The ice was found in the Chamaeleon I Cloud, a star-forming regionNASA, ESA, K. Luhman and T. Esplin (Pennsylvania State Uni), et al./ESO/Gladys Kober/Catholic Uni of America
Fluffy ice that could help create the molecular building blocks for life has been spotted in space for the first time, nearly 30 years since researchers first observed it in the lab.
Normally, ice has a solid crystal lattice structure, with all of its H2O molecules strongly held together via their hydrogen and oxygen atoms. But when ice isn’t fully compacted, such as in powdery snow, some of these molecules can have…