Scientists have found a comet ejected alcohol – OAnews

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24 October 2015 an international team of scientists announced the discovery on the comet C / 2013 Q2, also known as Comet Lovejoy, chemicals 21 organic matter, including ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) and another simple monosaccharide – glycolaldehyde (CH2OHCHO).

Such alcohol compounds have never previously met in cosmic bodies, the report emphasizes astrophysicists, published in the edition of “scientific achievements”. The studies were conducted with the help of a powerful 30-meter telescope of the Institute of Radio Astronomy, located in the mountains of the Iberian Peninsula.

When observing the comet itself cosmic body was located in the 90 million km from the Earth, but scientists have been able to catch the comet Lovejoy at its most colorful and spectacular phase when C / 2013 Q2 approaches the Sun, pulling a “tail.” For the study of the “tail” of the comet consists of dust and gas, it has been used a spectrum analyzer, which showed the presence in the allocated substances comet alcohol compounds. Previously, such a compound could not find on other celestial bodies, emphasize the scientists.

Meanwhile, the comet Lovejoy completely flies in its orbit for 10 thousand years, so the next time C / 2013 Q2 can be seen from Earth only after 8000 years. Basically, this cosmic body circulates in the Oort cloud at the boundaries of our solar system. In the above nebula, as a rule, are born long-period comets, which scientists believe are the building blocks of the building material is not involved in the construction of the universe.