We’re all made of stardust, which makes it an extremely important starting point to the formation of any life in the universe. And now it seems we’ve stumbled on an extremely exciting glob of stardust hundreds of light-years away.
Researchers at Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands have discovered the largest molecule ever to be found in a planet-forming disc swirling around a distant star 444 light-years away. The molecule, called dimethyl ether, is an organic compound made of oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon. It’s among one of the hundreds of molecules believed vital for seeding organic life in the universe. This new finding, published Tuesday in Astronomy & Astrophysics, may offer insights into how and in what ways life's essential chemical building blocks end up on other planets.
The Dutch researchers found dimethyl ether in a cloud surrounding a young star called Oph-IRS 48 in the constellation Ophiuchus. Over the last decade, Oph-IRS 48 has been a subject of great interest for its massive, cashew-shaped ring of dust and ice. Astronomers believe rings like this contain the leftovers from the birth of new stars and planets, capable of trapping large-sized molecules that eventually clump together to form comets, asteroids, and even other planets.
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