The chemical fingerprints of potentially life-building
molecules have been detected in the Orion nebula by Europe's Herschel Space
Observatory.
The Orion
nebula is a nearby stellar nursery, brimming with gas, dust and infant
stars. It is known to be one of the most prolific chemical factories in space,
although the full extent of its chemistry and the pathways for molecule
formation are not well understood.
Researchers have used one of Herschel's
instruments, which looks at the cosmos in the far infrared wavelengths of
light, to provide more insight into how organic molecules form in space.
By sifting through the pattern of spikes in Orion nebula's
light signature, or spectrum, astronomers have identified a few common
molecules that are precursors to life-enabling molecules, including water,
carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, methanol, dimethyl ether, hydrogen cyanide,
sulfur oxide and sulfur dioxide. Each spike in the spectrum corresponds to a
particular molecule.
"This HIFI spectrum, and the many more to come, will
provide a virtual treasure trove of information regarding the overall chemical
inventory and on how organics form in a region of active star formation. It
harbors the promise of a deep understanding of the chemistry of space once we
have the full spectral surveys available," said Edwin Bergin of the
University of Michigan and the principal investigator of the HEXOS Key Program
on Herschel.
Because of Herschel's unique infrared observing abilities,
this new spectrum is already an improvement on previous one's taken of the
Orion nebula.
"We obtained this spectrum in a few hours and it already
beats any other spectrum, at any other wavelength, ever taken of Orion,"
said Frank Helmich, Herschel HIFI principal investigator of SRON Netherlands
Institute for Space Research.
Built by the European Space Agency, Herschel launched in May
2009 on a mission to scan the universe in the far-infrared range of the
spectrum. The observatory is expected to last until 2012 and has the largest
single mirror ever built for a space telescope.
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