Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have identified several of the icy building blocks of life in the gas and dust swirling around two infant stars, or “protostars.” The molecules spotted range from relatively simple molecules like methane to complex compounds like acetic acid and ethanol.Complex organic molecules (COMs) in solid, icy form had previously been predicted to exist around protostars that have not yet begun birthing planets around them. This prediction, however, stemmed from Earth-based lab experiments. The theory had been tentatively confirmed in the past using space telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope itself. The JWST found diverse ices in the darkest, coldest regions of a molecular cloud as part of the JWST Early Release Science Ice Age program.But thanks to observations of the clouds around protostars IRAS23385 and IRAS 2A, taken with the JWST’s highly sensitive Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) as part of the James Webb Observations of Young ProtoStars (JOYS+) program, the presence of these ices has now been confirmed.Of particular interest for future study will be the material around the low-mass protostar IRAS 2A, which may have similarities with our sun — when the sun was in its primordial stages over 4.6 billion years ago, that is. That means the same chemical ices identified around IRAS 2A were likely present in the first stages of our solar system’s own development, eventually finding themselves delivered to the primitive Earth.Related: James Webb Space Telescope complicates expanding universe paradox by checking Hubble’s work”This finding contributes to one of the long-standing questions in astrochemistry,” team leader and Leiden University researcher Will Rocha said in a statement. “What is the origin of COMs in space? Are they made in the gas phase or in ice? The detection of COMs in ices suggests that solid-phase chemical reactions on the surfaces of cold dust grains can build complex kinds of molecules.” The spectrum light light coming from the protostar IRAS 2A revealing a wealth of complex, carbon-containing (organic) moleculesFamiliar molecules around distant starsIt’s worth noting that COMs have technically been detected around protostars before, but in the form of warm gas. Research has suggested that these gases are created when the solid ice is transformed into such gas dir …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnUsing the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have identified several of the icy building blocks of life in the gas and dust swirling around two infant stars, or “protostars.” The molecules spotted range from relatively simple molecules like methane to complex compounds like acetic acid and ethanol.Complex organic molecules (COMs) in solid, icy form had previously been predicted to exist around protostars that have not yet begun birthing planets around them. This prediction, however, stemmed from Earth-based lab experiments. The theory had been tentatively confirmed in the past using space telescopes, including the James Webb Space Telescope itself. The JWST found diverse ices in the darkest, coldest regions of a molecular cloud as part of the JWST Early Release Science Ice Age program.But thanks to observations of the clouds around protostars IRAS23385 and IRAS 2A, taken with the JWST’s highly sensitive Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) as part of the James Webb Observations of Young ProtoStars (JOYS+) program, the presence of these ices has now been confirmed.Of particular interest for future study will be the material around the low-mass protostar IRAS 2A, which may have similarities with our sun — when the sun was in its primordial stages over 4.6 billion years ago, that is. That means the same chemical ices identified around IRAS 2A were likely present in the first stages of our solar system’s own development, eventually finding themselves delivered to the primitive Earth.Related: James Webb Space Telescope complicates expanding universe paradox by checking Hubble’s work”This finding contributes to one of the long-standing questions in astrochemistry,” team leader and Leiden University researcher Will Rocha said in a statement. “What is the origin of COMs in space? Are they made in the gas phase or in ice? The detection of COMs in ices suggests that solid-phase chemical reactions on the surfaces of cold dust grains can build complex kinds of molecules.” The spectrum light light coming from the protostar IRAS 2A revealing a wealth of complex, carbon-containing (organic) moleculesFamiliar molecules around distant starsIt’s worth noting that COMs have technically been detected around protostars before, but in the form of warm gas. Research has suggested that these gases are created when the solid ice is transformed into such gas dir …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
