Water ice found in another star system

Photo: Artist's Concept.

Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe a debris disk orbiting the young star HD 181327, 155 light-years from Earth. The results showed the clear presence of crystalline water ice – the same type of ice that has been found in Saturn’s rings and in objects in the Kuiper Belt in our solar system. The existence of this ice was previously suggested by the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2008, but JWST has now confirmed it using unprecedented spectroscopic data.

According to lead researcher Chen Xie (Johns Hopkins University), the discovered ice is not ordinary water ice but a special crystalline form that can reflect the formation conditions similar to those in the early solar system. Co-author Christine Chen of the Space Telescope Science Institute said that the discovery allows researchers to better understand the role of water ice in the formation of giant planets not only in the solar system but also across the galaxy.

HD 181327 is a young star, just 23 million years old, compared to the Sun’s 4.6 billion years. Surrounding the star is an active debris disk, thought to be similar to the early Kuiper Belt. JWST has shown that there is a significant dust-free region between the star and the disk – where constant collisions between icy objects have released particles small enough for JWST to detect water ice.

The data show that the water ice in the HD 181327 system is unevenly distributed, with the highest concentration—over 20%—in the frigid outer regions of the debris disk, dropping to about 8% in the middle, and almost none near the central star. The cause could be evaporation by ultraviolet light or ice trapped in small, unobserved planets. Although HD 181327 is more massive and hotter than the Sun, it provides a valuable glimpse into what conditions might have been like in the early solar system.

Astronomers expect that continued observations of other debris disks with JWST will help determine whether the tendency to detect high concentrations of water ice in the far regions of disks is a universal feature in the formation of planetary systems.

The discovery not only strengthens theoretical models of planet formation, but also opens up the hope of better understanding how water – an essential element for life – is formed, distributed and possibly transported to habitable regions of the universe. In doing so, the research contributes to revealing the conditions that made life possible on Earth billions of years ago.

Bao Ngoc (t/h)

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/cong-nghe/nuoc-da-duoc-tim-thay-trong-mot-he-sao-khac/20250517030443984