Strange Objects Detected by the James Webb Space Telescope May Reveal New Secrets of the Early Universe
According to Live Science, astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have peered beyond the Milky Way galaxy and discovered seemingly strange objects wandering among young stars.
By zooming in on the young star cluster NGC 602 in the Small Magellanic Cloud, one of the Milky Way’s satellite galaxies, they found evidence of brown dwarfs.
This marks the first time this “hybrid” type of object has been discovered outside of the Milky Way.
Young star cluster NGC 602, where dozens of objects floating between star and planet states have just been discovered – (Photo: NASA/ESA/CSA).
Brown dwarfs have been known for quite some time, yet they continue to puzzle scientists.
These strange objects exceed the size limits of planets but are not massive enough to sustain nuclear fusion like stars. They also exhibit numerous characteristics that “hover” between the states of stars and planets.
One of the main mysteries is how they come into existence, whether like stars or like planets. Scientists often support the hypothesis that they form like stars.
Peter Zeidler, a scientist from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the lead author of the new study on these objects, stated that the observations within NGC 602 support this hypothesis.
“Brown dwarfs seem to form in the same way as stars; they just do not gather enough mass to become a complete star,” Dr. Zeidler said.
A total of 64 brown dwarfs have been discovered in NGC 602, with masses ranging from 50 to 84 times that of Jupiter.
Further research on this failed star group outside the galaxy may help clarify why so many “stars” appear not to ignite.
However, according to the researchers, these strange objects may also reveal new insights into the early universe.
NGC 602 is a young star cluster just 3 million years old, with an environment primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, containing very few heavier elements.
In other words, it closely simulates the primordial cosmic environment, which has not yet been enriched chemically by generations of stars.
Therefore, according to co-author Elena Sabbi from the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, studying the young brown dwarfs formed in NGC 602 will help us better understand the nature of the first objects that emerged in the early universe.
