Astronomers find ‘complex organic molecules’ in young planetary system
European astronomers have found complex organic molecules in the protoplanetary disk of a young star. The find contains an indication that the building blocks for life are universal and can form anywhere in the universe.
The study focused on a cloud of gas orbiting the star MWC 480. This so-called protoplanetary disk is formed in very young stars and may be a precursor to a system of planets located in a star’s gravitational field. European astronomers at the European Southern Observatory found that the disk contains complex organic compounds. It concerns methyl cyanide, or CH3CN, which is based on carbon. The simpler hydrogen cyanide with molecular formula HCN was also discovered there. The astronomers have published their research in the authoritative scientific journal Nature.
Methyl cyanide is an interesting molecule for astrobiologists because it contains, among other things, compounds between carbon and nitrogen. Such compounds are needed to form amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The formation of methyl cyanide is thus an important step towards the ultimate development of the building blocks for life.
The presence of such complex organic molecules in a young star implies that the building blocks necessary for the development of life can be formed anywhere, not just in our solar system. These organic compounds therefore seem to be literally universal, although this does not exclude the possibility that life can also form on the basis of other types of compounds. Star MWC 480 is 455 light-years from Earth and astronomically recently formed from gas clouds. Ultimately, a planetary system similar to our own solar system could be formed, with multiple planets orbiting the star and thus a subsequent form of life.
Incidentally, extraterrestrial organic molecules have been found before. Curiosity, for example, recently found indications of biological building blocks on Mars. However, considerably less is known about the origin and evolution of such molecules, which makes the discovery of the ESO important.
The ALMA telescope was used for the find. In time, this should be replaced by a better model, the European Extremely Large Telescope. Construction of the telescope has now started. As with the ALMA, the Atacama Desert in Chile has been chosen, which is considered a favorable location for studying the universe.