James Webb finds short planet formation window around sunlike stars
The James Webb Space Telescope just uncovered something big: planets don't have forever to form.
By watching 72 young sunlike stars, scientists found that the dusty disks where planets are born lose their building materials pretty quickly, meaning there's only a short window for new worlds to take shape.
This research, led by Naman Bajaj from the University of Arizona, was published on August 25, 2026.
JWST tracked disk clearing processes
Gas giants like Jupiter have to grab their thick atmospheres fast before the crucial gas escapes.
Using JWST's special infrared tools, researchers tracked how these disks lose material: from powerful jets and winds when they're young to radiation that clears out leftover gas as they age.
The study even gives us clues about how our own solar system formed billions of years ago.