Hubble image of the Orion Nebula, and a zoom in on the protoplanetary disc d203-506 taken with the James Webb Space Telescope (Image credit: NASA/STScI/Rice Univ./C.O’Dell et al / O. Berné, I. Schrotter, PDRs4All)

Scientists observed how massive stars suppress the formation of giant planets in young star systems

A study conducted in collaboration with the Space Observatory shows that massive young stars can suppress the formation of giant planets in nearby star systems. James Webb. Scientists have previously focused their attention on a young star-forming region 1,400 light-years from Earth. Hubble, which discovered it, proved impenetrable, but infrared Webb observed it in interesting detail. The stars in the Orion Nebula’s system d203-506 are inconspicuous red dwarfs with a mass about 10% that of the Sun. In principle, this is an excellent candidate for the role of the prototype of our star in the distant past, which is why this star and the embryo of its system in the form of a protoplanetary disk became interesting to scientists is. “We think the solar system formed in an environment like Orion, so observing systems like d203-506 is a way to travel back in time,” the researchers say. . Webb’s observations revealed some interesting details. Despite the star’s small size, intense photoevaporation has been recorded in the protoplanetary disk. Each year, the disk lost mass equal to the mass of Earth. This is quite large for an observed system. The victim was quickly found. They were found to be relatively nearby young giant stars in the d203-506 system, with 10 times the mass and 100,000 times the brightness of the Sun. The powerful ultraviolet radiation emitted by these stars bombards protoplanetary disks, spewing out gas that will form the basis of future giant planets. Scientists have concluded that giant planets like Jupiter would never form under such conditions. But what’s interesting is that our system was created in similar conditions. How was our system able to preserve both Jupiter and Saturn? According to calculations, it mainly depends on the mass of the central star. Our Sun is 5 to 10 times more massive than star d203-506. The Sun’s gravity was able to handle the photoevaporation, keeping the material within the system and preventing it from escaping into interstellar space. Thanks to the size of the Sun, we have an abundance of giant planets that will continue to serve human civilization.