All articles tagged with #astrochemistry
Astronomers observed a white dwarf star consuming the remains of a shattered planet, revealing insights into planetary system evolution and offering a glimpse of our own Solar System's distant future, with implications for understanding exoplanet composition and long-term planetary dynamics.
The James Webb Space Telescope has made the first-ever detection of complex organic molecules in ice around a young protostar in the galaxy beyond the Milky Way, specifically in the Large Magellanic Cloud, providing new insights into the chemistry of star formation and the potential origins of life in different cosmic environments.
Scientists are excited about the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, which is only the third such object observed entering our solar system. Notably, nickel vapor was detected in its gas, suggesting it may be older than our solar system and providing valuable insights into distant planetary systems and their chemistry. Observations continue as the comet approaches the sun, offering a rare opportunity to study material from outside our solar system.
Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope detected complex carbon-based molecules in the ice around a star in the Large Magellanic Cloud, marking the first such discovery outside the Milky Way and providing insights into the origins of life-related chemistry in primitive cosmic environments.
Astronomers using the VLT detected unexpected nickel vapor in interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS at large distances from the sun, suggesting unique chemical processes and providing insights into the composition of material from another star system, which may differ from typical solar system comets.
Astronomers have for the first time detected complex organic molecules, including ethanol, acetaldehyde, methyl formate, and acetic acid, in ice beyond the Milky Way, specifically in the Large Magellanic Cloud, suggesting that the ingredients for life are widespread across the universe.
Researchers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected complex organic molecules, considered the 'seeds of life,' in icy environments beyond our galaxy, specifically in the Large Magellanic Cloud, indicating that such molecules can form in harsh, low-metallicity conditions similar to early universe galaxies, which may have implications for the origins of life elsewhere in the universe.
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected complex organic molecules, including some found on Earth, frozen in ice around a young star in the neighboring galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud, marking the first such discovery outside the Milky Way and providing new insights into the potential for life beyond our galaxy.
Scientists have observed that the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is releasing large amounts of water far from the Sun, which is unusual and suggests it may have a significant water reservoir and unique chemistry, providing insights into alien planetary systems.
Space has no air to carry smells, but astronauts report metallic or acrid odors after spacewalks, likely from reactions involving atomic oxygen and cabin materials. Scientists study space smells to understand planetary chemistry, with examples including the sulfurous scent of Mars, the petroleum-like aroma of Titan's hydrocarbons, and the complex, faint odors of comets and the galaxy's center, revealing insights into the universe's composition and history.
Scientists have tentatively detected molecules that are precursors to sugars and amino acids in the disk of dust around a young star, V883 Orionis, suggesting that complex organic molecules can form early in star and planet formation, inherited from earlier molecular clouds, and potentially contributing to the origins of life.
Scientists have synthesized methanetetrol, a highly unstable 'super alcohol' theorized to exist in deep space, by recreating interstellar conditions in the lab. This discovery suggests complex chemistry occurs in space, opening new avenues for understanding cosmic molecules and the potential origins of life, although detecting such molecules in space remains challenging due to their instability.
Astronomers using ALMA detected complex organic molecules, including precursors to life, in a young star's planet-forming disk, suggesting that the chemical seeds of life are formed in space and inherited by emerging planets, challenging previous theories of chemical 'reset' during star formation.
Scientists have found complex organic molecules around a protostar in Orion, suggesting that the building blocks of life may form in space and survive star formation processes, potentially spreading throughout the cosmos.
Astronomers using ALMA detected 17 complex organic molecules in a young star's protoplanetary disk, including precursors to amino acids and nucleobases, suggesting that life's chemical roots are inherited from earlier interstellar stages and can continue to develop during planet formation, especially during stellar outbursts that release these molecules into detectable gas phases.