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“We see prebiotic organic molecules in comets and the gas giant planets in our own solar system and wonder, where did these chemicals come from?†said Marc Kassis, support astronomer at the W. M. Keck Observatory. “The Spitzer Space Telescope is letting us study these young stellar objects in new and revealing ways, giving us exciting clues about where life may form in the universe.â€
The object—IRS 46—is located in the Milky Way galaxy, about 375 light years from Earth, in the constellation Ophiuchus.
The researchers detected two organic compounds—acetylene and hydrogen cyanide—in amounts nearly 10,000 times higher than found in the cold interstellar gas where stars are born. These compounds are commonly found in the atmospheres of the giant gas planets in our solar system, the icy surfaces of comets, and the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. They also detected carbon dioxide, which is widespread in the atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars.
The presence of gas-rich disks around young stars is well known, but little is understood about their chemical structure. The discovery of acetylene and hydrogen cyanide in one of these disks will help astronomers better understand them and where future solar systems may someday form and possibly result in life.
The object—IRS 46—is located in the Milky Way galaxy, about 375 light years from Earth, in the constellation Ophiuchus.
The researchers detected two organic compounds—acetylene and hydrogen cyanide—in amounts nearly 10,000 times higher than found in the cold interstellar gas where stars are born. These compounds are commonly found in the atmospheres of the giant gas planets in our solar system, the icy surfaces of comets, and the atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. They also detected carbon dioxide, which is widespread in the atmospheres of Venus, Earth, and Mars.
The presence of gas-rich disks around young stars is well known, but little is understood about their chemical structure. The discovery of acetylene and hydrogen cyanide in one of these disks will help astronomers better understand them and where future solar systems may someday form and possibly result in life.