Recently, astronomers using NASA’s space telescope have discovered a young stellar system near the solar system, which could help understand the process of planet formation and evolution. It contains two giant gaseous planets, with one planet’s atmosphere filled with “sand clouds” and the other having a planet ring capable of producing satellites.
Astronomers have detected over 5,900 exoplanets since the 1990s, but most are difficult to directly image with space telescopes. Additionally, studying young stellar systems is believed to aid in understanding planet formation and the origin of the solar system, so scientists are actively searching for young stellar systems.
This time, researchers from Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in the United States, and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) among other universities and astronomical research institutions, utilized NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) spectrometer to discover a young stellar system named “YSES-1” approximately 300 light-years away from Earth.
This new discovery has been documented in a paper published on June 10 in the journal “Nature.”
The “YSES-1” stellar system consists of a sun-like star and two gas giant planets several times the mass of Jupiter. Scientists estimate the age of this stellar system to be only 16.7 million years, making it an ideal subject for studying planet formation and atmospheric evolution as it offers a unique opportunity to understand the origin of the solar system.
The research team observed that the “YSES-1” stellar system is different from others, with the planets “YSES-1b” and “YSES-1c” orbiting at distant distances around the main star.
The distance between “YSES-b” planet and the “YSES-1” star is about 160 times that of the Sun and Earth, while the distance between “YSES-c” planet and the “YSES-1” star is around 320 times. This distance allows JWST to capture their spectra clearly, providing valuable high-resolution data for studying planetary atmospheres and environments.
When analyzing the spectra of “YSES-1b” and “YSES-1c,” researchers found that both are giant gaseous planets. By measuring the spectra of these exoplanets, scientists aim to understand their atmospheres, as different molecules and cloud particles absorb light at different wavelengths, leaving characteristic traces on the spectrum.
Scientists detected that “YSES-1c” has a mass about six times that of Jupiter, and its atmosphere is filled with methane, water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and silica cloud layers (“sand clouds”). These silica clouds are composed of minerals such as enstatite (FeSiO₃) or forsterite (Mg₂SiO₄, MgSiO₃). Researchers speculate that these “sand clouds” may be undergoing a similar water cycle to Earth, capable of sublimating and condensing in the air and even resulting in “sand rains.”
Furthermore, “YSES-1b” was found to have a mass about 14 times that of Jupiter, with its atmosphere showing features of water and carbon monoxide but too high a temperature to form silica cloud layers. Additionally, “YSES-1b” possesses a planet ring similar to that of Jupiter, rich in silica clouds. Scientists suggest that the particles within the ring of “YSES-1b” may gradually be forming satellites, possibly originating from remnants of previous planets.
Researchers state that these findings contribute to understanding planet formation and solar system evolution, providing a chance to observe how “YSES-1b” planets generate satellites.
Currently, researchers are comparing these young systems with our own solar system to comprehend how planets in the solar system are generated and change over time. With only three similar planet rings confirmed so far, all younger than “YSES-1b,” scientists raise the question: “How has this planet ring maintained such a long life?”
They believe that this discovery is surprising for the entire research team, showcasing the diversity in the systems surrounding the solar system and introducing more mysteries and complexities in planet formation and evolution.
Evert Nasedkin, a postdoctoral researcher at the Physics Department of Trinity College Dublin and a co-author of the paper, expressed, “”YSES-1″ is currently the only exoplanetary system outside the solar system that we can directly image. These young planets have higher temperatures during formation, which we observe through thermal infrared imaging.”
Dr. Nasedkin further stated, “When observing the smaller and more distant companion star YSES-1c, we found distinctive silica cloud features in its mid-infrared spectrum, composed essentially of grainy particles. Additionally, this is the strongest silica absorption signal observed in an exoplanet to date.”
He explained, “We attribute this to the relative youth of the planets. Younger planets typically have slightly larger radii. The inflated atmospheres of young planets may aid in absorbing more light in their cloud layers. Through detailed modeling, we reveal the chemical composition, particle shape, and size details of their cloud layers.”
Dr. Nasedkin added, “In general, this work demonstrates the remarkable capability of the JWST space telescope in capturing the atmospheric characteristics and formation processes of these distant giant planets, providing unique insights.”
Dr. Kielan Hoch, a researcher at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), mentioned, “This study was planned before the launch of the JWST space telescope. At that time, we hypothesized that we could capture the spectra of two planets simultaneously using the near-infrared spectrometer (NIRSpec) on the future telescope.”