Astronomers have found methanol and rare maser activity in young planet-forming disks, widening what they call the chemical starter kit for planets and possibly life.
01Summary
- 01Researchers used ALMA in Chile as part of the COMPASS project to study 11 nearby low-mass protostars.
- 02A deuterium-rich methanol molecule was found in the disk around IRAS 4A2, about 1,000 light-years away in the Perseus Molecular Cloud.
- 03Methanol maser emission was detected in more than half of the 11 protostars, mainly in the youngest systems.
- 04The team says this is the first detection of methanol masers around calmer low-mass protostars.
- 05The first COMPASS results are published in seven papers in the October 2026 issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics.
02Why it matters
The findings help explain the chemistry in the disks where planets form, including the ingredients that may later shape habitable worlds. They also give astronomers new clues about how young stars and their surrounding material evolve.
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