Latest news with #YSES-1
Straits Times
16 hours ago
- Science
- Straits Times
Webb telescope spots infant planets in different stages of development
An artist's rendition of the sun-like star YSES-1 in the center, with the planet YSES-1 b and its dusty circumplanetary disk (right) and the planet YSES-1 c with silicate clouds in its atmosphere (left), is seen in this handout image obtained by Reuters on June 11, 2025. Ellis Bogat/Handout via REUTERS/Illustration THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES WASHINGTON - The James Webb Space Telescope has observed two large planets at different stages of infancy - one with an atmosphere brimming with dusty clouds and the other encircled by a disk of material - orbiting a young sun-like star in a discovery that illustrates the complex nature of how planetary systems develop. The two gas giant planets, both more massive than our solar system's largest planet Jupiter, were directly imaged by Webb in a planetary system located in the Milky Way galaxy about 310 light years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Musca. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). Astronomers have detected more than 5,900 planets beyond our solar system - called exoplanets - since the 1990s, with less than 2% of these directly imaged like these two. It is rare to find exoplanets in their early developmental stages. The birth of a planetary system begins with a large cloud of gas and dust - called a molecular cloud - that collapses under its own gravity to form a central star. Leftover material spinning around the star in what is called a protoplanetary disk forms planets. This planetary system was observed by Webb very early in its developmental history. The star, named YSES-1, is about the same mass as the sun. The two planets orbit a long distance from the star, each probably needing thousands of years to complete a single orbit. While the sun is roughly 4.5 billion years old, this star is approximately 16 million years old, a veritable newborn. The researchers were surprised to find that the two neonatal planets observed by Webb appeared to be at different stages of development. The innermost of the two has a mass about 14 times greater than Jupiter and orbits the star at a distance 160 times greater than Earth orbits the sun and more than five times as far as our solar system's outermost planet Neptune. The planet is surrounded by a disk of small-grained dust, a state one might expect in a very early stage of formation when it is still coalescing, or perhaps if there has been a collision of some kind or a moon is in the process of taking shape. Webb spotted water and carbon monoxide in its atmosphere. The outermost planet has a mass about six times greater than that of Jupiter and orbits the star at 320 times the distance of Earth to the sun. Its atmosphere is loaded with silicate clouds, differing from our solar system's gas giants. Webb also detected methane, water, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It has no disk of material around it. The puzzling combination of traits presented by these two planets in the same system illustrates "the complex landscape that is planet formation and shows how much we truly don't know about how planetary systems came to be, including our own," said astrophysicist Kielan Hoch of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, who led the study published this week in the journal Nature. "Theoretically, the planets should be forming around the same time, as planet formation happens fairly quickly, within about one million years," Hoch said. A real mystery is the location where the planets formed, Hoch added, noting that their orbital distance from the host star is greater than would be expected if they formed in the protoplanetary disk. "Furthermore, why one planet still retains material around it and one has distinct silicate clouds remains a big question. Do we expect all giant planets to form the same way and look the same if they formed in the same environment? These are questions we have been investigating for ages to place the formation of our own solar system into context," Hoch said. In addition to amassing a trove of discoveries about the early universe since becoming operational in 2022, Webb has made a major contribution to the study of exoplanets with its observations at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. "Webb is revealing all sorts of atmospheric physics and chemistry happening in exoplanets that we didn't know before, and is currently challenging every atmospheric model we used pre-Webb," Hoch said. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Webb telescope spots infant planets in different stages of development
By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The James Webb Space Telescope has observed two large planets at different stages of infancy - one with an atmosphere brimming with dusty clouds and the other encircled by a disk of material - orbiting a young sun-like star in a discovery that illustrates the complex nature of how planetary systems develop. The two gas giant planets, both more massive than our solar system's largest planet Jupiter, were directly imaged by Webb in a planetary system located in the Milky Way galaxy about 310 light years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Musca. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). Astronomers have detected more than 5,900 planets beyond our solar system - called exoplanets - since the 1990s, with less than 2% of these directly imaged like these two. It is rare to find exoplanets in their early developmental stages. The birth of a planetary system begins with a large cloud of gas and dust - called a molecular cloud - that collapses under its own gravity to form a central star. Leftover material spinning around the star in what is called a protoplanetary disk forms planets. This planetary system was observed by Webb very early in its developmental history. The star, named YSES-1, is about the same mass as the sun. The two planets orbit a long distance from the star, each probably needing thousands of years to complete a single orbit. While the sun is roughly 4.5 billion years old, this star is approximately 16 million years old, a veritable newborn. The researchers were surprised to find that the two neonatal planets observed by Webb appeared to be at different stages of development. The innermost of the two has a mass about 14 times greater than Jupiter and orbits the star at a distance 160 times greater than Earth orbits the sun and more than five times as far as our solar system's outermost planet Neptune. The planet is surrounded by a disk of small-grained dust, a state one might expect in a very early stage of formation when it is still coalescing, or perhaps if there has been a collision of some kind or a moon is in the process of taking shape. Webb spotted water and carbon monoxide in its atmosphere. The outermost planet has a mass about six times greater than that of Jupiter and orbits the star at 320 times the distance of Earth to the sun. Its atmosphere is loaded with silicate clouds, differing from our solar system's gas giants. Webb also detected methane, water, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. It has no disk of material around it. The puzzling combination of traits presented by these two planets in the same system illustrates "the complex landscape that is planet formation and shows how much we truly don't know about how planetary systems came to be, including our own," said astrophysicist Kielan Hoch of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, who led the study published this week in the journal Nature. "Theoretically, the planets should be forming around the same time, as planet formation happens fairly quickly, within about one million years," Hoch said. A real mystery is the location where the planets formed, Hoch added, noting that their orbital distance from the host star is greater than would be expected if they formed in the protoplanetary disk. "Furthermore, why one planet still retains material around it and one has distinct silicate clouds remains a big question. Do we expect all giant planets to form the same way and look the same if they formed in the same environment? These are questions we have been investigating for ages to place the formation of our own solar system into context," Hoch said. In addition to amassing a trove of discoveries about the early universe since becoming operational in 2022, Webb has made a major contribution to the study of exoplanets with its observations at near- and mid-infrared wavelengths. "Webb is revealing all sorts of atmospheric physics and chemistry happening in exoplanets that we didn't know before, and is currently challenging every atmospheric model we used pre-Webb," Hoch said.
Time of India
21 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
James Webb Space Telescope reveals first exoplanet with 'sand rain' and a growing 'sandcastle' companion, redefining planetary evolution
Source: NASA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has discovered something incredible. A far-off planetary system with gas giants that are packed with coarse silica, which is a space sand. The YSES-1 system , which surrounds a young star 300 light-years from Earth, consists of two planets, YSES-1 b and YSES-1 c, both of which have atmospheric sand clouds. The system is a mere 16.7 million years old, an infant in cosmic age that presents scientists with the unusual chance to watch planet formation and development unfold in real-time. These results may redefine the knowledge of the formation and evolution of planets, including those within our own solar system, over billions of years. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope detects 'sand clouds' made of silicates According to the study, silicate clouds, or sand clouds, consist of mineral grains such as pyroxene and forsterite, iron-containing compounds found in rocky planets and meteorites. They are more than a novelty in the atmospheres of exoplanets; they contain important clues about the chemistry and atmosphere of far-off worlds. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo According to Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) scientist Valentina D'Orazi, the silicates seen in these planets go through sublimation and condensation cycles just like water on Earth. These active cycles help the sand clouds stay suspended in the air, indicating sophisticated atmospheric transport and formation processes. JWST reveals silicates in both exoplanet atmospheres and formation disks Of the two gas giants, YSES-1 b is a still-growing planet that could someday be a large Jupiter analogue. It is encircled by a flattened cloud of material, a circumplanetary disk; a phenomenon common around young planet. The disk holds the planet-building blocks of its atmosphere, silicates, which fuel its growth. YSES-1 c, however, is already enormous, around 14 times as massive as Jupiter. Its atmosphere has a reddish color due to suspended silica, which sometimes rains down as sandy rain to the planet's center. This is the first direct detection of silicates not only in an exoplanet atmosphere but also in a circumplanetary disk. That makes this observation historic and also pivotal to the study of planetary science. How JWST made the discovery possible The James Webb Space Telescope was able to image these subtle details due to the extended orbits of the planets around their parent star. These were distances ranging from five to ten times the distance between the Sun and Neptune, and they enabled astronomers to view the planets without the blinding light of the star. With its sophisticated infrared equipment, JWST gathered high-resolution spectral information that, on analysis, showed the presence of silicate particles and their composition. Although such direct observation remains possible only for a few exoplanets at this time, it highlights JWST's unparalleled capability to observe in detail the atmospheres and environments of other worlds. JWST insights reveal how Jupiter and Saturn may have taken shape One of the most intriguing things about this discovery is what it implies about the early history of our own solar system. By looking at young exoplanets such as YSES-1 b and c, astronomers can deduce how gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn might have formed and developed. "Examining these planets is like peeking into the history of our own planetary back yard," D'Orazi explained. "It confirms that young exoplanet atmospheres and the disks around them are key drivers of their final atmosphere composition." The researchers also highlighted the need for detailed atmospheric models to interpret the JWST's excellent data pointing to the telescope's continued role in pushing the frontiers of planetary science and exoplanet study. These historic findings were released on June 10 in the journal Nature and highlighted the same day during the 246th American Astronomical Society meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. Also Read | Shubhanshu Shukla to take tardigrades on ISS mission; what are they and why scientists are fascinated by eight-legged 'water bears'
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.
