the The James Webb Space Telescope has been used by an international team of researchers to study ice in interstellar clouds in space. The equipment provided new information about the chemical processes in these areas.
studying In one of the coldest and darkest parts of the universe was published this week in Nature Astronomy Journal And I discovered that these ices formed billions of years ago, from the very first moments of the universe as we know it.
You are ice They contain vital and important elements for life. With its 6.5-meter-wide mirror optimized for infrared light, Webb was able to capture the densest and darkest clouds in the universe for the first time.
In this way, the researchers reported that they were able to study the ice on the dust grains inside these clouds, which are protected from the intense radiation of nearby stars, and thus remain intact during their existence.
According to the paper’s authors, this discovery has far-reaching implications, as it may help explain where sulfur is stored in our solar system and how it is incorporated into planets that could host life.
Most interstellar ices contain very small amounts of elements such as oxygen and sulfur. The discovery also helps understand the molecular origins of protoplanetary disks and atmospheres of planets and other bodies in the solar system.
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