Webb telescope finds 29 Cygni b formed from smaller pieces
Technology
The James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered new clues about how supergiant exoplanets like 29 Cygni b, around 15 times the mass of Jupiter, are born.
This planet seems to have built up from smaller pieces, more like Earth and other small planets.
Metal rich atmosphere and aligned orbit
JWST found that 29 Cygni b's atmosphere is loaded with metals, about 150 times more than Earth, which suggests it gathered lots of material from its disk as it formed.
Its orbit also lines up neatly with its star's spin, backing up the "bottom-up" idea.
These findings could totally shift how we think about massive planet formation in our galaxy.