The James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning image of a young star’s surroundings, revealing microscopic dust grains that could one day become planets. Herbig Haro 30 (HH 30) is a prime example of how stars shape their environments and form planets.
Located in the Taurus constellation, HH 30 is a newborn star just 500,000 years old. It remains hidden behind a dense disk of gas and dust, but its powerful energy output creates shockwaves that heat the material, causing it to glow. The JWST has captured these structures in stunning detail, providing valuable markers for astronomers studying planetary formation.
The young star’s protoplanetary disk, a ring of dust and debris surrounding it, is a key feature in the birth of new planets. As the dust settles into a thin layer, it undergoes a slow but critical transformation. Tiny dust grains, only one millionth of a meter across, play a massive role in planetary evolution.
Researchers have uncovered additional hidden structures within the disk using JWST data combined with observations from ALMA and Hubble Space Telescope. A faint spiral-like feature has been detected, which could be caused by a wobbling jet or a hidden companion star exerting gravitational influence.
The origins of this spiral structure remain a mystery, but HH 30 is a high-energy environment where tiny dust grains, powerful jets, and stellar interactions all contribute to the process of planetary formation. JWST’s infrared capabilities allow astronomers to analyze how light passes through different layers of the disk, gaining new insights into the movement of dust grains and their journey toward becoming planets.
Note: The title has been shortened to 10 words or fewer while maintaining its accuracy and relevance to the content.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2025/03/webb-telescope-bacteria-sized-new-planets