James Webb Detects Carbon Molecule In Space For The First Time. Know Why It's Important

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a key life-building block carbon molecule in space for the first time. The team of researchers found this compound in the Orion Nebula about 1,350 light-years away. 

According to a news release from NASA, these carbon compounds are known as methyl cation (pronounced cat-eye-on) (CH3+), the molecule is important because it aids the formation of more complex carbon-based molecules. 

Methyl cation was detected in a young star system, with a protoplanetary disk, known as d203-506- located about 1,350 light-years away in the Orion Nebula.

Here's a closer look (bottom right) at the star system where methyl cation was found. Its planet-forming disk was bombarded with UV radiation from nearby young stars, radiation typically expected to destroy complex carbon molecules. pic.twitter.com/QTndeJw1Ye

— NASA Webb Telescope (@NASAWebb) June 26, 2023

Now astronomers are on a quest to find signals of carbon compounds in the greater universe. 

Carbon compounds form the foundations of all known life, and as such are particularly interesting to scientists working to understand both how life developed on Earth, and how it could potentially develop elsewhere in our universe. The study of interstellar organic (carbon-containing) chemistry, which Webb is opening in new ways, is an area of keen fascination to many astronomers.

The team of researchers says that Webb's unique capabilities made it an ideal observatory to search for this crucial molecule. Webb's exquisite spatial and spectral resolution, as well as its sensitivity, all contributed to the team's success. In particular, Webb's detection of a series of key emission lines from CH3+ cemented the discovery.

“This detection not only validates the incredible sensitivity of Webb but also confirms the postulated central importance of CH3+ in interstellar chemistry,” said Marie-Aline Martin-Drumel of the University of Paris-Saclay in France, a member of the science team. While the star in d203-506 is a small red dwarf, the system is bombarded by strong ultraviolet (UV) light from nearby hot, young, massive stars. Scientists believe that most planet-forming disks go through a period of such intense UV radiation since stars tend to form in groups that often include massive, UV-producing stars.

Typically, UV radiation is expected to destroy complex organic molecules, in which case the discovery of CH3+ might seem to be a surprise. However, the team predicts that UV radiation might actually provide the necessary source of energy for CH3+ to form in the first place. Once formed, it then promotes additional chemical reactions to build more complex carbon molecules.

Broadly, the team notes that the molecules they see in d203-506 are quite different from typical protoplanetary disks. In particular, they could not detect any signs of water.

These findings, which are from the PDRs4ALL Early Release Science program, have been published in the journal Nature.