Researchers detected methanol and other complex organic molecules around young stars using an alma telescope in Chile under the Compass project, revealing unexpected chemical foundations in early stellar systems.
An international research team operating under Swiss leadership has uncovered a surprisingly diverse array of organic molecules surrounding young stars, identifying forms of methanol at more than half of the stellar precursors examined during the project.
Telescope Observations in Chile Reveal Ur-Alcohol
The research project, designated Compass
by participating scientists, investigates the chemical composition of eleven young stars. Observations are conducted using an alma-teleskop in Chile. The initial results have been published across seven distinct articles in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, according to an announcement from the University of Bern.
Researchers describe methanol as the simplest alcohol, sometimes referred to in reporting as ur-alcohol in observations of space chemistry.
Methanol Masers Found Beyond Massive Stars
Previously, specific radiosignals of methanol known as masers were documented exclusively during the formation of exceptionally massive stars. Finding these signals around stellar precursors with low mass came as an unexpected development for the scientific team.
Such methanol signatures appear more frequent in young stars of lower mass than astronomers previously understood, according to the project data. In addition to standard methanol detection, the team identified a specialized form of the molecule where every hydrogen atom is replaced by deuterium, a heavier isotope. This specific isotopic variant was located near the young star IRAS 4A2 within the Perseus molecular cloud, situated approximately 1,000 light-years from Earth.
The Compass initiative brings together more than 30 researchers spanning Europe, North America, and Asia. The project ranks as one of four major scientific endeavors selected in 2022 to secure dedicated observation time at the Alma facility.
Maria Drozdovskaya, co-leader of the project at the University of Bern, noted that the work sheds light on the complex chemistry governing young star systems. She characterized the data as a puzzle piece in discovering the origin of life, noting that the overarching goal is tracing how specific molecules form to serve as potential building blocks for living organisms.
Evaluating the complete dataset will require several more years of scientific work, as comprehensive analysis of the gathered telescope data proceeds.