This graphic presents some of the first results from the eXtreme UV Environments (XUE) James Webb Space Telescope programme. These results suggest that the conditions for rocky-planet formation, typically found in discs in regions where low-mass stars are formed, can also occur in regions where massive stars are formed and possibly in a broader range of environments.
Astronomers focussed on rocky-planet-forming regions of discs in the Lobster Nebula using Webb’s Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) of the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI). This first result focuses on the protoplanetary disc termed XUE 1, which is located in the star cluster Pismis 24.
This graphic features the observed signatures of carbon monoxide spanning 4.95 to 5.15 microns
[Image description: Graphic titled “XUE 1 Irradiated Protoplanetary Disc, MIRI Medium -Resolution Spectroscopy” shows a graph of brightness versus wavelength from 4.95 to 5.15 microns, with carbon monoxide peaks highlighted.]