JWST Captures Giant Star Dust Waves Beyond Solar System

Carbon-rich cosmic dust originates from diverse sources and disperses throughout space, playing a pivotal role in sustaining life and facilitating the formation of rocky planets similar to our own.

Astronomers encounter challenges when observing celestial objects due to this cosmic dust, which obstructs their targets and complicates their investigations.

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was constructed to peer through this dust using its infrared capabilities, providing new insights into astrophysical processes. Recently, the JWST was utilized to study the dust itself.

Research on the Wolf–Rayet binary WR 140, situated approximately 5,000 light-years away in the Cygnus constellation, revealed that the collision of stellar winds from both stars generates expanding rings of carbon-rich dust.

These colliding-wind binaries containing a Wolf–Rayet star offer valuable insights into dust formation processes, shedding light on the mysteries surrounding the dust’s composition and resilience.

The chaotic and hostile environment near these stars during close proximity is conducive to the generation of dust when their winds interact. The dust formation occurs exclusively at periastron, resulting in the formation of distinct rings.

Observations made by the JWST in 2022 showcased the expansion of these dust rings following the telescope’s initial images taken post the 2016 periastron passage. The swift expansion of the rings highlights the dynamic nature of this binary system.

The ability to witness real-time changes in astronomical phenomena like the expansion of dust rings within a short time frame is a rare occurrence, underlining the unique characteristics of the WR 140 binary system.

These groundbreaking findings underscore the pivotal role of massive binaries like WR 140 in dust production in the cosmos, offering a glimpse into the processes shaping our universe.