This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: You may have heard the phrase "we are made of star-stuff." This statement by the astronomer Carl Sagan refers to the fact that elements heavier than hydrogen and helium were forged in the centers of the first stars. But how does this star-stuff evolve into the chemistry of rocks, plants and people?
As an astrochemist and radio astronomer, I study the places in the universe where stars are born as interstellar laboratories. I'm interested in how simple ingredients come together to form bigger and bigger molecules, including those that are building blocks of life. One way I do this is by mapping molecules in space and finding patterns between their abundance and the conditions around them.
Astronomers have mapped the distribution of molecules in interstellar space for several decades. From these maps, astronomers typically describe molecules' abundances, temperatures and how fast they're moving in each region. Technology and techniques have improved over time, and now scientists are able to map these metrics at even more precise scales.
My research team and I recently compared the findings from these newer methods with previous maps to make sure the earlier maps are consistent with our new maps. Stars form in molecular clouds: clumps of gas and dust that act as cosmic nurseries. These nurseries start out at extremely cold temperatures of about -442°F (-263°C).
The material in them is also really spread out, with densities of about 100 molecules per cubic centimeter. By comparison, the air you are breathing right now has about 1019—or 10 quintillion—molecules per cubic centimeter. As infant stars form, temperatures rise to between -279°F and -100°F (between -173°C and -73°C), and the density increases to 10 million molecules or more per cubic centimeter.
In those conditions, the most fundamental chemical reactions in the universe take place. Unfortunately, these are interstellar laboratories too far away for scientists to visit. I study the chemistry of high-mass, star-forming regions—nebulae that will give birth to stars much larger than the sun.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
