In 2020, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 visited the asteroid Ryugu and was able to bring precious samples of the space rock to Earth. To be sure, years later, we are still gaining insights into this small asteroid and the environment in which it formed thanks to those samples. Today, scientists released the latest findings from Ryugu – which suggest that some organic compounds called PAHs may be able to form in cold regions of… space.
These findings may help us better understand how planets and life eventually form.
PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are complex ring-shaped organic compounds. A large amount of carbon in Universe present in these PAHs. You can even see PAHs Land, which typically form when something organic doesn’t burn completely (think campfire residue or charcoal left on your BBQ grill). Across space, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are found naturally Nebulaeprotoplanetary disks, A medium between the stars And Meteorites.
Related: Asteroid Ryugu was born in the cold, in the early days of the solar system
The new discovery is surprising because it suggests that PAHs can form in cold regions of space, not just the hot regions surrounding them. stars. The scientists, from the Center for Organic and Isotopic Geochemistry in Western Australia, produced PAHs by burning plants. They then compared these molecules with fragments returned to Earth from Ryugu, and with those found in… Murchinson meteorite Which crashed in the southern part of Australia in 1969.
“The bonds between the light and heavy carbon isotopes in the PAHs were analyzed to reveal the temperature at which they were formed,” said Clete Grace, one of the authors. statement. “A selection of Ryugu and Murchison PAHs were found to have different properties: smaller ones are likely to be in cold outer space, while larger ones are likely to be in warmer environments, such as near a star or inside a celestial body.”
Because of their carbon content, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are also largely present Some of the basic building blocks of life. This is it More evidence PAHs may be able to form at cold temperatures, and thus could promote life in such extremely cold conditions.
Ryugu is a C-type asteroid, which means it contains a large amount of carbon and water. These types of Asteroids They act as time capsules and can provide clues as to how this happened Solar System formed.
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