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8h ago

JWST Finds CO2-Dominated Planet-Forming Disk in NGC 6357 With Little Water

MIRI spectra reveal rare CO2 isotopologues, prompting tests of whether ultraviolet radiation is rewriting inner-disk chemistry.

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Composite image of the NGC 6357 nebula (Credit: NASA)
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Overview

  • A study led by Jenny Frediani, published August 29 in Astronomy & Astrophysics, reports an unusually strong carbon dioxide signal in a region where rocky planets may form.
  • Water vapor is barely detectable in the inner disk compared with the prominent CO2 features captured by JWST's MIRI instrument.
  • The data clearly show multiple CO2 isotopologues, including carbon-13 and oxygen-17 and -18 variants, offering new tracers of disk chemistry.
  • Researchers say the composition challenges standard models and point to intense ultraviolet radiation from the host or nearby massive stars as a likely influence.
  • Located in the massive star-forming region NGC 6357 about 5,542–5,545 light-years away, the discovery comes from the XUE collaboration, with further observations and modeling needed to assess the proposed mechanism and its prevalence.