Heavy water ice found in planet-forming disk ⚡ экспресс

Original: "First detection of HDO ice in a protoplanetary disk"

· Alexey Potapov, Piyush Kalambkar, Jeroen Bouwman, Christiaan Boersma, Hiroshi Terada, Will R. Rocha, Hendrik Linz

arXiv:2606.10888 · 2026-06-09 · CC BY · ⏱ 1 min · Exoplanets Stellar Chemical Physics Space Physics

For the first time, the Webb telescope has spotted heavy water ice in a disk where planets are born.

Abstract

Astronomers have discovered ice made of semi-heavy water (HDO) inside a protoplanetary disk — the cradle of future planets. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, they peered into disk 132-1832 in the Orion Nebula. This find is like a fingerprint: it shows the path water took from frigid clouds to our oceans. So, where did Earth’s water come from?

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The James Webb Space Telescope peered into a disk of gas and dust around a young star where planets are born, and for the first time spotted ice made of heavy water. This water is not ordinary: in its molecules, regular hydrogen is replaced by deuterium, its heavier sibling. Such water is like a diary page, holding chemical clues from the past.

Measurements revealed an anomalously high amount of heavy water in the disk—more than in comets or meteorites. This means the ice repeatedly melted and refroze, accumulating deuterium. This cycle could explain how water arrived on Earth: some of it may be older than the Sun itself—it came from interstellar space.

Now that diary page has been read, it tells the story of water that crossed the galaxy to become our planet's oceans.

🎯 Every liter of seawater hides a few drops of heavy water. It tastes slightly sweet but is harmless.

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Heavy water ice found in planet-forming disk ⚡ экспресс