In 2020, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 visited the asteroid Ryugu and managed to bring precious samples of the space rock back to Earth. And sure enough, years later, we are still gaining insights about this small asteroid and the environment in which it formed thanks to those samples. Today, scientists released the latest findings from Ryugu – that certain organic compounds called PAHs may be able to form in cold areas in space.
These results may help us to better understand how planet formation, and eventually life, came to be.PAHs, or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are ring-shaped complex organic compounds. A good deal of carbon in the universe is contained in these PAHs. You can even see PAHs on Earth, which typically form when something organic doesn’t burn completely (think of the leftovers of your campfire or the char left on your BBQ grill). Across space, PAHs are naturally found in nebulas, protoplanetary disks, the interstellar medium and meteorites. The new finding is surprising because it indicates that PAHs can form in cold regions in space and not just hot regions around stars. The scientists, from the Western Australian Organic & Isotope Geochemistry Centre, produced PAHs by burning plants. (space.com)
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