Astronomers discovered in interstellar space enormous quantities of fullerenes - complex molecules composed of atoms of carbon in the form of a hollow sphere nanoscale, reports Discovery News.
They have been found only in planetary nebulae. The study demonstrates that fullerenes are much more prevalent in the universe of previously thought. The paper was published in the journal. Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The possibility of existence of fullerenes beyond Earth was demonstrated very recently. The authors of the study analyzed data from the infrared Spitzer telescope, and found fullerenes in four studied with him 250 sections of the sky.
Scientists found these molecules in the Small Magellanic Cloud - a small galaxy companion to our own Milky Way. The total weight of fullerenes in this star cluster is comparable to the gravity of the earth 15 moons.
Thanks to its unusual structure, fullerenes can carry them different molecules and atoms. If they fall on an asteroid, sooner or later, along with its contents can reach the surface of the planets.
Recently published a number of works which demonstrate that in space there are significantly more complex organic molecules than previously thought. Thus, in the central part of the Milky Way were detected molecules similar to those conferring the taste of the produce, and in the planetary nebula in the constellation Ara were detected fullerenes from 60 to 70 carbon atoms.
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