Astronomers Observe Most Distant Organic Molecules in Universe
2023-06-12
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1Scientists say they have observed the most distant organic molecules known to exist in the universe.
2Astronomers made the discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope, operated by the American space agency NASA.
3The kind of organic molecules observed are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.
4These molecules are considered the basic building blocks for early forms of life.
5They have a complex structure and are found in many environments on our own planet.
6For example, PAHs can be found on Earth in smoke, burned materials and air pollution.
7The molecules were discovered in a galaxy more than 12 billion light years from Earth.
8The scientists say this is the most distant observation of PAHs ever.
9Past observations of PAHs have been difficult in distant galaxies because of limitations in infrared telescope technology.
10But the James Webb's sensitive instruments made the discovery possible, the researchers said.
11The team said that because of the extreme distance involved, the light used to make the observation likely began traveling when the universe was less than 1.5 billion years old.
12This is about 10 percent of the universe's current age.
13The astronomers recently reported their findings in a study in the publication Nature.
14The targeted galaxy is known as SPT0418-47.
15Scientists had already identified it as a galaxy similar to our own Milky Way in several ways.
16But the amount of dust surrounding it made past observations difficult.
17The researchers said telescope data permitted them to differentiate between infrared signals produced by larger dust particles and those produced by PAHs.
18Justin Spilker is an astronomer at Texas A&M University.
19He helped lead the research.
20He said in a statement that PAHs are "actually pretty common in space." But the latest research helped astronomers learn new things about them.
21"Astronomers used to think they were a good sign that new stars were forming," Spilker said.
22"Anywhere you saw these molecules, baby stars were also right there..." Spilker noted that the power of the James Webb telescope permitted the team to find many areas with smoke but no star formation.
23The researchers said an observation method called gravitational lensing also helped them.
24This method involves observing how the gravity of large collections of galaxies can distort the light of more distant galaxies that sit behind the galaxy group, NASA explains.
25To distort means to change the natural or normal quality of something.
26Joaquin Vieira is a professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
27He was a lead researcher on the project.
28Vieira said that the combined abilities of James Webb and gravitational lensing made it possible for the researchers to observe through the dust to identify the PAHs.
29Observations of the targeted galaxy suggested it contained gas filled with heavy elements.
30This means that generations of stars had already lived and died there, the team said.
31Vieira said the findings were completely unexpected and could be a "game-changer" for future observations of distant galaxies.
32"This work is just the first step, and we're just now learning how to use (the telescope) and learn its capabilities."
33He added, "We are very excited to see how this plays out."
34The astronomers are looking forward to using the same equipment and methods to find out more about the early formation of the universe.
35Texas A&M's Spilker said he is "excited to see all the new things" the James Webb can do for astronomers in the future.
36"Detecting smoke in a galaxy early in the history of the universe? Webb makes this look easy," Spilker said.
37"Now that we've shown this is possible for the first time, we're looking forward to trying to understand whether it's really true that where there's smoke, there's fire," he added.
38I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Scientists say they have observed the most distant organic molecules known to exist in the universe. 2Astronomers made the discovery using the James Webb Space Telescope, operated by the American space agency NASA. 3The kind of organic molecules observed are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. These molecules are considered the basic building blocks for early forms of life. They have a complex structure and are found in many environments on our own planet. For example, PAHs can be found on Earth in smoke, burned materials and air pollution. 4The molecules were discovered in a galaxy more than 12 billion light years from Earth. The scientists say this is the most distant observation of PAHs ever. 5Past observations of PAHs have been difficult in distant galaxies because of limitations in infrared telescope technology. But the James Webb's sensitive instruments made the discovery possible, the researchers said. 6The team said that because of the extreme distance involved, the light used to make the observation likely began traveling when the universe was less than 1.5 billion years old. This is about 10 percent of the universe's current age. 7The astronomers recently reported their findings in a study in the publication Nature. 8The targeted galaxy is known as SPT0418-47. Scientists had already identified it as a galaxy similar to our own Milky Way in several ways. But the amount of dust surrounding it made past observations difficult. 9The researchers said telescope data permitted them to differentiate between infrared signals produced by larger dust particles and those produced by PAHs. 10Justin Spilker is an astronomer at Texas A&M University. He helped lead the research. He said in a statement that PAHs are "actually pretty common in space." But the latest research helped astronomers learn new things about them. 11"Astronomers used to think they were a good sign that new stars were forming," Spilker said. "Anywhere you saw these molecules, baby stars were also right there..." Spilker noted that the power of the James Webb telescope permitted the team to find many areas with smoke but no star formation. 12The researchers said an observation method called gravitational lensing also helped them. This method involves observing how the gravity of large collections of galaxies can distort the light of more distant galaxies that sit behind the galaxy group, NASA explains. To distort means to change the natural or normal quality of something. 13Joaquin Vieira is a professor of astronomy and physics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He was a lead researcher on the project. Vieira said that the combined abilities of James Webb and gravitational lensing made it possible for the researchers to observe through the dust to identify the PAHs. 14Observations of the targeted galaxy suggested it contained gas filled with heavy elements. This means that generations of stars had already lived and died there, the team said. 15Vieira said the findings were completely unexpected and could be a "game-changer" for future observations of distant galaxies. 16"This work is just the first step, and we're just now learning how to use (the telescope) and learn its capabilities." He added, "We are very excited to see how this plays out." 17The astronomers are looking forward to using the same equipment and methods to find out more about the early formation of the universe. 18Texas A&M's Spilker said he is "excited to see all the new things" the James Webb can do for astronomers in the future. 19"Detecting smoke in a galaxy early in the history of the universe? Webb makes this look easy," Spilker said. "Now that we've shown this is possible for the first time, we're looking forward to trying to understand whether it's really true that where there's smoke, there's fire," he added. 20I'm Bryan Lynn. 21Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from Texas A&M, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Nature. 22____________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24organic - adj. used in chemistry to describe chemicals that contain carbon 25galaxy - n. a very large group of stars held together in the universe 26distort - v. to change the shape, sound or appearance of something 27capability - n. the ability or power to do something 28where there's smoke, there's fire - idiom a phrase meaning there are signs that something is true so it must be at least partly true 29______________________________________________________ 30What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: