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What's the Story
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has detected signs of a massive collision between two giant asteroids in the Beta Pictoris star system.
This system is approximately 63 light years away from our planet.
The telescope's advanced infrared capabilities enabled it to detect cosmic dust produced by this collision.
The Beta Pictoris system is known for its two gas giants, Beta Pictoris B and C.
Dust clouds in the Beta Pictoris system indicate a collision
Astronomer Christine Chen of Johns Hopkins University has been studying the Beta Pictoris system since 2004.
Their initial research identified two large dust clouds made of crystalline silicates, particles commonly found around young stars and other celestial bodies.
However, by 2023 these dust clouds had disappeared, leading Chen to speculate that they were the remnants of a collision between two giant asteroids.
Information obtained from the situation after asteroid collision
Chen's research shows that the dust produced by the asteroid impact was finer than pollen, and its combined mass was 100,000 times greater than the mass of the asteroid that destroyed the dinosaurs.
The relatively young age of the Beta Pictoris star system, just 20 million years, makes it a suitable subject for studying the early stages of planetary evolution.
According to Chen, this system could potentially provide information about what our solar system looked like in its early years.
JWST's role in understanding planet formation
JWST's observations were made possible by comparing recent data with data collected by the Spitzer space telescope between 2004-05.
This comparison revealed significant changes in the energy characteristics of the dust grains around Beta Pictoris.
The telescope's powerful instruments allowed for detailed measurements of the size and composition of the dust, providing insight into the materials involved in planetary formation.