Astronomers have detected for the first time in space a “special” carbon molecule, a crucial component for life as we know it.
A team of scientists found this key compound in the Orion Nebula, a nest of baby stars about 1,350 light-years away. While this distance may seem far away, it is actually the closest major star-forming region to Earth.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, operated by NASA and the European and Canadian space agencies, researchers not only captured a vivid new picture of this region, but also found the new molecule lurking in a young star system known as d203-506. The star system has a protoplanetary disk of gas and dust orbiting the core.
Astronomers are on a quest to find traces of carbon compounds in the universe, because this substance is at the origin of all life, at least as we understand it on Earth. Coincidentally, the ancient Mayan civilization also referred to the Orion Nebula as the “cosmic fire of creation”.
Here’s a closer look (bottom right) at the star system where methyl cation was found. Its planet-forming disk was bombarded with UV radiation from nearby young stars, radiation typically expected to destroy complex carbon molecules. pic.twitter.com/QTndeJw1Ye
— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) June 26, 2023
The mysterious traces turned out to be methyl cation, a molecule that until this week had not been heard of. Along with the announcement, NASA has also prepared a pronunciation guide for the term. Organic chemists say the methyl cation helps form more complex carbon-based molecules.
This not only confirms Webb’s incredible sensitivity, but also proves the central importance of the methyl cation in interstellar chemistry.
Since the 1970s, scientists have predicted that it is the missing link between simple molecules and more complex organic molecules. But direct evidence of the molecule’s presence in space has eluded them until now. NASA likens the role of the methyl cation to that of a train station, where a molecule can stay for a while before heading in one of many different directions to react with other molecules.
“This detection not only confirms Webb’s incredible sensitivity, but also proves the central importance of the methyl cation in interstellar chemistry,” said Marie-Aline Martin-Drumel, co-author of the new study, in a statement.
The discovery was published in Nature on Monday, June 26, 2023.
“This detection not only confirms Webb’s incredible sensitivity, but also its central importance in interstellar chemistry (of the methyl cation).”
The molecule was found in an enormous cloud of dust and gas that is home to a large number of stars in the formation phase. At the center of the cloud are four massive stars, known as Trapezium because they are arranged in a trapezoidal shape.
The molecule, detected near a small red dwarf star, comes from a region of high ultraviolet light emitted from Trapezium.
. @ESA_Webb has made the first detection of a crucial carbon molecule in a planet-forming disc in the Orion Nebula.
This video showcases the striking difference in the Hubble & Webb views of part of the Orion Nebula https://t.co/sO4D0YZuFV#BFFinSpace pic.twitter.com/LuidB64N8F
— HUBBLE (@HUBBLE_space) June 26, 2023
Scientists estimate that most planet-forming disks are exposed to intense ultraviolet radiation for some time because stars often form in groups containing massive stars that produce ultraviolet (UV) light. But the strange thing is that UV radiation tends to destroy complex organic molecules. In this case, the research team thinks that it may be the radiation that provides the energy needed for the molecule to form.
Having found this important molecule for life, the team pointed out the absence of another, much better known component in the star system: Water.
This leaves astronomers with more questions about ultraviolet radiation, Olivier Berné, lead author of the study, said in a statement:
“It may actually play a critical role in the early chemical stages of the origins of life.”
