Water and other molecules have been detected in highly irradiated rocky-planet-forming regions. <\/p>
Water-rich, Earth-like planets could form in some of the most extreme stellar nurseries in the Galaxy, a new study has found.<\/p>
Our Sun is thought to have grown in a stellar nursery where several high-mass stars were also born.<\/p>
Massive stars emit a great amount of ultraviolet radiation that would push the gas and dust around in the planetary discs of nearby stars, potentially preventing rocky planets like ours from forming.<\/p>
Astronomers have been unable to investigate this further, however, as planet-forming discs have so far only been found in regions where no massive stars are being born.<\/p>
Now, the James Webb Space Telescope<\/a> has been able to uncover the first planetary disc, XUE-1, in such a region.<\/p> How the James Webb Space Telescope studies exoplanets<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> “We found an abundance of water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide and acetylene in the innermost regions of XUE-1,” says Maria Ram\u00edrez-Tannus from the University of Chicago, who led the international team behind the study.\u00a0<\/p> The team also found silicate dust, suggesting that, despite the extreme conditions, rocky exoplanets<\/a> are forming.<\/p> “This result is unexpected and exciting,” says Ram\u00edrez-Tannus. “It shows that there are favourable conditions to form Earth-like planets and the ingredients for life even in the harshest environments in our Galaxy.\u201d<\/p>