The James Webb Space Telescope might soon be trained on the same region of space to confirm the existence of a Jupiter-mass exoplanet.
The scientists who made the first-ever detection of gas in a circumplanetary disk were investigating a young star called AS 209. It is located in the constellation Ophiuchus, roughly 395 light-years from Earth. While making their observations, they noticed a blob of light in what was otherwise an empty gap in the gas seen around the star. That led to the detection of the circumplanetary disk, which is potentially surrounding a Jupiter-mass planet.
"The best way to study planet formation is to observe planets while they're forming. We are living in a very exciting time when this happens thanks to powerful telescopes, such as ALMA and JWST," said Jaehan Bae, a professor of astronomy at the University of Florida and the lead author of a paper on the findings, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
if and when it trains its impressive instruments on AS 209. It is, indeed, an incredibly exciting time for astronomy.Be the first to read our latest stories, analysis, and trend-spotting on tech from every corner on earth. Sign up for our weekly newsletter today.Stay on top of the latest engineering news just enter your email and we’ll take care of the rest.
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