Astronomers have captured what appears to be a snapshot of a massive collision of giant asteroids in Beta Pictoris, a neighboring star system known for its early age and tumultuous planet-forming activity.
The observations spotlight the volatile processes that shape star systems like our own, offering a unique glimpse into the primordial stages of planetary formation.
Chen's team spotted significant changes in the energy signatures emitted by dust grains around Beta Pictoris by comparing new data from the James Webb Space Telescope with observations by the Spitzer Space Telescope from 2004 and 2005. With Webb's detailed measurements, the team tracked the dust particles' composition and size in the exact area previously analyzed by Spitzer.
The new data suggests dust that was dispersed outward by radiation from the system's central star is no longer detectable, Chen said. Initially, dust near the star heated up and emitted thermal radiation that Spitzer's instruments identified. Now, dust that cooled off as it moved far away from the star no longer emits those thermal features.
At only 20 million years -- compared to our 4.5-billion-year-old solar system -- Beta Pictoris is at a key age where giant planets have formed but terrestrial planets might still be developing. It has at least two known gas giants, Beta Pic b and c, which also influence the surrounding dust and debris.
"Most discoveries by JWST come from things the telescope has detected directly," said co-author Cicero Lu, a former Johns Hopkins doctoral student in astrophysics."In this case, the story is a little different because our results come from what JWST did not see."
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