Astronomers have long sought to understand how elements like carbon, essential for life, become widely distributed across the universe. Now, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has shed light on one ongoing source of carbon-rich dust: Wolf-Rayet 140, a binary star system in our Milky Way galaxy.
The telescope has observed 17 dust shells in mid-infrared light expanding at regular intervals into space. These shells are moving outward at velocities exceeding 1,600 miles per second, approximately 1% the speed of light. The stars’ stellar winds compress and create the carbon-rich dust.
Lead author Emma Lieb noted that Webb’s data confirmed the existence of these dust shells and showed they were expanding with consistent velocities, revealing changes over short periods of time. Researchers are excited about this discovery as it provides insight into how binary star systems create and distribute carbon-rich dust.
The telescope has also detected variations in dust formation, including the presence of darker regions. The system’s stars will generate tens of thousands of dust shells over hundreds of thousands of years. Ultimately, these dust shells may provide clues to understanding where carbon in the universe originates.
As the Wolf-Rayet star nears the end of its life, it will either explode as a supernova or collapse into a black hole. Researchers are rooting for the latter scenario, which could help answer the question of where all the dust in the universe comes from. Carbon-rich dust is essential for rocky planet formation and solar systems like our own.
Source: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/webb-watches-carbon-rich-dust-shells-form-expand-in-star-system