{"id":10314,"date":"2015-04-08T14:00:29","date_gmt":"2015-04-08T18:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10314"},"modified":"2015-04-08T01:25:05","modified_gmt":"2015-04-08T05:25:05","slug":"eso-complex-organic-molecules-discovered-in-infant-star-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=10314","title":{"rendered":"ESO: Complex organic molecules discovered in infant star system"},"content":{"rendered":"

The latest news from the European Southern Observatory (ESO<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Complex Organic Molecules Discovered in Infant Star System<\/a>
\n<\/strong>Hints that the building blocks of the chemistry of life are universal<\/em><\/p>\n

For the first time, astronomers have detected the presence of complex organic molecules, the building blocks of life, in a protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star. The discovery, made with the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA), reaffirms that the conditions that spawned the Earth and Sun are not unique in the Universe. The results are published in the 9 April 2015 issue of the journal Nature.<\/p>\n

\"eso1513a_520x629\"<\/a>Artist’s illustration<\/a> of\u00a0of the protoplanetary disc surrounding the young star<\/em>
\n MWC 480. ALMA has detected the complex organic molecule methyl <\/em>
\ncyanide\u00a0in the outer reaches of the disc in the region where comets <\/em>
\nare believed to form. This is another indication that complex organic <\/em>
\nchemistry, and potentially the conditions necessary for life, is universal.<\/em>
\n\u00a0Credit:\u00a0<\/strong>B. Saxton (NRAO\/AUI\/NSF)<\/em><\/p>\n

The new ALMA<\/a> observations reveal that the protoplanetary disc<\/a> surrounding the young star MWC 480 [1]<\/a> contains large amounts of methyl cyanide<\/a> (CH3<\/sub>CN), a complex carbon-based molecule. There is enough methyl cyanide around MWC 480 to fill all of Earth\u2019s oceans.<\/p>\n

Both this molecule and its simpler cousin hydrogen cyanide<\/a> (HCN) were found in the cold outer reaches of the star\u2019s newly formed disc, in a region that astronomers believe is analogous to the Kuiper Belt<\/a> \u2014 the realm of icy planetesimals<\/a> and comets in our own Solar System beyond Neptune.<\/p>\n

Comets retain a pristine record of the early chemistry of the Solar System, from the period of planet formation. Comets and asteroids from the outer Solar System are thought to have seeded the young Earth with water and organic molecules, helping set the stage for the development of primordial life.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudies of comets and asteroids show that the solar nebula that spawned the Sun and planets was rich in water and complex organic compounds,<\/em>\u201d noted Karin \u00d6berg, an astronomer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, and lead author of the new paper.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/cdn.eso.org\/videos\/medium_podcast\/eso1513a.m4v<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n

\u201cWe now have even better evidence that this same chemistry exists elsewhere in the Universe, in regions that could form solar systems not unlike our own.<\/em>\u201d This is particularly intriguing, \u00d6berg notes, since the molecules found in MWC 480 are also found in similar concentrations in the Solar System\u2019s comets.<\/p>\n

The star MWC 480, which is about twice the mass of the Sun, is located 455 light-years away in the Taurus star-forming region. Its surrounding disc is in the very early stages of development \u2014 having recently coalesced out of a cold, dark nebula of dust and gas. Studies with ALMA and other telescopes have yet to detect any obvious signs of planet formation in it, although higher resolution observations may reveal structures similar to HL Tauri<\/a>, which is of a similar age.<\/p>\n

Astronomers have known for some time that cold, dark interstellar clouds are very efficient factories for complex organic molecules \u2014 including a group of molecules known as cyanides. Cyanides, and most especially methyl cyanide, are important because they contain carbon\u2013nitrogen bonds, which are essential for the formation of amino acids, the foundation of proteins and the building blocks of life.<\/p>\n

Until now, it has remained unclear, however, if these same complex organic molecules commonly form and survive in the energetic environment of a newly forming solar system, where shocks and radiation can easily break chemical bonds.<\/p>\n

By exploiting ALMA\u2019s remarkable sensitivity [2]<\/a> astronomers can see from the latest observations that these molecules not only survive, but flourish.<\/p>\n

Importantly, the molecules ALMA detected are much more abundant than would be found in interstellar clouds. This tells astronomers that protoplanetary discs are very efficient at forming complex organic molecules and that they are able to form them on relatively short timescales [3]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

As this system continues to evolve, astronomers speculate that it\u2019s likely that the organic molecules safely locked away in comets and other icy bodies will be ferried to environments more nurturing to life.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the study of exoplanets, we know the Solar System isn\u2019t unique in its number of planets or abundance of water<\/em>,\u201d concluded \u00d6berg. \u201cNow we know we\u2019re not unique in organic chemistry. Once more, we have learnt that we\u2019re not special. From a life in the Universe point of view, this is great news.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The latest news from the European Southern Observatory (ESO): Complex Organic Molecules Discovered in Infant Star System Hints that the building blocks of the chemistry of life are universal For the first time, astronomers have detected the presence of complex organic molecules, the building blocks of life, in a protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star. … Continue reading ESO: Complex organic molecules discovered in infant star system<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-astronomy","category-space-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-2Gm","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":24936,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=24936","url_meta":{"origin":10314,"position":0},"title":"ESO: ALMA observes largest molecule yet in a planet-forming disc","author":"TopSpacer","date":"March 8, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO): Astronomers discover largest molecule yet in a planet-forming disc Using the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands have for the first time detected dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disc. 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