There are strange objects in our solar system. Hybrids. Centaur. The James Webb Space Telescope has added to the mystery by detecting jets of gas emerging from one of them.
In Greek mythology, a centaur is a half-human, half-horse creature. In astronomy, the term refers to icy bodies orbiting our sun. Previously out of orbit NeptuneNeptunebut through the game of gravitational effects, he now navigates somewhere in between JupiterJupiter And Neptune. They are considered a remnant of the formation of our solar system because they preserve information about ancient volatiles, and owe their name to the fact that they share characteristics with trans-Neptunian objects, but also with short-period comets. It is as if they are in a transitional stage between the two.
Hoping to better understand the centaurs, the researchers pointed the instrument at them NIRSpecNIRSpec -L Near infrared spectrometer -James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). More precisely, they targeted the Centaur 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1. AstronomersAstronomers Centaur 29P is nicknamed because it is known for its semi-periodic explosions. Its severity varies every six to eight weeks. Enough to make it one of the most active objects in the outer solar system.
Gas jets that had never been observed before
So far the centaur's distant orbit and weakness brightnessbrightness Detailed notes are prohibited. But the sensitivity of the James Webb Space Telescope opens new horizons with it topictopic. Astronomers already knew that a plane gasgas The planet spitting from Centauri 29P toward our sun — and our Earth — contains carbon monoxide (CO). In the magazine natureThey confirmed that today, even adding another jet of carbon dioxide emanating from the north of the object.
The James Webb Space Telescope also looked for traces of water vapor (H2Q) Which he did not find. Perhaps because of the cold that prevails in the body. On the other hand, it was revealed carbon dioxidecarbon dioxide (Co2)). The data shows, for the first time, two jets of carbon dioxide2 It originates from the north and south directions.
Models to trace the history of centaurs in our solar system
phase ModelingModeling It then allowed astronomers to understand that these different jets were emanating from different regions of Centauri 29P's core. Among the researchers' hypotheses is the possibility that the aforementioned nucleus appears in the form of a group of objects with different compositions. At least two. Things that ended up there after following very different paths of formation. “This is enough to challenge our ideas about how primitive objects were created and stored in the Kuiper Belt.”Jeronimo Villanueva, co-author of the study, confirms in A NASA press release.
As to why the luminosity of Centaur 29P is so different and the mechanisms behind it unloadingunloadingResearchers remain in doubt. All they say now is that the nature of this activity is different from the nature of comets whose jets are generated by discharging gas from water. However, centaurs are in a region too cold to allow ice to rise. Perhaps answers can be provided by renewed and longer observations of Centaur 29P. The risks are high. Because by succeeding in better understanding this centaur, astronomers can improve their understanding of the formation and evolution of our solar system.
