Webb Observes "Extreme Debris Disks," Providing a Window into the Early Solar System

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Webb Observes "Extreme Debris Disks," Providing a Window into the Early Solar System By Matthew Williams - October 09, 2026 02:25 AM UTC | Observing Scientists theorize that early in the Solar System's history, collisions were relatively common as planets migrated and planetoids were hurled out of their orbits. Using Webb, astronomers are studying young star systems to learn more about the early Solar System's evolution.

According to the Giant Impact Hypothesis , a collision with a Mars-sized object (Theia) about 4.5 billion years ago led to the formation of the Earth-Moon system. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers have examined young star systems that appear to be experiencing similar cataclysmic events.

The team was made up of researchers from the Space Science Institute (SSI), the Konkoly Observatory , the MTA Centre of Excellence , the Steward Observatory , the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory (LPL), and multiple universities. The team’s findings were published Thursday in The Astrophysical Journal . The heat from the impact melted Earth's crust, allowing bulk 3He to escape into space.