Researchers from the University of Central Florida (UCF) and their international partners have uncovered new details about the origins of icy celestial bodies located beyond Neptune. Their findings provide fresh clues about the early development of our solar system.
By leveraging the advanced capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team examined distant Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs), detecting distinct traces of methanol on their surfaces. These observations are aiding scientists in categorizing different types of TNOs and deciphering the chemical processes that may have influenced the solar system’s evolution — and possibly even the emergence of life.
Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the study identifies two separate categories of TNOs based on their methanol signatures. The first group shows reduced surface methanol but appears to harbor a substantial subsurface reservoir, while the second — located farther from the Sun — displays much fainter methanol features overall.
Methanol, a simple alcohol, has been found on comets and distant TNOs, hinting that it may be a primitive ingredient inherited from the early days of our solar system — or even from interstellar space. But methanol is more than just a leftover from the past. When exposed to radiation, it transforms into new compounds, acting as a chemical time capsule that reveals how these icy worlds have evolved over billions of years. The researchers propose that prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation over billions of years could explain the uneven methanol distribution in the first group. Meanwhile, the diminished methanol signals in the more distant TNOs remain puzzling, prompting further investigation into their formation and history.
Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) serve as cosmic time capsules, offering scientists a rare window into the early solar system. These distant bodies remain largely unchanged since their formation in the protoplanetary disk — the swirling cloud of gas and dust that once surrounded young Sun. By studying them, researchers can uncover critical details about the conditions that shaped our planetary neighborhood.
The researchers emphasize that the varying spectral signatures observed demonstrate significant diversity in TNO composition. These differences tell us these objects didn’t all form from identical primordial material. Each TNO’s unique chemical fingerprint preserves information about its birthplace in the early solar system and the evolutionary processes it has undergone across billions of years.
Source: phys.org