We still can't figure out why there's so much more dust in the universe than what models predict.
Webb will be better positioned than many other observatories in catching sight of this elusive compound. With infrared light, it can peer through clouds of dust, and due to its deep-space orbit, it is far from interfering light sources that can mess up any calculations about dust abundance., which are unusually hot and bright, may be huge dust producers after interacting with companion stars in binary systems.
Astronomers usually spot these stellar interactions through pinwheel patterns, generated as the two stars orbit each other and the winds blowing off the surfaces of these stars collide in space. However, because Wolf-Rayet stars are so bright, their luminosity overwhelms the fainter emissions of nearby dust.
Webb's specialized optics, however, will provide unprecedented views in infrared. Moreover, Webb has a higher resolution than NASA's now-retiredLong infrared wavelengths of light are not only prized for their ability to peer through dust, but they also can provide the spectrum of elements in dust clouds. Some of these chemicals may be crucial to the building blocks of life, allowing us hints about how dust spread organic molecules through the universe.
"The mid-infrared light that Webb can detect is exactly the wavelength of light we want to look at to study the dust and its chemical composition," study lead Ryan Lau, a fellow at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency , said in aLau's team will examine two Wolf-Rayet binary systems using two instruments on Webb: the Mid-Infrared Instrument and Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph .
Coming under scrutiny will be WR 140, a well-studied star system that will serve as a baseline to make sure Webb's observations are working as expected. Also on the list is WR 137, whose two stars will approach each other closely early in Webb's mission in a potential dust-generating event.
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