James Webb Space Telescope Feed Post

Webb Makes First Detection of Crucial Carbon Molecule (Orion Bar MIRI Image)

This image from Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) shows a small region of the Orion Nebula. While observing the Orion Bar, Webb made the first detection ever of a crucial carbon molecule called methyl cation (pronounced cat-eye-on) in space. Carbon compounds are the foundation of life as we know it, and methyl cation (CH3+) plays an important role in forming more complex carbon-based molecules. Within this region, Webb found methyl cation inside a planet-forming disk surrounding a young star system (located at the center of this image). The disk was bombarded with UV radiation from nearby young stars. While UV radiation is typically expected to destroy complex carbon molecules, the science team believes it may actually be the source of energy necessary for methyl cation — and with it, more complex carbon molecules — to form. Ultimately, understanding how UV radiation changes the chemistry of these disks could tell us more about the origins of life. Learn more: www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/webb-makes-first-detect... Credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Zamani (ESA/Webb), PDRs4ALL ERS Team Image description: A hazy nebula made of many layers of cloudy, colorful material. On the left side, the nebula is colored mostly orange but also red and green. It has a webbed, filament structure, two small stars and a darker gap region. A wall of thick, cloudy material crosses diagonally, extending from the lower left towards the bottom right. It is colored mostly pink and gives way to dark blue, sparse filaments with more dark gaps in the bottom corner. Image & Description by NASA