Remi Soummer, of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, MD., led his team to reanalyze images that had been captured by the Hubble Space Telescope to search for planetary disks using improved detection algorithms.
The stars were initially targeted with Hubble's Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) based on unusual heat signatures obtained from NASA space-based telescopes, including IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite) and the Spitzer Space Telescope. The previous data provided interesting clues that dusty disks might exist around these stars. Such disks might be seen in scattered light from small dust particles. But when Hubble first viewed the stars between 1999 and 2006, no visible-light disks were detected in the NICMOS pictures.
Recently, with improvements in image processing — including algorithms used for face-recognition software — Soummer and his team reanalyzed the archived images. This time, they could unequivocally see the debris disks, and they could even determine their shapes.
"We are also working to implement the same techniques as a standard processing method for the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope," said STScI teammate Laurent Pueyo. "These disks will also be prime targets for the Webb Telescope."
The James Webb Space Telescope is slated to be launched in 2018, and with a collecting area about five times larger than that of Hubble, JWST will have unprecedented resolution.
The full journal article (pdf) is available.
