The James Webb Telescope has discovered the building blocks of habitable planets, as well as two young stars

What do chamomile, vinegar, and ant bites have in common? They contain ingredients Chemicals that James Webb Space Telescope Subordinate a pot I have identified about two Protostars Young known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385.

An international team of scientists, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, has identified a large number of organisms. complex molecules, Which contain (organic) carbon and Surrounding two protostarsWhich include Traces of acetaldehyde, ethanol, methyl formate and possibly acetic acidin the solid phase.

Although planets have not yet formed around these stars, these molecules and others discovered by Webb represent key ingredients for creating potentially habitable planets, according to the study. investigation Published in the magazine Astronomy and astrophysics.

“This discovery contributes to answering one of the oldest questions in astrochemistry,” said the team leader. Will Rocha From Leiden University in the Netherlands.

The international team of astronomers used Webb's MIRI (Mid Infrared Instrument). Identify a variety of icy compounds composed of complex organic molecules Such as ethanol (alcohol) and possibly acetic acid. This work depends on Webb's previous discoveries of various ices in a cold, dark molecular cloud.

complex organic molecules (COM), They were previously discovered in the hot gas phase of this star's formation. It is now believed to have arisen from the sublimation of ice. This consists of going directly from the solid state to the gaseous state without becoming a liquid. Therefore, the discovery of these molecules in the ice gives astronomers hope for improving the situation Understanding the origins of other larger particles in space.

Scientists are also interested in exploring the extent to which these COMs are transferred to planets at later stages of protostar evolution. COMs are believed to be in It is easier to transfer cold ice from molecular clouds to disks From the formation of the planet Of hot gaseous molecules. These icy compounds could thus be incorporated into comets and asteroids, which in turn could collide with the forming planets, providing the ingredients needed for life to flourish.

The scientific team also discovered simpler molecules, including… Formic acid (which causes the burning sensation resulting from an ant sting), methane, formaldehyde, and sulfur dioxide. Research indicates that sulfur-containing compounds, e.g sulfur dioxideIt played an important role in catalyzing metabolic reactions on early Earth.

Of particular interest is that one of the sources examined, IRAS 2A, is characterized as a low-mass protostar. So, IRAS 2A may be similar to the early stages of our solar system. As such, the chemicals identified around this protostar were likely present in the early stages of our solar system's evolution and later reached the early Earth.

“All of these molecules could form part of comets, asteroids and, eventually, new planetary systems when icy material is transported into the planet-forming disk as the protostellar system evolves,” said Ewen van Dischock of Leiden University. One of the scientific program coordinators. “We hope to follow this astrochemical path step by step with more data from Webb in the coming years.”

These observations were made for the JOYS+ program (James Webb Observations for Young ProtoStars). The team dedicates these results to team member Harold Lennartz, who died unexpectedly in December 2023, shortly after this article was accepted.

he The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's leading space science observatory He solves the mysteries of our solar system, looks beyond the distant worlds around other stars, and explores mysterious structures and… The origin of our universe and our place in it. WEB is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.

The MIRI instrument was developed through a 50-50 partnership between NASA and the European Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has led the US effort for MIRI, and a multinational consortium of European astronomical institutes is contributing to ESA. George Rickey of the University of Arizona is the leader of the MIRI science team. Gillian Wright is the European Principal Investigator at MIRI.

Development of the MIRI coolant was led and managed by JPL, in collaboration with Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach, California, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.