Tag: Astrochemistry
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Inner Fire, Outer Ice: JWST Spots Crystal-Forming Rock Fragments Traveling Through a Young Planetary Disk
New Insight from a Young Star System In a landmark observation, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured evidence that a newborn star can forge crystals in extreme heat and thrust them far into the icy outskirts of its surrounding planet-forming disk. This remarkable finding may illuminate how comets—the icy travelers at the edge…
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Where Earth’s Water Really Came From: The Moon Holds the Clues
Introduction: A fresh look at an old question For decades, scientists assumed Earth’s oceans were delivered early in the Solar System by icy asteroids and comets. This classic view aligned with the Late Heavy Bombardment, a bombardment period roughly 4.1 to 3.8 billion years ago when countless celestial bodies battered the young planets. Yet new…
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Newborn stars light up the cosmos: ESO’s CAFFEINE photo of the day (Jan 22, 2026)
Introduction: A window into star birth On January 22, 2026, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) highlighted a striking view of newborn stars in its CAFFEINE photo of the day. This image offers a vivid glimpse into the earliest stages of star formation, a process that shapes the evolution of galaxies and the environments around young…
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Webb’s Revelation: Young Sun-like Star Forging Crystals in Its Outer Disk and Ejecting Them toward Comets
Introduction: Unveiling Crystalline Mysteries at the Edge of a New Solar System For decades, scientists have puzzled over a surprising feature in comets: crystalline silicates, crystals that form only under intense heat. These solid gems, found in the cold depths of the outer solar system, have long hinted at dramatic early processes in planetary systems.…
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Astronomers Discover an Enormous Iron Bar in the Ring Nebula: We Definitely Need to Know More
Ring Nebula Surprises Astronomers with a Hidden Iron Structure The Ring Nebula, famous to stargazers as Messier 57 (M57), has long been a textbook example of a dying star’s cool, glowing shell. Yet a recent observation campaign has revealed something far more enigmatic: an enormous bar of iron atoms extending through part of the nebula.…
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Identification of Solid N2O in Interstellar Ices Using Open JWST Data
Overview: The Quest for Solid N2O in Space Nitrous oxide (N2O) is one of the six known molecules containing an N–O bond observed in the gas phase of the interstellar medium. The search for N2O in solid form—embedded in interstellar ices—has a long history, dating back to early infrared missions like the Infrared Space Observatory.…
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Solid N2O in Interstellar Ices Detected with JWST Data
Overview Interstellar ices are chemical laboratories frozen onto dust grains in cold regions of the cosmos. Among the handful of molecules known to contain a nitrogen-oxygen (N–O) bond in the gaseous phase, nitrous oxide (N2O) has been a target of search for decades. Although early missions like the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) laid the groundwork,…
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Identification Of Solid N2O In Interstellar Ices Using Open JWST Data
Introduction: Why N2O Matters in Interstellar Ices Nitrous oxide, or N2O, is one of the few molecules that contain an N–O bond detected in the gaseous phase of the interstellar medium. However, solid-phase detections of N2O in icy mantles on dust grains have remained elusive since observations began with the Infrared Space Observatory and subsequent…
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Mysterious Iron ‘Bar’ Discovered Inside the Ring Nebula: A New Clue in Cosmic Chemistry
A Surprising Find in a Familiar Nebula In a discovery that has stunned astronomers and sparked renewed fascination with the Ring Nebula, a team led by researchers from University College London (UCL) and Cardiff University has identified a mysterious bar-shaped cloud rich in iron atoms inside this iconic celestial object. The Ring Nebula, a familiar…
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Iron Bar From Deep Space: A Clue to Earth’s Distant Destiny
Introduction: An Unlikely Find in the Cosmos In what sounds like a page torn from a science fiction novel, astronomers have identified an iron bar in deep space. The artifact, a long, slender structure resembling a bar of metal, has sparked renewed interest in how rocky planets form, evolve, and eventually perish. While scientists caution…