JWST Detects CO2 Ice in Butterfly Nebula, Volatile Ice
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- James Webb Space Telescope used its MIRI/MRS spectrometer to observe the central star, dusty torus, and inner bipolar lobes of NGC 6302.
- NGC 6302 shows two distinct CO2 ice absorption features at 14.9–15.15 µm and 15.2–15.3 µm, confirming dry ice in its torus.
- Charmi Bhatt led the team that reported the first detection of a volatile ice species—carbon dioxide—in any planetary nebula.
- Gas‑to‑ice ratio in NGC 6302 differs markedly from that in young stellar objects, indicating a distinct ice formation or processing mechanism.
- MIRI/MRS observations demonstrate that planetary nebulae can retain fragile ices despite intense UV irradiation, challenging prior assumptions about their chemistry.
- The study calls for high‑spatial‑resolution follow‑up observations to map temperature structure and chemical pathways in dense PN tori.
Why it matters: The finding shows that planetary nebulae can retain fragile ices despite UV radiation, giving astrochemists a new laboratory to study ice chemistry and prompting observatories to prioritize high‑resolution infrared spectroscopy of such objects. It also highlights that the gas‑to‑ice ratio differs from young stellar objects, suggesting distinct formation pathways that must be incorporated into models of interstellar medium enrichment.
