Frozen Water Found Around Baby Star Outside Our Solar System for the First Time

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery that could reshape our understanding of planetary formation and the origin of life: for the first time, frozen water has been detected around a baby star located outside our Solar System. The discovery was made using the powerful ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) observatory in Chile and offers direct evidence of water ice in early planetary nurseries far beyond our cosmic neighborhood.

The star in question, known as IRAS 15398-3359, lies approximately 520 light-years from Earth in the Lupus constellation. It is still in the earliest stage of stellar development and remains shrouded in a thick envelope of gas and dust. During high-resolution observations, scientists detected spectral signatures of water ice in the protoplanetary disk surrounding the young star. The discovery was detailed in a recent report by Revista Galileu.

According to the research team, the presence of frozen water at such an early stage in the star's formation has far-reaching implications. As the disk evolves, the ice is likely to become embedded in forming comets, asteroids, and possibly rocky planets — serving as a critical delivery system for water to future worlds. This supports the theory that Earth’s water, and that of other habitable planets, may have originated in similar icy conditions within young stellar systems.

Data from ALMA revealed that the ice exists in significant concentrations, composed of both pure H₂O and molecular blends including carbon monoxide and methanol. Detecting such ice required the telescope’s ultra-sensitive capabilities, capable of identifying molecular traces even within dense cosmic dust clouds. These findings confirm that not only gas but solid ice components play a crucial role in early planetary chemistry.

This discovery also provides valuable insights for the growing field of exoplanet research. By better understanding how water is distributed in protoplanetary disks, scientists can refine models predicting where potentially habitable exoplanets may form and what their initial atmospheric compositions might look like. This knowledge enhances our ability to target future space telescopes toward promising planetary systems.

The researchers describe the system as a “wet cosmic nursery,” suggesting that the conditions necessary for life may emerge much earlier and more frequently across the universe than previously thought. If water — a foundational ingredient for life — is common even in the infancy of planetary systems, the chances of life emerging elsewhere may be significantly higher.

Looking ahead, astronomers plan to focus similar observations on other young stars to determine whether the presence of frozen water is an isolated case or a widespread phenomenon. The ultimate goal is to map the journey of water through space — from interstellar dust and ice to the surfaces of potentially life-bearing planets orbiting distant suns.