Where Did The Mysterious JUMBOs in The Orion Nebula Come From?

The James Webb Space Telescope discovered Jupiter-mass binary objects, dubbed 'Jumbos,' within the Orion Nebula, presenting a puzzle for astronomers regarding their formation. While initial theories suggested in-situ formation or ejection from existing systems, a new theory proposes that these objects are the remnants of A-type stars that were 'sandblasted' by nearby massive OB stars, a process called photo-erosion, leading to the reduction of the stars to planetary sizes.

Jumbos Discovery

• 00:00:00 The James Webb Space Telescope discovered Jupiter-mass binary objects, called 'Jumbos', in the Orion Nebula. About 9% of these Jumbos are in wide binary orbits, which is surprising as fewer high-mass binary systems are typically found. These objects have a mass between 0.6 and 13 times that of Jupiter.

Formation Theories

• 00:09:43 The formation of Jumbos is puzzling. Initial theories include star-like formation, which is unlikely due to the low mass of these objects, and planet-like formation followed by violent ejection, which struggles to explain binary systems. Brown dwarf formation is another possibility, but there are various theories around this process.

Photo-erosion

• 00:14:11 Photo-erosion is a process where stars near massive O and B type stars have their outer layers eroded by ionizing shock waves. The theory suggests that A-type stars were compressed and stripped of their outer layers by the massive stars in the region, leading to the formation of Jumbos. This process explains the wide binary formation, as the original stars may have been in binary pairs.

Precursor Stars

• 00:18:09 The likely precursor to the Jumbos was an A-type star, more massive than the Sun. The masses and separation distributions of A-type stars match the data for Jumbos. The OB stars in the area evolved onto the main sequence more quickly, allowing them to affect nearby A-type stars through photo-erosion.

Rogue Planets

• 00:26:17 Rogue planets, not associated with nebulae, are found via methods like gravitational microlensing. They could be Jumbos or ejected planets from other systems. Dynamical interactions with other stars or protoplanetary disks are likely the most common way to create rogue planets. The possibility of rogue planet binaries also exists and could possibly support the photo-erosion theory.