Astronomers did not expect to discover something like this in space. "It is essential for the emergence of life"
Article by: Andacs Robert Eugen, on 20 August 2022, at 09:45 am Los Angeles time
Scientists announced that they found a "sugar cloud" in space. Of course, it is not about the dust we use in the kitchen, but about molecules called "glycolaldehyde".
These are essential to any form of life and were identified around a recently formed star, located 400 light years away from Earth.
The discovery shows astronomers that there are good chances that life exists on other planets, this "cosmic sugar" being the first example of a molecule rich in carbon, which was formed even before the appearance of some planets.
The "sugar cloud" was observed near the star Rho Ophiuch, with the help of the international telescope in Atacama, Chile.
The team that made this discovery is led by researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen.
This "sugar" is made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
"This simple form of sugar is one of the building blocks necessary for the formation of RNA and the first result of life forms," says astrophysicist Jes Jorgensen.
The "sugar cloud" has a very low temperature, approximately -263 degrees Celsius, being solidified in the form of ice, together with dust particles.