File:Protoplanetary Disk SZ Cha (MIRI Spectrum) (2023-142).jpg
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Summary
editDescriptionProtoplanetary Disk SZ Cha (MIRI Spectrum) (2023-142).jpg |
English: Contrasting data from NASA’s James Webb and Spitzer space telescopes show change in the disk surrounding the star SZ Chamaeleontis (SZ Cha) in just 15 years. In 2008, Spitzer’s detection of significant neon III made SZ Cha an outlier among similar young protoplanetary disks. However, when Webb followed up on SZ Cha in 2023, the ratio of neon II to III was within typical levels.
All of this is significant because protoplanetary disks are the stuff of future planetary systems – and those potential planets are in a race against time. Astronomers use neon as an indicator of the dominant radiation hitting the disk and causing it to evaporate. When extreme ultraviolet light is dominant, there is more neon III. That is the unusual circumstance that Spitzer observed in 2008. Typically, a disk is dominated by X-ray radiation, which evaporates the disk more quickly, leaving planets less time to form. Researchers think the dramatic differences in neon detections are the result of a wind that, when present, absorbs ultraviolet light and leaves X-rays to pummel the disk. They will continue using Webb to find other examples of variability in disk conditions, working toward a better understanding of how planetary systems develop around Sun-like stars. NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) |
Date | 15 November 2023 (upload date) |
Source | Protoplanetary Disk SZ Cha (MIRI Spectrum) |
Author | Illustration NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) |
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Licensing
editPublic domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
This file is in the public domain because it was created by NASA, ESA and CSA. NASA Webb material is copyright-free and may be freely used as in the public domain without fee, on the condition that only NASA, STScI, and/or ESA/CSA is credited as the source of the material. This license does not apply if source material from other organizations is in use. The material was created for NASA by Space Telescope Science Institute under Contract NAS5-03127. Copyright statement at webbtelescope.org. For material created by the European Space Agency on the esawebb.org site, use the {{ESA-Webb}} tag. |
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