Monday, January 26, 2026

Icy Comets Get A Contribution From Stellar Furnaces

The JWST captured this image with its NIRCam instrument. It shows the actively forming protostar EC 53 (circled) in the Serpens Nebula. It doesn't show up in this image, but EC 53 has a protoplanetary disk where planets form. Researchers also used the JWST's MIRI to examine the protostar and its disk. They found crystal silicates throughout the disk, which helps explain why we find them in comets in our own Solar System. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Klaus Pontoppidan (NASA-JPL), Joel Green (STScI); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

Icy comets contain common crystals that can only be formed in extreme heat. But comets reside in the frigid outer reaches of the Solar System. How did these materials form, and how did they find their way into the Solar System's cold fringes?



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