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বাংলা E-Paper 📍 Dhaka 📅 Wednesday | 19 August 2026, 4 Bhadro 1433

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James Webb detects water near Milky Way

Published : Wednesday, 19 August, 2026 at 4:50 PM

Observer Online Report

Collected Photo

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered water and cosmic dust around a dying giant star near the Milky Way's central super-massive black hole.

The star, designated IRS 3, is currently transitioning into a white dwarf and shedding its outer layers into space. Despite the extreme radiation surrounding the galactic core, scientists detected molecular water and rich silicates within the star's expanding envelope.

IRS 3 is located near the galactic center after forming roughly 16 light-years away and migrating inward. It is six times more massive than the Sun, estimated to be 72 million years old, and maintains a surface temperature of 2,800 Kelvin.

The star's powerful stellar winds propel its outer layers outward at 15 kilometers per second. This activity has generated a massive dust cloud spanning 10,000 astronomical units around the star.

Macarena Garcia Marin, a European Space Agency scientist for JWST's MIRI instrument, noted that this marks the first continuous mid-infrared spectrum collected from the star.

She explained that detecting water proves molecular matter can withstand intense radiation environments. The findings confirm that stars close to super-massive black holes can continuously cycle material back into their surrounding interstellar medium.

-SA/NS

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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