Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers at the Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands have for the first time detected dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disk. With nine atoms, it is the largest molecule identified in such a disk to date. It is also a precursor to larger organic molecules that can lead to the emergence of life. Read below to know more.
1/ Using @ALMAObs Astronomers have detected dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disk around the star IRS 48, the largest molecule ever discovered in such an environment
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@ESO /L. Calçada, ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/A. Pohl, van der Marel et al, Brunken et al pic.twitter.com/5zhuKbn8U7— ESO (@ESO) March 8, 2022
In a Research In a paper published under the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, researchers have found the planet-forming disk around the young star IRS 48 (also known as Oph-IRS 48) with the help of ALMA, an observatory co-owned by the European Southern Observatory ( ESO) ). Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers have detected dimethyl ether for the first time in a planet-forming disk.
IRS 48
IRS 48, located 444 light-years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, has been the subject of numerous studies because the disk contains an asymmetrical, cashew-shaped “dust catcher”. This region, likely created as a result of a newborn planet or small companion star sandwiched between the star and the dust collector, contains large numbers of millimeter-sized dust grains that can coalesce and grow into mile-sized objects such as comets, asteroids, and the like. possibly even planets.