Webb's study revealed that planet-forming disks around stars in NGC 346 last significantly longer than previously thought, which challenges existing models of planet formation.

Guido De Marchi, the study leader, indicated that the prolonged existence of these disks allows for a longer time frame for planets to form and grow around the stars.

The research paper detailing these findings was published in the December 16, 2024 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured stunning images of NGC 346, a massive star cluster located in the Small Magellanic Cloud, a nearby dwarf galaxy.

This research utilized the Small Magellanic Cloud as a model for the early universe, focusing on NGC 346, which exhibits low levels of heavy elements, akin to conditions shortly after the Big Bang.

Among the discoveries, a gas giant was found to exist less than one billion years after the Big Bang, challenging existing models of planetary formation due to its early existence.

Elena Sabbi, a researcher from the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, stated that these findings imply a need to revise current models of planet formation, as they did not account for longer-lived planet-building disks.

The implications of this research extend to understanding how planets form and the diversity of planetary systems that could develop in different cosmic environments.

De Marchi emphasized that this finding necessitates a reevaluation of how planet formation is modeled in the early universe.

Two mechanisms were proposed for the persistence of these disks: lower radiation pressure due to fewer heavy elements and the possibility of larger initial gas clouds contributing to the formation of larger disks.

The findings suggest that planets have more time to form in environments with low metallicity, compared to the Milky Way's star-forming regions.

In the early universe, stars primarily formed from hydrogen and helium, with heavy elements emerging later from supernova explosions.