Webb Telescope Confirms Long-Lived Planet-Forming Disks in Early Universe
New findings challenge existing models of planet formation by showing disks around stars in low-metal environments persist far longer than previously believed.
- The James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed that planet-forming disks in environments with few heavy elements can last up to 20–30 million years, much longer than previously thought.
- This discovery supports a controversial 2003 Hubble finding, which suggested massive planets could form in the early universe despite low levels of heavier elements.
- Scientists studied the NGC 346 star cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a nearby galaxy with conditions similar to the early universe, to understand this phenomenon.
- The study reveals that longer-lived disks allow more time for planets to form and grow, challenging prior models that predicted rapid disk dissipation in such environments.
- Two potential mechanisms for disk longevity were proposed: reduced radiation pressure due to fewer heavy elements or larger initial gas clouds forming more massive disks.
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