Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2023

16 MAY-JUNE 2023 ASTRO PUBLISHING acids. An international team of as- tronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has obtained an in- depth inventory of the deepest, coldest ices measured to date in a molecular cloud. In addition to sim- ple ices like water, the team was able to identify frozen forms of a wide range of molecules, from car- bonyl sulfide, ammonia, and meth- The dark side of pre-stellar ice chemistry by NASA/ESA/CSA Bethany Downer Christine Pulliam I f you want to build a habitable planet, ices are a vital ingredient because they are the main source of several key elements — namely carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitro- gen, and sulfur (referred to here as CHONS). These elements are impor- tant ingredients in both planetary atmospheres and molecules like sugars, alcohols, and simple amino