Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers from the University of Arizona have made a significant breakthrough in understanding star and planetary system formation. They observed powerful winds of gas from protoplanetary disks, the swirling clouds of gas and dust surrounding newly formed stars, which play a crucial role in shaping young planetary systems.
The study reveals that these 'disk winds,' driven mainly by magnetic fields, can reach speeds of tens of miles per second. This discovery provides insights into how gas loses angular momentum, a key process for stars to grow by 'eating' gas from their surrounding disks.
Lead author Ilaria Pascucci explained that understanding how gas loses angular momentum has been challenging. The research team focused on four protoplanetary disks observed edge-on from Earth, allowing them to detect distinct layers of winds. They found a consistent central hole within the wind structure across all four disks, indicating a complex interaction between gas and the forming stars.
The findings, published in Nature Astronomy, could help unlock further secrets about the birth of stars and planets, including those in our solar system. The team plans to study more disks to determine the prevalence and evolution of these wind structures.