Tag

Interstellar Clouds

All articles tagged with #interstellar clouds

science14 days ago•5 min saved

Ice Records the Solar System’s 80,000-Year Interstellar Journey

Researchers analyzed 40,000–80,000-year-old Antarctic ice for the rare radioactive isotope iron-60 and found lower-than-expected levels, suggesting the Solar System has moved through interstellar cloud complexes (including the Local Interstellar Cloud) over the past 80,000 years. Using accelerator mass spectrometry to count iron-60 in ice samples, the study links variations in interstellar dust flux to the structure of nearby clouds, offering a new way to trace our solar neighborhood’s history—though the precise cloud origins and the amount of iron-60 remain subjects of debate.

via The Conversation|

#antarctic-ice #interstellar-clouds #iron-60

science5 months ago•5 min saved

Ancient Stellar Encounter and a Space 'Scar' Explained

Approximately 4.5 million years ago, the Sun nearly intersected with two bright stars in Canis Major, whose intense radiation likely caused a ghostly, irradiated 'scar' in our galaxy's local interstellar medium, helping explain the current high ionization levels of helium around our solar system.

via Live Science|

#helium-ionization #interstellar-clouds #local-bubble

science9 months ago•2 min saved

Scientists Develop 'Super Alcohol' Offering Clues to Extraterrestrial 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.

via ScienceAlert|

#astrochemistry #interstellar-clouds #methanetetrol

science1 year ago•5 min saved

Discovery of Nitriles in Space Could Unlock Cosmic Mysteries

Scientists have discovered two nitrile-containing molecules, malononitrile and maleonitrile, in the Taurus molecular cloud, an interstellar region near Earth. These molecules are significant because they are precursors in the synthesis of purines and pyrimidines, essential components of RNA and DNA, suggesting complex chemical processes in space that may relate to the origins of life. The findings highlight the active chemical nature of interstellar clouds and the challenges in modeling the formation of newly discovered molecules.

via Space.com|

#astrochemistry #interstellar-clouds #nitriles