The James Webb Space Telescope, an infrared observation space telescope mainly operated by NASA, observed and measured the coldest temperature ice ever observed, announced in Nature Astronomy. The ice is also identifying materials that lead to the building blocks of life, and will deepen our understanding of habitable planets.
The James Webb Space Telescope, developed as a follow-up to the Hubble Space Telescope, was launched in December 2021 and began observing using the main sensor in July 2022. After the launch, it is possible to take high-precision space photos overwhelmingly than the old generation, and to clearly shoot quite distant galaxies, and to show various activities. In January 2023, it was reported that an exoplanet LHS 475 b, which was unknown until now, was observed. done.
According to a report published in Nature Astronomy on January 23, the James Webb Space Telescope newly discovered the coldest ice ever observed in the deepest part of an interstellar molecular cloud. The ice temperature is minus 440 degrees, which is pretty close to absolute zero of 459.67 degrees. The research team named this ice research program Ice Age and introduced the initial results in a paper.
The research team used the infrared camera of the James Webb Space Telescope to investigate a molecular cloud called Chameleon I, 500 light-years away from Earth. Molecular clouds are composed of frozen molecules, gas, and dust and are believed to be the birthplace of stars and planets. In this molecular cloud detected by the James Webb Space Telescope, it was confirmed that molecules such as carbonyl sulfide, ammonia, methane, and methanol were frozen. According to the researchers, these molecules may someday grow to become part of a star’s hot core and in the future become part of an exoplanet. In addition, when considering habitable planets, ice is an indispensable source of important elements such as carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, so this discovery is important.
An astronomer said in a NASA announcement on the discovery that the observations provide insight into the early stages of formation of the interstellar dust ice that grows into the few centimeter-sized pebbles that form planets. It can be said that it is a discovery that can unlock knowledge.
In addition, to identify the Chameleon I molecule, the research team is analyzing the pattern in which starlight on the other side of the molecular cloud is absorbed by dust and molecules in the molecular cloud. The significance of the discovery is explained, saying that it suggests that many stars and planetary systems developed from this specific molecular cloud inherit chemical substances that have progressed in complexity from the molecular cloud.
Regarding this observation method, the research team said that the ice appears as a depression for the starlight behind it, and that the temperature is low and the density is high. By saying that the sensitivity was needed, they are claiming that the observations of the space telescope are excellent. The discovery is just the first step in seeing how ice evolves from a planetary primordial state. Therefore, it is expected that it will lead to important discoveries in the future, such as which mixtures of ice are maintained up to the planet, in other words, which elements reach the planet’s surface. Related information this placecan be found in
