{"id":9258,"date":"2024-06-10T19:22:30","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T23:22:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/?p=9258"},"modified":"2024-06-10T19:22:30","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T23:22:30","slug":"webb-telescope-reveals-asteroid-collision-in-neighboring-star-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/?p=9258","title":{"rendered":"Webb Telescope Reveals Asteroid Collision in Neighboring Star System"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

The observations spotlight the volatile processes that shape star systems like our own, offering a unique glimpse into the primordial stages of planetary formation<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The observations spotlight the volatile processes that shape star systems like our own, offering a unique glimpse into the primordial stages of planetary formation.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeta Pictoris is at an age when planet formation in the terrestrial planet zone is still ongoing through giant asteroid collisions, so what we could be seeing here is basically how rocky planets and other bodies are forming in real time,\u201d said Christine Chen<\/a>, a Johns Hopkins University astronomer who led the research.<\/p>\n

The insights will be presented today at the 244th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Madison, Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

Chen\u2019s 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\u2019s detailed measurements, the team tracked the dust particles\u2019 composition and size in the exact area previously analyzed by Spitzer.<\/p>\n

Two different space telescopes took snapshots 20 years apart of the same area around the star called Beta Pictoris. Scientists theorize that the massive amount of dust seen in the 2004\u201305 image from the Spitzer Space Telescope indicates a collision of asteroids that had largely cleared by the time the James Webb Space Telescope captured its images in 2023. IMAGE CREDIT: ROBERTO MOLAR CANDANOSA\/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY, WITH BETA PICTORIS CONCEPT ART BY LYNETTE COOK\/NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Focusing on heat emitted by crystalline silicates\u2014minerals commonly found around young stars as well as on Earth and other celestial bodies\u2014the scientists found no traces of the particles previously seen in 2004\u201305. This suggests a cataclysmic collision occurred among asteroids and other objects about 20 years ago, pulverizing the bodies into fine dust particles smaller than pollen or powdered sugar, Chen said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe think all that dust is what we saw initially in the Spitzer data from 2004 and 2005,\u201d said Chen, who is also an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute<\/a>. \u201cWith Webb\u2019s new data, the best explanation we have is that, in fact, we witnessed the aftermath of an infrequent, cataclysmic event between large asteroid-size bodies, marking a complete change in our understanding of this star system.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new data suggests dust that was dispersed outward by radiation from the system\u2019s central star is no longer detectable, Chen said. Initially, dust near the star heated up and emitted thermal radiation that Spitzer\u2019s instruments identified. Now, dust that cooled off as it moved far away from the star no longer emits those thermal features.<\/p>\n

When Spitzer collected the earlier data, scientists assumed something like small bodies grinding down would stir and replenish the dust steadily over time. But Webb\u2019s new observations show the dust disappeared and was not replaced. The amount of dust kicked up is about 100,000 times the size of the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, Chen said.<\/p>\n

Beta Pictoris, located about 63 light years from Earth, has long been a focal point for astronomers because of its proximity and random processes where collisions, space weathering, and other planet-making factors will dictate the system\u2019s fate.<\/p>\n

At only 20 million years\u2014compared to our 4.5-billion-year-old solar system\u2014Beta 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question we are trying to contextualize is whether this whole process of terrestrial and giant planet formation is common or rare, and the even more basic question: Are planetary systems like the solar system that rare?\u201d said co-author Kadin Worthen, a doctoral student in astrophysics at Johns Hopkins. \u201cWe\u2019re basically trying to understand how weird or average we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new insights also underscore the unmatched capability of the Webb telescope to unveil the intricacies of exoplanets and star systems, the team reports. They offer key clues into how the architectures of other solar systems resemble ours and will likely deepen scientists\u2019 understanding of how early turmoil influences planets\u2019 atmospheres, water content, and other key aspects of habitability.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost discoveries by JWST come from things the telescope has detected directly,\u201d said co-author Cicero Lu, a former Johns Hopkins doctoral student in astrophysics. \u201cIn this case, the story is a little different because our results come from what JWST did not see.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The observations spotlight the volatile processes that shape star systems like our own, offering a unique glimpse into the primordial stages of planetary formation 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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":71,"featured_media":9259,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/api.hub.jhu.edu\/factory\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/soft_crop_2400\/public\/2024-06\/149890main_BetaPictDiskbMac.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Webb Telescope Reveals Asteroid Collision in Neighboring Star System","footnotes":""},"categories":[207],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9258","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/71"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9258"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9260,"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9258\/revisions\/9260"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9259"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceandplanetarynewswire.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}