On the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko found active oxygen – BBC News

The spacecraft Rosetta discovered oxygen molecules in a gas cloud near the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. In August 2015, the station watched the comet during its gradual rapprochement with the sun. Previous analysis of the acquired data stream has revealed a variety of gases released kernel space pilgrim, including water vapor, the mono- and carbon dioxide, as well as compounds containing nitrogen and sulfur. But the new discovery was a complete surprise to scientists because it defies the theory of the formation of the solar system.

With the set on the “Rosetta” spectrometer ROSINA scientists analyzed more than three thousand samples collected around the comet from September 2014 to March 2015. In these samples the concentration of molecular oxygen was from 1% to 10% relative to water vapor. This is an order of magnitude higher than that described by the model of the chemical composition of cosmic clouds of gas.

Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the universe, but familiar to us the molecular form of O ₂ is extremely difficult to trace the outside Earth. Even the clouds of star formation reactive oxygen dissolves easily to connect with other atoms. For example, he combines with hydrogen in the cold cosmic dust particles to form water, or transformed into a triatomic form – ozone (ultraviolet radiation).

Earlier, molecular oxygen found on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, but never – in the tails of comets.

Many models describing the formation of our planetary system, eliminate the possibility of the existence of pure oxygen at the beginning of its development (the comet actually bears the” footprint “of those times, and so it is of interest to scientists.) The results of a new study published in the journal Nature, suggest that the oxygen molecules remain in the nucleus of the comet since its formation, and their age exceeds the age of the solar system.

“We really do not expected to detect reactive oxygen molecules in the comet, moreover, in such abundance – says a press release from the European Space Agency’s project scientist Kathrin Altwegg (Kathrin Altwegg) from the University of Bern. – So far, little is known of anecdotal evidence of interstellar O ₂ . Thus, even if the molecules were part of the comet during its formation, it is not easy to explain in the current model of the formation of the solar system “.

Scientists, however, emphasize that to jump to conclusions not worth it. They hopes that further studies will help to better interpret the results.