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A team of eight scientists recreated and analyzed interstellar dust-like materials and used them to estimate how many fat-like carbon molecules (scientifically known as aliphatic carbon) are found in the atmosphere. interstellar space beyond the limits of our solar system.
The estimated amount of "space fat" in the Milky Way far exceeded expectations: 10 trillion trillion tons – or enough to fill 40 trillion trillion trillion packets of butter.
The space is not just fat, but dirty said Tim Schmidt, co-author of the study and professor at UNSW.
"Think of it more as greasy soot," Schmidt told CNN. "It's not a pure substance, it's not biological, it's random, it's not something that we want to eat, it would make things dirty as soot. "
The team was able to more accurately quantify the spatial fat" This is not so different from what we've found recently on Mars, "said Schmidt, referring to the organic matter that NASA's rover Curiosity found this month . the material is everywhere in the galaxy. "
The Creation of Life
Many young stars are made of carbon, among other things.Carbon is also considered an essential element of life.
Before this study, scientists only had estimates of interstellar carbon, which exists under two forms: the space grease, and what the scientists have dubbed "mothball" carbon
The new precise figures of the space grease are the first step.The next will be to calculate the amount of carbon similar to mothballs. should take another three years.
Although Schmidt said that he considered the study of space greases as "an important achievement," he is I was delighted to tackle the following problem.
"The aliphatic material is boring". "It's fat, because aromatic carbon has a relationship with graphene (a semi-metal), which makes it very interesting, so doing research in this direction is going to be very interesting."
