Astronomers detect water vapor in ‘planetary chamber’

An international team of astronomers has published an unprecedented discovery: the presence of significant amounts of water vapor around a young star, exactly where future planets may form. besides being Distribution of water observed in a ‘planetary nursery’ for the first timeThe research could help clarify how water forms on Earth.

Since it is an essential ingredient for life, the search for a universal solvent on exoplanets has been a rapidly expanding area of ​​research. But so far, no studies have been able to show how water is distributed in a stable, cold protoplanetary disk.

The observations, detailed in a paper recently published in the journal Nature Astronomy, were made at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile. “I never thought we’d be able to capture images of oceans of water vapor in the region where a planet likely formed.”study leader Stefano Facchini of Italy’s University of Milan said in a statement.

How was the giant water vapor cloud observed?

The enormous cloud of water vapor, equivalent to at least 3.7 of Earth’s oceans, It was observed in the inner disk of the baby star HL Tauri, similar to our Sun, located just 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation Taurus. ALMA telescope images show that the disk has concentric cavities that may have been “shaped” by planets orbiting the star, the authors say.

Although water had been observed there, Facchini and his colleagues wanted to check exactly where the water was and investigate where it might be going. Therefore, the new analyzes were carried out in two different wavelength bands to focus on water vapor.

They then realized that the water was in the inner region of the disk, within 17 astronomical units of the star. exactly where terrestrial planets should form. And most notably, it was the first time a ground-based telescope allowed astronomers to map and measure the volume of water vapor around a star, according to the press release.

Origin of water on planets

The origin of water on our planet remains one of life’s greatest mysteries. Many astronomers claim that the water in our oceans was brought by comets and asteroids. others suggest that the Earth was born with its water.

According to the current study, since water vapor is already present in a known and distinct space in the protoplanetary disk, This indicates that this element is likely to participate in the formation of planets in this region.it may ultimately be an indicator of future life.

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