TMC-1 tagged posts

Scientists discover Molecules that Store Much of the Carbon in Space

Gabi Wenzel and Brett McGuire stand in the lab full of equipment on racks.
The findings suggest pyrene may have been the source of much of the carbon in our solar system. “It’s an almost unbelievable sink of carbon,” says Brett McGuire, right, standing with lead author of the study Gabi Wenzel.
Credits:Photo: Bryce Vickmark

A team led by researchers at MIT has discovered that a distant interstellar cloud contains an abundance of pyrene, a type of large, carbon-containing molecule known as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH).

The discovery of pyrene in this far-off cloud, which is similar to the collection of dust and gas that eventually became our own solar system, suggests that pyrene may have been the source of much of the carbon in our solar system...

Read More