Distant Galaxy Has Similar Icy Dust to the Milky Way. So, Similar Planets?

A dust cloud near Cassiopeia A reflects light from a nearby supernova. Dust clouds throughout galaxies reflect, absorb, and re-emit light in the infrared, making JWST's MIRI infrared-sensitive instrument a good way to study the dust. Courtesy NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Jacob Jencson (Caltech/IPAC)

For most of us, dust is just something we have to clean up. For astronomers, interstellar dust is a hindrance when they want to study distant objects. However, recent James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations of a distant galaxy are changing that. This infrared-sensitive observatory is letting them find a way to use dust to understand the evolution of early galaxies. In addition, it uncovered a special property of that galaxy's ice-covered dust, indicating it could be similar to the materials that formed our Solar System.

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