Comets release sugar and alcohol while flying

When Comet Lovejoy flew near Earth in January, scientists at the Paris Observatory in France were surprised to find that it contained C 2 H 5 OH and CH 2 OHCHO, two walls. Part of alcohol and sugar, according to Quartz.

The research, led by scientist Nicolas Biver, was published in Science Advances magazine on October 23, which listed 21 organic molecules found on Lovejo comets . Sugar and alcohol are molecules that have never been discovered on any comet before.

Picture 1 of Comets release sugar and alcohol while flying
Comet Lovejoy releases the amount of alcohol equivalent to 500 bottles per second when flying.(Photo: Welt).

"We found that comet Lovejoy released an amount of alcohol equivalent to 500 bottles per second during the most active phase , " Bider said.

Comets are remnants of stars and planets formed billions of years ago, when the solar system first appeared. Therefore, scientists argue that these comets are proof of the early history of the solar system.

According to scientists, comets wandering in the universe contain many complex organic molecules. They hypothesized that they had brought these molecules to our planet when they collided with Earth billions of years ago.

"This finding reinforces the hypothesis that comets contain complex chemical components . About 3.8 billion years ago, when many comets and meteors were bombarding the Earth and the first oceans appeared, the Life cannot simply start with molecules like water, CO or N 2 O. Instead, life must be something more complex at the molecular level , " Stefanie Milam scientist came. from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, co-author of the study.

These organic molecules are the foundation for life, so the detection of them on comets is a remarkable sign that life on Earth could originate in outer space. Comet Lovejoy will continue its journey in the universe and will approach the Earth around 8,000 years later.