Organic conundrum in Large Magellanic Cloud A group of organic chemicals that are considered carcinogens and pollutants today on Earth, but are also thought to be the building blocks for the origins of life, may hold clues to how carbon-rich chemicals created in stars are processed and recycled in space. Scientists have studied how polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are created in an aging population of stars in the Milky Ways satellite galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. They have found that the types of PAH found in the atmospheres of these stars are much more varied than the PAHs observed in our own galaxy. The results will be presented by Dr Mikako Matsuura of UCL on Monday 23 June at the National Astronomy Meeting in Portsmouth. We were surprised because previous measurements of PAHs in interstellar dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud were very similar to those in the Milky Way, said Matsuura. Our studies suggest these organic molecules are processed and change their composition soon after they are ejected by dying stars to fill the matter within the galaxy. Dying stars in the neighbouring galaxy are richer in carbon than the Milky Ways stars, so are more likely to trigger these wide varieties of organic compounds.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 17:37:27 +0000
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