Since it became operational, the James Webb Space Telescope has not stopped providing us with fascinating images. Since July 12, when we were able to see the first five images chosen by NASA to show us how far it could go, or the new capture of The Pillars of Creation, whether we are experts in astrophysics, amateurs, or even completely ignorant of the matter, all this graphic material offers us a unique vision of the Universe, while trying to help us understand it a little better.
Now, although the images are spectacular, and being able to enjoy them is always appreciated, obviously the job of James Webb is not to be a camera in space, its goal is to collect useful information for multiple fields of research. In this regard, a few months ago, we showed you how a star is born with images of the early phase of a protostar within the dark cloud L1527. The previous observations, as well as the theoretical research work of great minds, had already provided us with a lot of information before, but these observations allow us to confirm what has been theorized and, in many cases, correct and/or complete the existing works up to now.
Now, in these cases it is important to avoid sensationalism, even though it is present day and night. For example, last summer it was widely reported that James Webb had disproved the Big Bang theory. It was not true, but in times of clickbait and false news was repeated massively, which is why many people unfamiliar with the matter gave it as something true, confirming that “it lies, that something remains”.
But let’s go back to James Webb and his work, which is what really interests us. And according to what we can read on the official website of the European Space Agency about the telescope, the James Webb has found ice in the darkest and coldest regions of a molecular cloud. And why is this so important? Well, because the ice, together with the dust and gas that surrounds the stars, are the key components for the formation of an exoplanet. More specifically, of a potentially habitable exoplanet, that is, in which life can occur.
Due to gusts of stellar wind, dust and gas form clumps, which with more dust become rocks and, as you may have already deduced, this process does not stop, they continue to grow. For its part, the gas helps the rocks maintain their structural integrity and that they can join each other. It is a slow but constant process, in which what begins as a simple pebble ends up being a planet that orbits around the star that gave birth to it.
Now, stellar dust and gas are not enough to support life. That is where we come to the importance of ice, such as that detected by James Webb, since provides some of the essential ingredients for the cocktail of lifesuch as hydrogen and oxygen. The mixing occurs because the ice generates frost on the dust grains, so that it adds to the composition of the future exoplanet.
Images: NASA, ESA, CSA and M. Zamani (ESA/Webb); F. Sun (Observatory Steward), Z. Smith (Open University) and the ERS Ice Age Team.
