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Sunday, October 4, 2026 · UTC
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Webb observes young star systems with Moon-forming style impacts

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have characterised violent debris disks matching conditions when Earth's Moon formed.

Luisa Marconi
Senior Space Correspondent
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Violent debris disks around young stars resemble Moon's formation
Violent debris disks around young stars resemble Moon's formation AI illustrationhow this picture was made
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has examined a class of young stellar systems showing violent upheavals similar to the impact that created Earth's Moon.[1] Researchers confirmed these extreme debris disks share three consistent properties: smaller dust grains than those in protoplanetary or classic debris disks, a high concentration of warm dust, and irregular brightness variations.[2] The work was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.[3] These unusual disks were first noted near the end of the mission of the retired Spitzer Space Telescope, before Webb was brought in for detailed observation.[4]
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What this stands on
  1. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope examined a class of young stellar systems showing signs of violent upheavals similar to the impact that created Earth's Moon. · Phys.org
  2. The team confirmed that extreme debris disks share three key properties: smaller dust grains than those in protoplanetary or classic debris disks, a high concentration of warm dust, and irregular brightness variations. · Phys.org
  3. The study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters based on observations from the James Webb Space Telescope. · El Universo
  4. The Spitzer Space Telescope, now retired, first noticed these odd disks near the end of its main mission before the James Webb Space Telescope took over. · Mashable
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