The Process of Planet Formation is Described as a 'Cascading Chain Reaction' by Scientists.
The Process of Planet Formation is Described as a 'Cascading Chain Reaction' by Scientists.
Astronomers utilizing a mountain coated in 66 radio telescopes have uncovered a "domino effect" or chain reaction mechanism where the emergence of a single planet around a star can prompt the creation of others located further away.
The findings stem from a new study of the only known star system boasting a rotating disk of gas and dust surrounding it, laden with pre-existing planets. The minuscule dust particles within a protoplanetary disk of this sort around a young star are believed to be the foundational components for planets and moons in all star systems.
Nevertheless, the specifics surrounding the appearance of multiple planets in a star system, such as our solar system, remain unclear.
Planetary Genesis
The study, which was released today in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, presents findings based on young star PDS 70, which is 367 light-years distant from our solar system in the constellation Centaurus. PDS 70 represents the sole star system where formed planets have been identified within a protoplanetary disk. Two planets have been documented orbiting this star.
Preceding studies using the ALMA telescope exposed a ring of dust particles encompassing the two known planets in this system, yet the resolution was lacking to distinguish the activity within the dust ring. Observing at greater wavelengths using ALMA, the researchers were capable of piercing through dust clouds and discovering a mass of dust situated at the outer edge of the two planets' orbits.
Domino Effect
The research concludes that the mass is being directed into position by the gravitational impact of the two existing planets, supplying the material required for the formation of a new planet.
This suggests, according to scientists, that planets may emerge in succession around stars, with the development of one planet influencing the emergence of the subsequent one. This "domino effect" or chain reaction might elucidate the formation processes related to multi-planet systems.
However, whether or not our solar system developed in this manner remains uncertain. Although the planets originated from a protoplanetary disk - the inner planets (including Earth) in the scorching area near the sun and the outer gas planets located farther out - it's thought that the giant planet Jupiter may have played the role of the “shepherd.” Any domino effect was almost certainly intricate due to gravitational forces, the giant planets migrating, and collisions between young planets. In other words, bedlam.
First-Born Planet
PDS 70 is renowned among astronomers and exoplanet hunters. It's where, in 2018, the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope captured the primary confirmed image of a planet forming in the protoplanetary disk surrounding a young star. It was observed carving a path through the gas and dust, situated at roughly the equivalent distance from its star as Uranus is from the sun. The planet, PDS 70b, was found to be a colossal gas planet, with a mass several times that of Jupiter, and a surface temperature of about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius).
Atacama Desert
The new observations stem from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array radio astronomy site on the Chajnantor plateau in Chile's Atacama desert. One of the driest and most elevated locations on Earth, its altitude of 16,500 feet (5,000 meters) enables observations to be made under exceptionally clear skies and with less interference from Earth's dense atmosphere.
Just a few miles from ALMA is the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory, the world's highest astronomical observatory, located at 5,640 meters atop Cerro Chajnantor in Chile, which opened in May. TAO is a 6.5-meter aperture telescope specialized in infrared observations - akin to the James Webb Space Telescope. It's capable of scrutinizing the surroundings of stars - including planet-forming regions such as those situated around PDS 70 - and permeating cosmic dust. It's anticipated to rejuvenate ground-based astronomy and alleviate the demand for observing time on both the James Webb Space Telescope and the Hubble Space Telescope.
Wishing you transparent skies and enlarged perspectives.
- The study of PDS 70, a star system with multiple planets, has revealed that science and astronomy suggest a "domino effect" in planet formation, where the emergence of one planet can trigger the creation of others in the solar system's vicinity.
- The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in the Atacama Desert has been instrumental in uncovering this phenomenon, as it allows astronomers to observe dust particles and gases in space, serving as the building blocks for planets like Alma, potentially present in other star systems.
- This fresh insight into planetary genesis has led to speculation about the influence of planets on each other in the solar system, such as how the presence of Jupiter as the "shepherd" could have affected the formation of other planets, demonstrating the intricate dance of celestial bodies in the vast expanse of space.