Something traumatic must have Lina Romayhappened to the Beta Pictoris star system within the 20th century.
That might not seem recent, but considering the universe is thought to be 13.8 billion years old, the notion that a major cosmic event happened within some living humans' lifespans — and can be studied — is fascinating to astronomers.
Beta Pictoris, a nearby star with at least two orbiting planets, is about 63 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation Pictor. It's visible to the naked eye in the southern sky. A team of scientists used the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, a collaboration of NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, to make the discovery. The infrared space observatory again showed its prowess in finding details never before detected by other telescopes.
Webb revealed a new dusty feature at Beta Pictoris, curled like a cat's tail. Now, the team is trying to figure out what caused it.
"While there have been previous observations from the ground in this (light) wavelength range, they did not have the sensitivity and the spatial resolution that we now have with Webb, so they didn’t detect this feature," said Isabel Rebollido of the Astrobiology Center in Spain, in a statement.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
Rebollido is the lead author of a new study on these findings, set to be published in the Astronomical Journal.
Previous telescope observations of Beta Pictoris have revealed the system has two disks of debris caused by collisions between asteroids, comets, and other small planet-like bodies. Planets are thought to form in such disks.
With computer modeling, the Webb researchers hypothesized that a cosmic event within the past 100 years must have produced the dusty curl.
The James Webb Space Telescope took a new snapshot of the Beta Pictoris system. Credit: NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI / Christopher Stark / Kellen Lawson / Jens Kammerer / Marshall Perrin "Something happens — like a collision — and a lot of dust is produced," said Marshall Perrin, a co-author of the study, in a statement. “At first, the dust goes in the same orbital direction as its source, but then it also starts to spread out."
The light from the star pushes the smallest, fluffiest dust particles away from the star faster, Perrin added, while the bigger grains don't move as much, creating a long trail of dust. This one extends from the southwest portion of the secondary debris disk.
Webb also revealed differences in temperature between the two disks, likely indicating that they're composed of different substances. In visible light, the material that makes the secondary disk and dust tail is dark. But with Webb's infrared vision, it glows.
Taking into consideration the tail’s brightness, the team has estimated the amount of dust in it to be on par with a large main belt asteroid dispersed across 10 billionmiles.
A recent collision within the system's debris disks could also explain a feature previously spotted by the Atacama Large Millimeter Array in 2014. The telescope observed a clump of carbon monoxide near the cat’s tail. Because a star’s radiation should destroy carbon monoxide within about a century, this still-existing gas concentration could be evidence of the same event.
If so, the Beta Pictoris system may be even more chaotic than researchers thought.
SpaceX's BFR has a new name. Elon Musk is calling it Starship.
A beginner’s guide to age play
'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for August 17, 2023
News websites accidentally host hardcore porn, thanks to old Vidme links
Best JBL deal: Save $10 on the Go 4 at Amazon
Wordle today: Here's the answer and hints for August 17
How to create a private session on Spotify
The Morning News Roundup for July 1, 2014
Best robot vacuum deal from the Amazon Big Spring Sale
'Quordle' today: See each 'Quordle' answer and hints for August 18, 2023
Elon Musk reveals the first passenger SpaceX will send around the moon
In moving post, Simone Biles praises teammates: 'They stepped up when I couldn't'
O Jogo Bonito
The Morning News Roundup for July 2, 2014
Hidden Siri Commands and Unusual Responses
What's new to streaming and theaters this week
Smuthound by Dan Piepenbring
Highs in the Mid
The Anatomy of Liberal Melancholy
A beginner’s guide to age play
Brazilian police and new footage discredit Lochte's robbery claimsElon Musk goes underground to show 'disturbingly long' LA tunnelTravellers will be questioned by AI lie detectors at the EU borderAriana Grande is cool with all her exes in new song 'thank u, next'Could Trump's campaign shake up signal a big move into media?Should I let my kids play 'Fortnite: Battle Royale' or 'Minecraft'?WhatsApp ‘Status’ feature will soon include adsPole vaulter claims his penis is not to blameShould I let my kids play 'Fortnite: Battle Royale' or 'Minecraft'?Shoutout to the 5Rebel Wilson faces backlash after her 'plus size romPole vaulter claims his penis is not to blame'Fortnite' partners with the NFL and it's honestly kind of grossApple's skyNetflix to release 3 films in cinemas first, before they go onlineSan Francisco Google employees walk out in protest of sexual harassmentEverything you need to know to vote in the midterm electionsChicken running around in blue pants looks very dapper10,000 flames lit at the Tower of London mark 100 years since WWITeam USA swimmers pulled from flight to U.S. over alleged Ryan Lochte robbery A Man Is Like a Tree: On Nicole Wittenberg by David Salle 'Badass' national park flooded with fan mail after fighting Trump on Twitter This tech giant just hit two impressive clean energy milestones There Is Another World, But It Is This One by Luke Allan 'Despicable Me 4' Super Bowl trailer mocks AI The Hobo Handbook by Jeremiah David The White House wants your help to 'make the government tiny again' Apple’s new Earth Day videos are the least Apple thing ever 1988–? by Eileen Chang 'Renegade Nell' cast dishes on the adventure show's big stunts Google's data center raises the stakes in this state's 'water wars' Time Travel by Cynthia Zarin Best gaming laptop deal: Get the Acer Nitro V 15 for 22% off Noah Hawley and FX's 'Alien' series confirmed for 2025 How to Find Your Mother in Her Portrait by Iman Mersal Justin Trudeau finally got something wrong, and it took a climate activist to call him out Hulu's 'We Were the Lucky Ones' reveals real Even penguins marched (well, waddled) for science These cities are totally slaying the solar power game What the 'NKH' patch worn by Kansas City Chiefs players means
2.6595s , 10133.5390625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Lina Romay】,Steady Information Network