Herschel detects bricks of life

The infrared space telescope belonging to the ESA, European Space Agency has aimed its HIFI instrument at the Orion nebula and detected some elementary bricks of life, that is to say molecules that are essential to the living, in this instance water, carbon monoxide, methane, etc. HIFI is a spectrometer which means that it decomposes and analyses light and this is how astronomers have been able to see the chemical fingerprints of these elements within this nebula which is a nursery for the formation of stars and therefore, very probably, future planets. Although this does not make it possible to assert that life will develop in these gestating worlds, Herschel’s observation does show that all the ingredients are, nevertheless, there.

Enjoy Space article “Herschel to observe in HIFI”

Article on the ESA website

Published on 8 March 2010