Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers led by Anna Sajina of Tufts University have discovered cosmic dust in a distant galaxy that resembles that found in the Milky Way.
The results of the study are published in the Astrophysical Journal.
We are talking about the galaxy SSTXFLS J172458.3+591545, located at a distance of about 5 billion light years. Observing such objects at such a distance is rare, as they extend beyond the local Universe, looking back several billion years into the past.
Scientists have discovered solid ice mantles consisting of ice, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide on dust grains. This is the first confirmed observation of all three types of ice molecules outside the “local” Universe.
“This is the first time we have directly seen solid ice mantles on dust in such a distant galaxy. They are difficult to observe even in our space environment,” notes Anna Sajina.
The results of this observation allow astronomers to estimate the probability of similar conditions for the emergence of life in other parts of the cosmos.
“If the properties of cosmic dust in distant galaxies are similar to those in our Milky Way, then we can expect that planets there were also formed from similar materials,” says Sajina.
Scientists also suggest that the conditions necessary for the formation of planets may be typical for the Universe, rather than unique to our galaxy.
The presence of ice formation “tells us something about how cosmic dust was distributed in these darkened systems in the past: that there is a compact, dense core, which we have discovered for this galaxy,” says Sajina.
“This is an important step toward understanding how widespread conditions favorable to life may be,” the researcher concludes.
