These are the first results from the eXtreme UV Environments (XUE) James Webb Space Telescope program, which focuses on the characterization of planet-forming disk in massive-star-forming regions. These regions are likely representative of the environment in which most planetary systems formed. Understanding the impact of environment on planet formation is important for scientists to gain insights into the diversity of the observed exoplanet populations.

The XUE program targets a total of 15 disks in three areas of the Lobster Nebula (also known as NGC 6357), a large emission nebula roughly 5,500 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Scorpius. The Lobster Nebula is one of the youngest and closest massive star formation complexes, and is host to some of the most massive stars in our galaxy.

Massive stars are hotter, and therefore emit more ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This can disperse the gas, making the expected disk lifetime as short as a million years. Thanks to Webb, astronomers can now study the effect of UV radiation on the inner rocky-planet-forming regions of protoplanetary disks around stars like our sun.

"Webb is the only telescope with the spatial resolution and sensitivity to study planet-forming disks in massive-star-forming regions," said team lead María Claudia Ramírez-Tannus of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany.