Tracing the origins of life on our planet and understanding the potential for life in other planetary systems is the dream of many scientists. Astronomers sometimes start at the molecular level, using organic molecules as a valuable clue.
Dimethyl ether (CH3OCH3) has been detected for the first time in a planet-forming disk by a team of astronomers using the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) in Chile. Containing nine atoms, the molecule is the largest ever found in this type of disc. It is also a precursor to larger organic molecules that could potentially lead to the emergence of life. The research was recently published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Astronomers have detected dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disk for the first time. | Image credit: ESO/L. Calçada, ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/A. Pohl, van der Marel et al. , Brunken et al.
Molecules in a dust trap
In the new study, astronomers used ALMA to make detailed observations of the planetary disk around the young star IRS 48, also known as Oph-IRS 48.
The researchers believe that by tracing the “journey” of these molecules from star-forming clouds to planetary disks to celestial bodies, studying their formation and evolution, they can gain a deeper understanding of how pre-biomolecules end up on planets, including our earth.
In the future, when the Extra Large Telescope (ELT) is built, research on IRS 48 will continue. This gives scientists the opportunity to study the chemistry in the more inner regions of the planetary disk, where planets like Earth may be forming.
