Icy Surprise from a Dying Star: JWST Finds CO2 Crystals ⚡ экспресс
JWST/MIRI observations have revealed CO₂ ice in the dust torus of planetary nebula NGC 6302 — an environment previously thought to be destructive to volatiles due to intense ultraviolet radiation. Along the same lines of sight, cold gaseous CO₂ (20–50 K) has been detected. The ice absorption profile shows a double peak characteristic of pure crystalline CO₂ ice. The gas-to-ice ratio is more than an order of magnitude higher than values typical for young stellar objects, indicating different mechanisms of ice formation or processing in evolved stellar systems. The discovery shows that the dust torus provides sufficient shielding to sustain icy chemistry, and surface reactions involving ice must be included in chemical models of planetary nebulae.
In a blazing foundry, any ice cube would vanish instantly. But tucked inside a thick mitten, it survives. Nature pulled a similar trick in the planetary nebula NGC 6302. A dying star floods its surroundings with deadly ultraviolet light, yet inside a dense dust ring, the JWST spotted something unexpected: pure crystalline ice made of carbon dioxide. Its giveaway: spectral lines exactly matching those of dry ice used to create theater fog.
Scientists once believed ices don't form in such old systems. But spectroscopy data revealed an abundance of CO₂ gas, with a gas-to-ice ratio dozens of times higher than in the cradles of newborn stars. Apparently, ice crystallizes directly onto dust grains — like frost on a window, but sheltered inside a protective dust "mitten." The discovery forces a rewrite of dying stars' chemistry.
🎯 Dry ice on Earth doesn't melt; it sublimates directly from solid to gas. It behaves the same way in space, so its crystals can survive for billions of years.