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1st discovery of frozen water in young star system
- For the first time, researchers confirmed crystalline water ice in a dusty debris disk orbiting a sun-like star using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.
- Majority of the frozen water discovered is located in the coldest and farthest areas from the star, decreasing as researchers approached closer.
- The discovery marks the first detection of frozen water around a star other than our own, indicating its presence in systems beyond our solar system.
- The frozen water detected is associated with fine dust particles across the disk, resembling dirty snowballs.
- The star, HD 181327, is younger and hotter than our sun, with an active debris disk where icy bodies collide to release dusty water particles.
- NASA's James Webb Space Telescope confirmed a significant gap between the star and its debris disk, similar to our solar system's Kuiper Belt.
- Water ice distribution in the system varies, with over 20% in the outer disk, reducing towards the middle, and very little closer to the star due to UV vaporization.
- The discovery of water ice enhances the understanding of planet formation and the potential delivery of icy material to terrestrial planets in similar systems.
- Researchers will continue to investigate and study water ice in debris disks and forming planetary systems across the Milky Way to unravel more about planet formation.
- The detection was made using Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph, a highly sensitive instrument to detect faint dust particles in space.
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