James Webb Space Telescope observes 72 stars and finds planet formation is a race against time

image via Space.com

August 27, 2026, 9:00 PM

• •The study used JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument to observe 72 young, sun-like stars at different stages of early system development.
• •Researchers tracked molecular hydrogen to measure how matter is lost from protoplanetary disks.
• •Early disk evolution is dominated by magnetically driven jets and winds that remove gas from the system.
• •As disks thin, high-energy radiation from the young star increasingly drives gas loss through photoevaporation.
• •The findings help explain when gas giants such as Jupiter and Saturn can still gather thick atmospheres before the disk disperses.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers studied 72 young sun-like stars to examine how gas escapes the protoplanetary disks where planets form. The survey found that disk-clearing mechanisms change over time, with magnetically driven jets and winds dominating early and photoevaporation becoming more important later. This matters because gas giants need large amounts of material before the gas in the disk is lost, while smaller rocky planets may form under different constraints. The researchers say the results provide a detailed timeline for how planet formation shuts down and were published in The Astronomical Journal.

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