NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Discovers Large Dust Reservoirs in 2 Dead Stars

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has provided significant insights into the origins of dust in early galaxies.

By studying two Type II supernovae, researchers have discovered substantial amounts of dust within their ejecta, supporting the theory that these supernovae played a crucial role in supplying dust to the early universe.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Locates an Abundance of Dust in 2 Supernovae

Dust is a fundamental component in the formation of various celestial objects, particularly planets. As dust particles from dying stars disperse throughout space, they carry essential elements necessary for the birth of new stars and their planetary systems.

However, the exact source of this cosmic dust has long eluded astronomers, with one potential contributor being supernovae. When a star explodes, the leftover gas expands and cools, giving rise to dust.

To study more distant supernovae like SN 2004et and SN 2017eaw, both situated approximately 22 million light-years away in NGC 6946, Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) is essential due to its unique wavelength coverage and exceptional sensitivity.

This recent breakthrough marks the first significant progress in investigating dust production from supernovae since the detection of newly formed dust in Supernova 1987A nearly a decade ago, using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope.

The study's findings are not limited to dust detection. They also shed light on the remarkable amount of dust present in the early stages of a supernova's life.

The researchers discovered over 5,000 Earth masses of dust in SN 2004et, rivaling the measurements from SN 1987A despite being significantly younger. According to program lead Ori Fox of the Space Telescope Science Institute, this represents the highest dust mass detected in supernovae since SN 1987A.

Recent observations have indicated that young galaxies located far away are rich in dust. Surprisingly, these galaxies are not old enough for intermediate mass stars, such as our Sun, to have generated significant amounts of dust through their natural aging process.

Instead, researchers propose that more massive, short-lived stars may have perished early on in large numbers, contributing to the observed abundance of dust.

The detection of substantial dust quantities during the early stages of SN 2004et and SN 2017eaw's lifetimes implies that dust can withstand the powerful shockwaves generated by supernova explosions.

Scratching the Surface

The researchers suggest that the current assessments of dust mass might only scratch the surface. Despite NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's ability to measure cooler dust, there is a possibility of undetected, colder dust emitting radiation at even longer wavelengths, concealed by the outer layers of dust.

The team highlights that these discoveries are merely the beginning of what Webb can achieve in investigating supernovae and their dust creation.

The newfound research potential paves the way for a more profound comprehension of these celestial phenomena and their stellar origins. The team's findings were published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.