It seems that astronomers are still missing something about how planets form. It was an unexpected discovery that alarmed them.
Children usually resemble at least one of their parents physically. Same goes for the planets. They resemble the disk of gas and dust that saw them form. Really? A discovery today calls that claim into question. And even to the model currently accepted by the community of planet formation scientists. He has made this discovery. AstronomersAstronomers from Northwestern University (United States) An exoplanet with a structure not identical to its progenitor disk.
The relationship between carbon and oxygen gases in the minds of observational astrophysicistsEnvironmentEnvironment A planet must have the ratio of carbon and oxygen gases in its natal disk. Since it is assumed that the planet collects material from its disk through gases »explains Chih-Chun. “Dino” Hsu, a researcher at Northwestern University. “Instead, we found a planet with a much lower carbon-to-oxygen ratio than its disk. Enough to confirm suspicions that some people already have an overly simplistic picture of planet formation. is
A planet in the making, a boon for astronomers
This has happened for the first time. PhysicistPhysicist Compare information about an exoplanet, its birth disc, and its host star. And they were able to do this because the system they studied is still young. Located 366 million light-years from our Earth, the disk surrounds itThe starThe star Named PDS 70, it has already given birth to two gas giant planets: PDS 70b and PDS 70c. They are not more than 5 million years old.
The AstronomersAstronomers They were also able to compare information from an exoplanet and its progenitor disk using new techniques developed earlier. Techniques that make it possible to capture. SpectacleSpectacle Very detailed less objects shineshine – similar to planets in formation – even when they are close to very bright objects – similar to their host star. And so, going back to the elements that make up a planet’s atmosphere, for example.
Should we rewrite the history of planet formation?
i Astrophysical Journal Lettersthe researchers report, in the atmospheres of the planets they studied — namely PDS 70b; They soon plan to study the spectra of PDS 70c – a carbon/oxygen ratio much lower than previously measured in the natal disk. A puzzling result for which astronomers consider two explanations.
Thus, the planet could have formed before its disk became enriched with carbon. Another explanation is that the planet grew primarily by absorbing large amounts of material. solidsolid In addition to gases. As a result, some of the carbon and oxygen accumulated in ice and dust will remain invisible to the spectra.
“So this can tell us that we can’t just compare gas to gas. The solid components can make a big difference in the carbon/oxygen ratio.Underlines JasonJason Wang, Physicist. Studying other planets in the system could allow researchers to better understand their formation history. and more broadly, the history of planet formation in general.
