Lost in space? NASA's Webb Telescope reveals the disappearance of dust around Beta Pictoris star

Beta Pictoris, the second brightest star in the constellation Pictor has been an object of observation for astronomers for years. The star, which is 63 light-years away from us, first came under the radar of astronomers some 20 years ago when they saw a significant amount of dust around it, shining in infrared. The observation was carried out with the help of Spitzer space telescope.

Now, using the much advanced version of Sptizer (which was deactivated in 2020), NASA took to James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to look for the same dust around Beta Pictoris. To their surprise, this infrared shinning dust around the star was gone!

The researchers believe it happened because the dust was pushed away by the radiation of the young star, Beta Pictoris. The Beta Pictoris system is very young, only 20 to 26 million years old.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Also Read |Auroras over Mars? NASA observes Mars flare up during epic solar storm

This push resulted in the cooling off of the dust, which eventually became untraceable. And if dust can be just swept away like this, it means it is not a standard or constant feature of the star and something might have caused it. Astronomers believe this “something” is actually an asteroid collision.

The collision is likely the results of planetesimals colliding on their way to form planets, that might one day be like Earth, or Mars, or Venus.

“Beta Pictoris is at an age when planet formation in the terrestrial planet zone is still ongoing through giant asteroid collisions, so what we could be seeing here is basically how rocky planets and other bodies are forming in real time,” lead author Christine Chen, a Johns Hopkins University astronomer, said in a statement.

As per the team, the collision released an enormous amount of dust, equivalent to about 100,000 times the asteroid that brought an end to the non-avian dinosaurs. Beta Pictoris has two gas giant planets that have already formed, but no known terrestrial planets yet.

Also Read |Did birds evolve from dinosaurs? Fossils of largest feathered dinosaur hint at ancestry

“The question we are trying to contextualise is whether this whole process of terrestrial and giant planet formation is common or rare, and the even more basic question: Are planetary systems like the solar system that rare?” said co-author Kadin Worthen, a doctoral student in astrophysics at Johns Hopkins.

With JWST, the team was able to see the infrared universe to discover such an incredible insight into astronomy.

“Most discoveries by JWST come from things the telescope has detected directly,” said co-author Cicero Lu, a former Johns Hopkins doctoral student in astrophysics.

“In this case, the story is a little different because our results come from what JWST did not see.”

The research was presented by Chen at the 244th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Madison, Wisconsin.

(With inputs from agencies)