First Ground-Based Detection of Complex Organic Molecules in a Comet
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Comets are pristine remnants from the early Solar System. Comets are mostly made of ice and dust, but are also known to be rich in organic materials. If "complex" organic molecules like amino acids are enriched in comets and the meteoroids of cometary origin, the meteor showers might have delivered water and complex organic materials to the ancient Earth. (An artist's illustration. Credit: Kyoto Sangyo University)
A team of astronomers have used the Subaru telescope on Maunakea to detect the presence of complex organic molecules from a comet (Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner) in our solar system. Comets are made mostly of ice and dust, both of which are remnants from the early Solar System. The discovery that complex organic molecules like amino acids can exist in comets suggests that comets may have been one of the delivery sources of water and organic materials to Earth at some point in its history. Further, the makeup of a comet gives astronomers clues as to what type of environment they formed in, and where in the solar system they may have originated; Comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner likely originated near a giant planet like Jupiter or Saturn. Read more on the technical details in the Subaru Telescope Press Release.
