'Icy worlds beyond Pluto': James Webb finds proof of hidden chemistry beyond Neptune
Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Icy Relics
TNOs, frozen for billions of years, hold untouched secrets of the early solar system’s formation.
Credit: NASA/SwRI/JHU-APL
Kuiper Clues
These distant objects trace the chaotic migrations of Neptune and Uranus in the solar system’s infancy.
Pluto’s Family
Pluto was the first TNO discovered, but thousands more now reveal a complex, hidden world beyond Neptune.
Webb Breakthrough
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has uncovered the first detailed spectral data on TNO surfaces.
Hidden Chemistry
TNOs contain unexpected traces of water ice, carbon dioxide, methane, and complex organic molecules.
Representative pic
Three Classes
Webb’s data has divided TNOs into three spectral groups, revealing clues about their origins and evolution.
Frozen History
Cold-classical TNOs remain in their original orbits, preserving an untouched record of planetary formation.
Credit: ESO/L. Calçada/Nick Risinger
Spectral Surprise
Webb’s findings suggest some TNOs formed closer to the Sun, then were scattered outward by Neptune’s drift.
Next Discoveries
Future Webb observations will examine extreme TNOs, binary systems, and objects orbiting beyond interstellar space.