As far as we know, there are no giant ants at IRAS 2A, an embryonic star system almost a thousand light-years away. But the system does contain the compound that makes an ant sting hurt: formic acid.

It’s one of dozens of complex molecules found in young star systems across the galaxy. The list includes such well-known molecules as ozone, cyanide, formaldehyde, methane, and ethanol. Many of the compounds are key ingredients for life, such as tryptophan – an amino acid that’s essential for making proteins in the human body.

Scientists aren’t sure just how these molecules take shape. One suggestion says they form through chemical reactions on small ice grains found in the cloud of material that encircles a young star. And recent observations of IRAS 2A and other young stars by Webb Space Telescope seem to support that idea.

IRAS 2A consists of two “protostars” – objects that are becoming stars but aren’t quite there yet. Each of them appears to be about half as massive as the Sun. They’re surrounded by a disk of debris – gas, dust, and ice, with a dollop of complex organic molecules. If the system gives birth to any planets, those molecules could help make the worlds habitable – and perhaps provide ingredients for life itself.

IRAS 2A is in a star cluster in Perseus. The cluster climbs into view, in the northeast, by midnight. But it’s too faint to see without a telescope.

Script by Damond Benningfield