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An international team of astronomers has reported the discovery of diverse ices in the darkest regions of a cold molecular cloud measured to date by studying this region. This result allows astronomers to examine the simple icy molecules that will be incorporated into future exoplanets, while opening a new window on the origin of more complex molecules that are the first step in the creation of the building blocks of life.
A molecular cloud is a large collection of gas and dust that exists before stars and planets. As the gas under gravity collapses, these interstellar regions give rise to new stars. They are extremely frigid and difficult to observe because of their density. The James Webb Space Telescope was designed for this purpose, and an international team astronomers used it to look inside the Chamaeleon 1 cloud. It discovered ice of all types at the lowest temperatures ever measured.
Chamaeleon I, a region of star-formation located approximately 500 light-years from Earth (see below). Webb observed the cloud in a region that is very dense and isolated from current star formation. It is also extremely cold due to this. This means that we are not only talking about water ice but also ice made from all kinds of frozen molecules. Webb's remarkable infrared sensitivity allowed it to capture absorption spectrums as starlight passes through the cloud. This enabled it to identify elements which are crucial to the development terrestrial planets. These elements were known collectively as CHONS.
According to the University of Bern, Chamaeleon I's ice was the coldest ever. Webb measured the ice at a shocking -263 Celsius (-441 Fahrenheit). This is only 10 degrees Celsius higher than absolute zero. What the ice is made from is more important than its temperature. Webb identified all CHONS components in forms such as carbonyl sulfuride, ammonia and methane. Klaus Pontoppidan, Webb project scientist, says that without Webb we simply wouldn't have seen these ices.
Even a trace of Methanol was found in the cloud, which is the simplest and most complex organic molecule. Methanol, when combined with other icy molecules can form amino acids. These are the fundamental building blocks of protein proteins. Scientists believe many of these essential components for life were created on Earth by impact from comets and asteroid. Webb's latest observations indicate that these materials are already being formed in the cold molecular clouds that will give rise to our solar systems.
Astronomers were able to determine the amount of sulfur in prestellar ice using Webb's observations. Although the levels are higher that previous measurements, they are still lower than what the team had expected. The same is true for all other CHONS elements. Astronomers face a challenge in determining where these materials are hidden, for example, within soot-like substances or rocks that don't show up in Webb's absorbance spectrum.
This research is part the Ice Age Project, an early-release science program initiated by Webb. The team has already begun planning follow-up observations to track the path of ice from its molecular cloud state to the formation of icy comests around a new Solar System.
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By: Ryan Whitwam
Title: James Webb Space Telescope Spies Coldest Ice Ever in Frigid Interstellar Cloud
Sourced From: www.extremetech.com/extreme/342593-james-webb-space-telescope-spies-coldest-ice-ever-in-frigid-interstellar-cloud
Published Date: Thu, 26 Jan 2023 12:03:12 +0000
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