Theories about the origins of life on Earth, as well as where our water came from, have been spinning around scientific circles for decades. One of the longest running theories is that water was found around our star, prevalent in the outer reaches of our solar system in its early history.
This water then traveled inward, eventually bringing this all-important ingredient for life to Earth, as well as to the other inner planets. However, testing this theory has always been impossible, as we had no way to study extrasolar systems in the early stages of their formations.
That has changed, though, as the James Webb Space Telescope has unlocked new opportunities for us to study the earliest parts of our universe. Now, NASA researchers have discovered water around a young, sun-like star, giving more credence to this long-standing theory.
The system in question is just 23 million years old, which is quite young compared to our solar system’s 4.6 billion years. Because of its age, the young star, known as HD 181327, is still surrounded by a protoplanetary disk, which has yet to form into proper planets. And hidden within that disk is frozen water, one of the most important building blocks for life.
Most of the water ice was discovered in the outer reaches of the disk — as far away from the star as it could get. This is because that’s also the coldest part of the system in its current state. Most of the water ice is contained within what astronomers call “dirty snowballs,” a combination of dust and ice particles.
This discovery is key to understanding how life came to be on Earth, and how the other planets within our solar system formed. It’s also the first observation we’ve had of this kind, and it goes a long way in helping prove the hypothesis that the outer reaches of our galaxy once delivered water to the inner system.
There’s still a lot to learn about frozen water and the part it plays in the expansion of galaxies and our universe. But, with space telescopes like the James Webb, and hopefully the Nancy Grace Roman (if it isn’t canceled), we’re slowly unraveling the mysteries of our universe, one piece at a time. This recent discovery of water around a star is just another piece of the puzzle.
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