{"id":46596,"date":"2023-06-27T12:47:24","date_gmt":"2023-06-27T12:47:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyatnightmagazine.com\/?p=119866"},"modified":"2023-06-27T13:32:35","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T13:32:35","slug":"webb-finds-crucial-ingredient-for-life-in-the-orion-nebula","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/rss_feed\/webb-finds-crucial-ingredient-for-life-in-the-orion-nebula\/","title":{"rendered":"Webb finds crucial ingredient for life in the Orion Nebula"},"content":{"rendered":"

Key molecule that helps form the building blocks of life discovered around an infant star 1,350 lightyears away. <\/p>

By Ezzy Pearson\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 27 June 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

A key carbon compound that helps to form the building blocks of life has been found around a distant star by the James Webb Space Telescope<\/a> for the first time.<\/p>\n

The molecule, methyl cation (CH3<\/sub>+<\/sup>), has been uncovered in the planet-forming protoplanetary disc around a red dwarf star, d203-506.<\/p>\n

The system is located 1,350 lightyears away in the Orion Nebula<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\""Image\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Image captured by Webb\u2019s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) showing a section of the Orion Nebula. At the centre is a young star system with a protoplanetary disk named d203-506. Credit: ESA\/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Zamani (ESA\/Webb), PDRs4ALL ERS Team<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The molecule helps promote chemical reactions, allowing the formation of the complex carbon molecules all known life is based on.<\/p>\n

JWST\u2019s exquisite spatial and spectral resolution, as well as its sensitivity, make it uniquely suited to finding such molecules.<\/p>\n

Intriguingly, the red dwarf is surrounded by several large stars, which are bombarding the disc with ultraviolet radiation.<\/p>\n

Normally, ultraviolet breaks apart carbon molecules, hindering their creation, but in this case it appears the radiation is providing the energy needed for CH3<\/sub>+<\/sup> to form.<\/p>\n

The discovery was announced in the journal Nature.<\/p>\n

\""Images\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Images by the James Webb Space Telescope showing a part of the Orion Nebula known as the Orion Bar. The largest image, on the left, is from Webb\u2019s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) instrument. At upper right, the telescope is focused on a smaller area using Webb\u2019s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument). Credit: ESA\/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Zamani (ESA\/Webb), PDRs4ALL ERS Team<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

\u201cThis clearly shows that ultraviolet radiation can completely change the chemistry of a protoplanetary disk,\u201d says Olivier Bern\u00e9 from the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Toulouse who led the study.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt might actually play a critical role in the early chemical stages of the origins of life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read the full paper at www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-023-06307-x<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

www.webbtelescope.com<\/strong><\/a><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n

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