James Webb Space Telescope reveals details of extreme debris disks

An international research team, including scientists from the HUN-REN Konkoly Miklós Thege Astronomical Institute, has used the James Webb Space Telescope to study extreme debris disks. These rare systems are characterized by high concentrations of warm dust and irregular brightness variations, resulting from catastrophic collisions between Moon- or Mars-sized bodies.

Led by Kate Su of the Space Science Institute, the study examined 21 such systems. The researchers identified two primary types: silicon dioxide-rich disks, likely caused by high-energy collisions between Mars-sized bodies around stars younger than 300 million years, and silicon dioxide-poor systems, which may involve grazing collisions of Moon-sized objects. These findings provide new insights into the processes of planetary formation and the early history of solar systems.

The study builds upon previous data from NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope, using the James Webb Space Telescope’s mid-infrared spectrometer to detect fine dust particles that reveal the nature of these cosmic impacts.