Webb image archive
Complex Organic Molecules of NGC 1333 IRAS 2A Protostar (MIRI)
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) has identified a wealth of complex, carbon-containing (organic) molecules surrounding two protostars. This gra...
- Date
- Mar 13, 2024
- Observatory
- James Webb Space Telescope
- Credit
- NASA / ESA / CSA / STScI
- Archive ID
- 01HRCSXGCBKNZMVPZQM7Q0TZHB
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope's MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) has identified a wealth of complex, carbon-containing (organic) molecules surrounding two protostars. This graphic shows the spectrum of one of the two protostars, IRAS 2A. It includes the fingerprints of acetaldehyde, ethanol, methylformate, and likely acetic acid, in the solid phase. These and other molecules detected there by Webb represent key ingredients for making potentially habitable worlds.
Credits
Illustration
NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI)