school of physics, Ireland, said. In one of the planets, known to orbit a sun-like star 'YSES-1', researchers detected clouds containing sand-like particles — or silicate clouds — the strongest one seen on an exoplanet yet, they said. New Delhi, Jun 11 (PTI) Astrophysicists have gained new insights into how planets outside the solar system, or 'exoplanets', form by studying two 'young' giant planets, 'still hot from their formation', a new study says. The author added this is the 'strongest silicate absorption feature observed in an exoplanet yet' and related to its youth. 'We believe this is linked to the relative youth of the planets: younger planets are slightly larger in radius, and this extended atmosphere may allow the cloud to absorb more of the light emitted by the planet,' Nasedkin said. In the study published in the journal Nature, the authors wrote, 'With two exoplanets around a solar-type star, the YSES-1 system is an ideal laboratory for studying this early phase of exoplanet evolution.' The findings help understand how the 'YSES-1' solar system formed, offering further insight into the origins of our solar system, the researchers said. 'Directly imaged exoplanets — planets outside our own Solar System — are the only exoplanets that we can truly take photos of,' Nasedkin said. 'These exoplanets are typically still young enough that they are still hot from their formation, and it is this warmth, seen in the thermal infrared, that we as astronomers observe,' the author said. Studying the other planet 'YSES-1b', the team found that the entire planetary system is young, at 16.7 million years old, yet is too old to find signs of the planet-forming disk — a mixture of gas and dust rotating a star and from which planets can form. But around YSES-1b, the team observed a disk around the planet itself, thought to feed material onto the planet and serve as the birthplace of moons — similar to those seen around Jupiter, they said. Only three other such disks have been identified to date, both around objects significantly younger than YSES-1b, raising new questions as to how this disk could be so long-lived, the researchers said. PTI KRS KRS MPL MPL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Newsweek
3 days ago
- Science
- Newsweek
Iron May Rain From Sand Clouds on Newly-Discovered Planet
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Dusty clouds made of sand—that may rain iron—blanket a giant planet orbiting a young, sun-like star just 310 light-years from Earth, the James Webb Space Telescope has revealed. The discovery was made by an international team of astronomers led from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore Maryland. Around the star—dubbed "YSES-1"—the researchers also directly observed another giant exoplanet around which is a potentially multiple-moon-forming circumplanetary disk. "This work highlights the incredible abilities of JWST to characterize exoplanet atmospheres," said paper author and astronomer Evert Nasedkin of Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, in a statement. "With only a handful of exoplanets that can be directly imaged, the YSES-1 system offers unique insights into the atmospheric physics and formation processes of these distant giants." An artist's impression of the planets of the star system YSES-1. An artist's impression of the planets of the star system YSES-1. Ellis Bogat Using Webb's Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec), the team were able to capture the two planets—which are both several times larger than Jupiter, and orbit out far from their host star—in a single exposure. This has provided what lead author and STScI physicist Kielan Hoch calls "the most detailed dataset of a multi-planet system to date." Nasedkin added: "Directly imaged exoplanets—planets outside our own solar system—are the only exoplanets that we can truly take photos of. "These exoplanets are typically still young enough that they are still hot from their formation—and it is this warmth, seen in the thermal infrared, that we as astronomers observe." By recording the light coming from the two exoplanets, the team were able to unpick the signals that reveal the chemical makeup of the gas giant's atmospheres. "When we looked at the smaller, farther-out companion—known as YSES-1c—we found the tell-tale signature of silicate clouds in the mid-infrared," said Nasedkin. "Essentially made of sand-like particles, this is the strongest silicate absorption feature observed in an exoplanet yet." The team's analysis also indicated that the clouds contain iron, which may fall from the clouds down into the planet as rain. "We believe this is linked to the relative youth of the planets: younger planets are slightly larger in radius, and this extended atmosphere may allow the cloud to absorb more of the light emitted by the planet." The circumplanetary disk is the inner planet, YSES-1b, meanwhile, presents something of a mystery. Only three other such disks have been identified to date, but they are all around objects that are significantly younger than YSES-1b—leading to questions as to how the newly discovered disk could be so long-lived. And that is far from the only puzzle that will need to be solved. "The YSES-1 system planets are also too widely separated to be explained through current formation theories, so the additional discoveries of distinct silicate clouds around YSES-1c and small hot dusty material around YSES-1b leads to more mysteries and complexities for determining how planets form and evolve," Hoch concluded. Do you have a tip on a science story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have a question about exoplanets? Let us know via science@ Reference Hoch, K. K. W., Rowland, M., Petrus, S., Nasedkin, E., Ingebretsen, C., Kammerer, J., Perrin, M., D'Orazi, V., Balmer, W. O., Barman, T., Bonnefoy, M., Chauvin, G., Chen, C., De Rosa, R. J., Girard, J., Gonzales, E., Kenworthy, M., Konopacky, Q. M., Macintosh, B., Moran, S. E., Morley, C. V., Palma-Bifani, P., Pueyo, L., Ren, B., Rickman, E., Ruffio, J.-B., Theissen, C. A., Ward-Duong, K., & Zhang, Y. (2025). Silicate clouds and a circumplanetary disk in the YSES-1 exoplanet system. Nature.
