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Cosmic Cocktail: Exotic Methanol Discovered in Planet-Building Zones

Cosmic Cocktail: Exotic Methanol Discovered in Planet-Building Zones

New results from the ALMA COMPASS Large Program (Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys) show that young, still-forming stars are surrounded by a surprisingly sophisticated “chemical starter kit”, including organic molecules such as methanol that may one day enrich planets.

Twisted Physics: Astronomers Solve 30-Year-Old Stellar Mystery

Twisted Physics: Astronomers Solve 30-Year-Old Stellar Mystery

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have captured the first direct, high-resolution images of a magnetic field wrapped tightly around the outflow of gas streaming away from a forming star — evidence that solves a decades-old puzzle about how young stars sculpt the powerful jets that form them.