Exploring the Cosmic Bar: Detecting Key Ingredients for Habitable Planets Near Twin Stars
Researchers have utilized advanced space telescopes to identify intricate molecules like alcohol and vinegar components near a pair of developing stars.
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter and dive into the universe with updates on exciting discoveries and scientific progress.
Recently, NASA reported that astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have identified familiar chemical components like those found in vinegar, ant stings, and margaritas near two young stars.
The team observed complex organic molecules using the space observatory's Mid-Infrared Instrument. These included acetic acid, found in vinegar, and ethanol, also known as alcohol.
In addition to these, they also discovered simple molecules like formic acid, which causes the burning sensation from ant stings, as well as sulfur dioxide, methane, and formaldehyde. Scientists believe that sulfurous compounds like sulfur dioxide may have been important on early Earth in creating conditions for life to develop.
Newly discovered molecules have been identified as icy compounds encircling two protostars, IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385. Protostars are stars that are still in their early stages and have not yet developed planets. Stars are born from swirling clouds of gas and dust, with the remaining material eventually forming into planets.
Previous studies have estimated that the protostar IRAS 23385 is located approximately 15,981 light-years away from Earth within the Milky Way galaxy.
Astronomers are excited about a recent discovery because the molecules found near the stars could play a key role in the development of habitable planets in the future.
Space contains a variety of heavy metals, chemical elements, and compounds that are a result of star explosions. These elements eventually become part of clouds that contribute to the formation of new stars and planets.
On Earth, the right mix of elements came together to create life. As the famous astronomer Carl Sagan put it, "We are made of star-stuff." But astronomers have always wondered how widespread the elements needed for life are in the universe.
The hunt for intricate molecules in outer space.
Scientists using Webb have found various types of ice in a cold, dark molecular cloud. This cloud is a cluster of gas and dust where hydrogen and carbon monoxide molecules can combine to form different types of ice. Within these clouds, dense clumps can collapse to create protostars.
The discovery of complex organic molecules in space is aiding astronomers in understanding the origins of these molecules, as well as larger cosmic molecules.
Webb's detections revealed simple and complex molecules that could be used to form potentially habitable worlds.
Webb's detections revealed simple and complex molecules that could be used to form potentially habitable worlds.
Scientists think that complex organic molecules are formed when ices in space sublimate, which is when a solid turns into a gas without becoming a liquid first. The recent Webb detection provides support for this idea.
Will Rocha, team leader of the James Webb Observations of Young ProtoStars program and a postdoctoral researcher at Leiden University in the Netherlands, shared that this discovery addresses a longstanding inquiry in astrochemistry. The question of how complex organic molecules, or COMs, originate in space has puzzled scientists. The detection of COMs in ices indicates that intricate molecules may be formed through solid-phase chemical reactions on the surfaces of cold dust grains.
A forthcoming study outlining these recent protostar findings will soon be published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Exploring the early solar system
Studying the structure of complex organic molecules can provide valuable insights for astronomers trying to comprehend how these molecules are integrated into planets. When complex organic molecules are trapped in cold ices, they have the potential to eventually become part of comets or asteroids. These celestial bodies can then collide with planets, effectively depositing the necessary ingredients that could potentially foster life.
Chemicals surrounding protostars can offer insights into the early stages of our solar system's formation, giving astronomers a glimpse into the past when the sun and its planets, like Earth, were taking shape.
According to Ewine van Dishoeck, a coauthor of the study and a professor of molecular astrophysics at Leiden University, these molecules have the potential to contribute to the creation of comets, asteroids, and new planetary systems as they are carried inward to the planet-forming disk during the evolution of the protostellar system. The researchers are eager to continue tracing this astrochemical journey using more data from the Webb telescope in the years to come.
The team has dedicated the results of their research to study coauthor Harold Linnartz, who passed away unexpectedly in December right after the paper was accepted for publication.
Linnartz, who was in charge of the Leiden Laboratory for Astrophysics and oversaw the measurements used in the study, was described as a top expert in laboratory studies of gaseous and icy molecules in interstellar space by Leiden University.
He was said to be very excited about the data captured by Webb and the potential implications for astrochemistry research.
According to van Dishoeck, Harold was especially pleased with the significant role that lab work could play in the COM assignments, as it had taken a long time to reach this point.
Editor's P/S:
The discovery of familiar chemical components near young stars, as observed by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, is an exciting breakthrough in astrochemistry. The presence of molecules like acetic acid, ethanol, and formic acid suggests that the building blocks for life may be more prevalent in the universe than previously thought. This discovery has profound implications for our understanding of the origins of life on Earth and the potential for habitable planets elsewhere.
Moreover, the involvement of complex organic molecules in the formation of comets and asteroids provides valuable insights into the early stages of our solar system. By studying the structure and composition of these molecules, astronomers can gain valuable information about the conditions that existed during the formation of the sun and its planets. This research not only expands our knowledge of the universe but also helps us to better understand the history of our own planet. conditions that existed when the Sun and Earth were formed. This research not only expands our knowledge of the universe but also inspires us to consider the interconnectedness of all life and the possibility of extraterrestrial origins.
