Department: Institute of Astronomy            PI's Name: Daniel Harsono

Journal: Nature

Title: ALMA Traces History of Water on Earth Back to the Interstellar Medium

Abstract: Astronomers have previously discovered water around stars, disks, comets, and planets, but until now, data on the exact ratio of water to heavy water in the disk of gas and dust orbiting a young star was lacking. From the ratio of water (H₂O) to heavy water (HDO), astronomers can deduce when and where water formed. Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have detected gaseous water in the planet-forming disc around the star V883 Orionis. This water carries a chemical signature that explains the journey of water from star-forming gas clouds to planets, and supports the idea that water on Earth is even older than our Sun.
Professor Daniel Harsono from the Institute of Astronomy joined the team led by John J. Tobin, an astronomer at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the USA. “We can now trace the origins of water in our Solar System to before the formation of the Sun,” says Professor Harsono. The study was published in the journal Nature on March 8, 2023.