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Birth of Stars and Protoplanetary Systems JWSTsite
 

Stars and planets both form from clouds of gas and dust. Stars form when the clouds collapse into dense blobs that begin burning hydrogen through nuclear reactions. Astronomers suspect that the leftover dust and debris — "circumstellar disks" — around young stars may collect into planetary systems.

Webb will probe deep into the dust that surrounds and obscures young stars, just-forming stars, and circumstellar disks to reveal their interior workings. Its observations will help unravel the mysteries that surround the birth and early evolution of stars, and the origins of planetary systems. 		     

JWSTsite Links:
A Scientist's Perspective

External Links:
Life Cycle of Stars
A Portrait of Star Birth
Spinning Dust Disk		  
   
HST Protoplanet Image
The Hubble Space Telescope found protoplanetary disks around newly forming stars in the Orion Nebula. Astronomers believe that these disks will eventually coalesce to form planets. JWST will allow us to study in more detail objects such as these to learn more about the star- and planet-formation process.
 

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