How were planets formed in the early universe? James Webb Telescope answered this question

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Space scientists earlier believed that it was very difficult for planets to form in the early universe. Later, the conditions around the stars became more favorable for the process of planet formation. But 20 years ago this was doubted due to the pictures of Hubble Telescope. But recently new information received from the James Webb Space Telescope has completely overturned this notion.

Space studies till now have shown that the formation of planets in the beginning of the universe was not as easy as it became later.  Scientists had received many indications of this, but 20 years ago the Hubble Telescope saw something different from this assumption, due to which the scientists appeared a bit confused. Now recently, by studying the pictures of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have been able to confirm that Hubble’s suspicion was correct and the scientists’ thinking till now was wrong

from 20 years old photos
20 years ago, images from the Halb telescope were indicating that planets could form and survive in the extremely harsh environments of stars in the early universe. In 2003, Hubble discovered a large planet revolving around an old star that was as old as the universe itself. This discovery had greatly confused the scientists

lack of heavy elements
This was because scientists believed that old stars contained very little heavy elements and metals. These elements are very important for making the planet. Current theories suggest that planets cannot form under such conditions because the disks of gas and dust around such stars would quickly disappear

Where did James Webb see the solution?
To solve this mystery, scientists took the help of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and studied the star cluster NGC 346 present inside the “Small Magellanic Cloud”, a small galaxy near the Milky Way Galaxy. There is a severe lack of heavy elements in this galaxy and hence it is an ideal place to describe the conditions of the early universe

Hubble saw it right
When James Webb studied it, it was found that the stars of this group still have planets forming disks and they are also much longer than expected. This discovery is a very big discovery for the science of planet formation. Because this means that the disks of stars with harsh environments can last for millions of years.  At least it was much longer than it was thought to be.  In such a situation, the planets would have got plenty of time to form and flourish here and even huge planets like Jupiter can flourish here.

Planets may have started forming even earlier
Gaudiya J Marchi, the lead researcher of the study, says that we now know that the formation of planets would have started when the universe was young. Scientists say that there could be two reasons for the disk persisting for such a long time. The first is that in areas where there were less heavy metals, due to less or slower radiation, the stars would have taken more time to remove or blow away gas and dust from there

large disk formation
Another reason for this could be that in these environments the stars themselves might have started forming big disks. This would have prolonged his life even before it ended.  This new discovery challenges the belief that planets were formed less in the early universe. But now it seems that even in the early universe, more planets were formed. This study has been published in The Astrophysical Journal.

It is noteworthy that the confusion created by Hubble’s pictures was named the Impossible Planet Problem. Hubble’s observations were correct, but they were not enough to draw firm conclusions. It is now being claimed that this has been solved by the observations of James Web Space

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has provided significant insights into the formation of planets in the early universe, although it hasn’t definitively “answered” the question.
Current Understanding of Planet Formation:
Before JWST, the prevailing theory of planet formation was that planets form from the accretion of dust and gas in protoplanetary disks around young stars. This process involves:

  • Dust Grains: Microscopic dust grains in the disk collide and stick together, forming larger particles.
  • Planetesimals: These particles continue to collide and grow into larger objects called planetesimals, which can reach the size of small moons.
  • Protoplanets: Planetesimals continue to collide and grow, eventually forming protoplanets.
  • Planets: Protoplanets continue to accrete material and clear their orbits of debris, eventually becoming full-fledged planets.
    JWST’s Contributions:
    JWST has provided several key observations that support and refine this model:
  • Direct Imaging of Protoplanetary Disks: JWST’s powerful infrared instruments have allowed astronomers to directly image protoplanetary disks around young stars with unprecedented detail. These images reveal the structure and composition of the disks, including the presence of dust and gas.
  • Detection of Water and Organic Molecules: JWST has detected water and other organic molecules in protoplanetary disks, which are essential building blocks for life. This suggests that the conditions for life may be more common than previously thought.
  • Observations of Young Planets: JWST has also observed young planets forming in protoplanetary disks. These observations provide direct evidence for the planet formation process and allow astronomers to study the early stages of planet evolution.
    Future Research:
    While JWST has made significant progress, many questions about planet formation remain unanswered. Future research with JWST and other telescopes will continue to refine our understanding of this process, including:
  • The Role of Magnetic Fields: Magnetic fields may play a role in guiding the accretion of material onto planets.
  • The Formation of Giant Planets: The formation of giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn is still not fully understood.
  • The Habitability of Exoplanets: JWST will continue to search for and characterize exoplanets, including those that may be habitable.
    In conclusion, JWST has provided valuable insights into the formation of planets in the early universe, but much remains to be learned. Future research will continue to refine our understanding of this fundamental process.

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