Webb discovered Ethanol and other icy ingredients around two protostars
Newfound carbon-containing molecules are key ingredients.
By
Amit Malewar
15 Mar, 2024
This image was taken by MIRI (the Mid-Infrared Instrument) on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope of a region near the protostar known as IRAS 23385. The image is a single exposure at a wavelength of 15 microns which has been assigned an orange color. IRAS 23385 and IRAS 2A (not visible in this image) were targets for a recent research effort by an international team of astronomers that used Webb to discover that the key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds are present in early-stage protostars, where planets have not yet formed. With MIRI’s unprecedented spectral resolution and sensitivity, the JOYS+ (James Webb Observations of Young ProtoStars) program individually identified organic molecules that have been confirmed to be present in interstellar ices. This includes the detection of acetaldehyde, ethanol, methyl formate, and likely acetic acid, in the solid phase. Credits Image NASA, ESA, CSA, W.R.M. Rocha (LEI)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope discovered the chemical components typically present in margaritas, vinegar, and ant stings surrounding two young protostars known as IRAS 2A and IRAS 23385.
The molecules covered in the study range from relatively basic ones like methane to sophisticated ones like acetic acid, known to cook as a vinegar ingredient. These compounds are essential components of worlds that could support life in the future.
Using Webb’s MIRI, the group identified several icy substances, including Ethanol (alcohol) and perhaps acetic acid (a vinegar constituent).
Team leader Will Rocha of Leiden University in the Netherlands said, “This finding contributes to one of the long-standing questions in astrochemistry. What is the origin of complex organic molecules, or COMs, in space? Are they made in the gas phase or ices? The detection of COMs in ices suggests that solid-phase chemical reactions on cold dust grains’ surfaces can build complex molecules.”
More:
https://www.techexplorist.com/webb-discovered-ethanol-other-icy-ingredients-two-protostars/82020/