JWST Uncovers Clues to the Birth of a Giant Exoplanet

TL;DR Summary
Using JWST imaging of 29 Cygni b, a ~15-Jupiter-mass exoplanet about 133 light-years away, researchers find the planet is unusually metal-rich and its orbit aligns with its star, suggesting it may have formed in a protoplanetary disk via bottom-up accretion rather than simple direct collapse. This links the formation of some of the Milky Way’s most massive planets to the same disk-based processes that birth smaller worlds.
Topics:science#29-cygni-b#exoplanets#james-webb-space-telescope#planet-formation#protoplanetary-disk#space
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