Webb Telescope Uncovers Carbon-Rich Moon-Forming Disk Around Distant Exoplanet
Astronomers have detected a carbon-rich disk surrounding a distant exoplanet where moons may be forming. The discovery offers unprecedented insights into how planetary systems develop across the universe.
First Direct Detection of Moon-Forming Environment
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has made groundbreaking observations of a carbon-rich disk surrounding a massive exoplanet located approximately 625 light-years from Earth, according to recent reports in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Analysis suggests this circumplanetary disk serves as a potential birthplace for new moons, marking the first time scientists have directly measured the chemical composition and physical conditions within such a moon-forming environment.