Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have confirmed the presence of water ice in a debris disk surrounding a young, Sun-like star just 155 light years away. The discovery provides evidence that water ice plays a crucial role in planetary formation and could shed light on the origins of our own planet’s water.
The team detected crystalline water ice, similar to what is found in our Solar System, specifically in the outer regions of the debris disk. This type of ice is responsible for forming giant planets and bringing water to existing worlds. The findings suggest that icy bodies can clump together to kickstart planetary formation.
The star at the center of the discovery, HD 181327, is 23 million years old compared to our Sun’s 4.6 billion years. It is slightly more massive and hotter than our star, with a larger system surrounding it. The debris disk contains over 20% water ice in its outer area, but the amount decreases as you move closer to the star.
The discovery mirrors the distribution of our Solar System’s Kuiper Belt, a ring of comets, dwarf planets, and icy objects beyond Neptune. This similarity could hint at a pattern in how planetary systems evolve across the cosmos. Further observations with the James Webb Space Telescope will be needed to confirm these findings and provide more insights into the role of water ice in planetary formation.
Source: https://futurism.com/james-webb-water-ice-surrounding-star