Protoplanetary disc XUE 1 (MIRI emission spectrum: 13.3–15.5 microns)

This graphic presents some of the first results from the eXtreme UV Environments (XUE) James Webb Space Telescope programme. These results suggest that the conditions for rocky-planet formation, typically found in the discs of low-mass star-forming regions, can also occur in massive-star-forming regions and possibly a broader range of environments.

Astronomers focussed on rocky-planet-forming regions of discs in the Lobster Nebula using Webb’s Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) of the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI). This first result focuses on the protoplanetary disc termed XUE 1, which is located in the star cluster Pismis 24.

The inner disc around XUE 1 revealed signatures of water (highlighted here in blue and centred around 14.2 microns), as well as acetylene (C2H2, highlighted in green; centred around 13.7 microns), hydrogen cyanide (HCN, highlighted in brown; centred around 14.0 microns), and carbon dioxide (CO2, highlighted in red; centred around 14.95 microns). As indicated, some of the emission detected was weaker than some of the predicted models, which might imply a small outer disc radius.

[Image description: Graphic titled “XUE 1 Irradiated Protoplanetary Disc, MIRI Medium -Resolution Spectroscopy” shows a graph of brightness versus wavelength from 13.3 to 15.5 microns, with acetylene, hydrogen cyanide, water, and carbon dioxide peaks highlighted]