The Harsh Light of the Lobster Nebula

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a form of light invisible to the human eye, carrying more energy than visible light. On Earth, UV radiation can damage living cells, causing effects that range from sunburn to skin cancer. In the vacuum of space, with no atmospheric protection, UV radiation is even more intense.

Figure 1. James Webb Captures Planet Birth Amid Extreme Ultraviolet Light.

The researchers focused on a young star roughly the same mass as the Sun, named XUE 1, located about 5,500 light-years away in the Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357). This nebula hosts more than 20 massive stars, including two of the largest in the Milky Way, both emitting extreme levels of ultraviolet radiation. Within this region, the team also identified around a dozen smaller young stars, each surrounded by protoplanetary disks exposed to intense UV light. Figure 1 shows James Webb Captures Planet Birth Amid Extreme Ultraviolet Light.

By combining James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations with advanced astrochemical models, the researchers determined the composition of the tiny dust grains in XUE 1’s protoplanetary disk—grains that could eventually coalesce into rocky planets. They found that the disk contains enough solid material to potentially form at least 10 planets, each with a mass similar to Mercury. The team also mapped the spatial distribution of a variety of previously detected molecules in the disk, including water vapor, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, and acetylene.

“These molecules are expected to contribute to the formation of the atmospheres of emerging planets,” said Konstantin Getman, research professor in the Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at Penn State and co-author of the study. “The detection of such reservoirs of dust and gas suggests that the fundamental building blocks for planet formation can survive even in environments with extreme ultraviolet radiation.”

Evidence of Disk Erosion

The team also noted the absence of certain molecules that typically trace UV irradiation in the JWST observations, leading them to conclude that XUE 1’s protoplanetary disk is compact and largely depleted of gas at its outer edges. The disk stretches only about 10 astronomical units (AU) from the host star—roughly the distance from the Sun to Saturn. The researchers attribute this compactness to the erosive effect of intense external UV radiation on the outer regions of the disk.

“These findings support the idea that planets can form around stars even when their natal disks are exposed to strong external radiation,” said Eric Feigelson, distinguished senior scholar and professor of astronomy, astrophysics, and statistics at Penn State. “It helps explain why astronomers are finding that planetary systems are so common around other stars.”

Studying XUE 1 marks an important step toward understanding how external radiation influences protoplanetary disks. The research lays the foundation for future observations—both from space- and ground-based telescopes—aimed at building a fuller picture of planet formation across diverse cosmic environments. According to Portilla-Revelo, the study highlights the transformative power of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope in probing the complexities of planet formation, while also demonstrating the remarkable resilience of protoplanetary disks under extreme conditions.

Source: SciTECHDaily

Cite this article:

Priyadharshini S (2025), James Webb Reveals Planet-Forming Regions Under Intense Ultraviolet Radiation, AnaTechMaz, pp.491