'Thanks to the high-definition images from Webb, we found a lot of regions with smoke but no star formation and others with new stars forming but no smoke,' Spilker added.

Read | Webb telescope maps large plume jetting from Saturn's moon The new results from Webb showed that this idea might not exactly ring true in the early universe, according to Spilker, casting doubt on the old proverb that where there's smoke, there's fire, at least in the context of galaxies. Anywhere you saw these molecules, baby stars were also right there blazing away.' Justin Spilker, a Texas A&M University (US) astronomer, said that the implications of galactic smoke signals, referring to the carbon-based molecules, were much less disastrous for their cosmic ecosystems.ĭescribing them as being 'pretty common in space', Spilker, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy said, 'Astronomers used to think they were a good sign that new stars were forming. Webb's data found the distinct signature of these large organic molecules to be similar to those known on Earth to be in smoke, soot and smog, found in cancer-causing hydrocarbon emissions contributing to atmospheric pollution, the international team of scientists said in a study.

In a galaxy over 12 billion light-years away, astronomers have detected complex organic molecules, or molecules having a carbon basis, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

Nasa webb telescope tests