Scientists from the University of Central Florida (UCF) and their collaborators have uncovered new insights into the formation of distant icy bodies beyond Neptune, shedding light on the early history and evolution of our solar system.
Using the powerful capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers analyzed Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs) and found varying traces of methanol on their surfaces. These findings, published in The Astronomical Journal Letters, help scientists better classify TNOs and understand the complex chemical reactions that shaped our solar system—and perhaps even the origins of life.
The study identified two distinct groups of TNOs based on methanol presence: one group has a depleted surface methanol layer but a larger subsurface reservoir, while the more distant group shows an overall weaker methanol signature. The researchers suggest that cosmic radiation over billions of years could explain the first group's uneven methanol distribution, but the second group's weaker signals remain a mystery.
Unlocking the Secrets of the Early Solar System
TNOs are crucial to understanding our solar system’s beginnings, as they are remarkably well-preserved remnants of the protoplanetary disk—the disk of gas and dust that surrounded the young sun. These icy objects serve as time capsules, preserving the chemical history of early space environments.
The research was co-led by Noemí Pinilla-Alonso, a UCF Department of Physics Research Professor now at the University of Oviedo in Spain, through the UCF-led Discovering the Surface Compositions of Trans-Neptunian Objects (DiSCo) program. UCF Florida Space Institute Associate Professor Ana Carolina de Souza-Feliciano also contributed to the work.
Pinilla-Alonso explained that the detection of methanol on these objects is significant because methanol is a simple alcohol found on comets and distant TNOs, potentially inherited from the early solar system or even interstellar space.
"Methanol is more than a leftover from the past—it transforms under radiation into new compounds, acting as a chemical time capsule that reveals the history of these icy worlds," said Pinilla-Alonso.
Methanol is also a building block for organic molecules like sugars, meaning its presence could open new doors for understanding prebiotic chemistry.
Different Origins and Evolutionary Paths
The spectral differences observed among TNOs indicate that these objects did not all form from the same molecular materials. Their distinct compositions reflect their places and conditions of origin, as well as their subsequent evolution.
"What excited me most was realizing that these compositional differences were linked to the behavior of methanol—a key ingredient that had long eluded detection from Earth-based observations," said Pinilla-Alonso. "Our findings suggest that methanol is destroyed by radiation on the surface but remains protected beneath."
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De Souza-Feliciano contributed to the study by synthesizing laboratory data and modeling the behavior of methanol, helping to visualize the findings and support the observations with mathematical evidence.
"One of the biggest surprises was how methanol behaves differently at various wavelengths," she said. "Its signatures at shorter wavelengths differ significantly from the fundamental ones at longer wavelengths."
The study also focused on a specific group of TNOs nicknamed the "cliff group," identified by a reflectance pattern that levels off after around 3.3 microns. These cliff group TNOs include the cold-classical TNOs, which are believed to have remained largely undisturbed since their formation.
"The cold-classical TNOs are essential for understanding the outer solar system because they likely stayed exactly where they formed billions of years ago," said de Souza-Feliciano.
The research was led by Rosario Brunetto from Université Paris-Saclay, alongside scientists Elsa Hénault and Sasha Cryan, and marks another major step forward in uncovering the ancient secrets of our solar system.