Organic materials spotted on dwarf planet CeresFebruary 17, 2017 - 18:14 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ceres is now officially included the list of celestial bodies where organic molecules have been found. NASA's Dawn scientists have spotted the presence of organic compounds on the dwarf planet using the spacecraft's visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR). They found the organics covering an area measuring around 400 square miles in and around Ceres' northern-hemisphere crater called Ernutet. They also found smaller patches of land with organics several miles east and west of Ernutet, as well as in another crater. That's pretty abundant, considering Christopher Russell (Dawn's principal investigator) said they weren't "expecting to see something like this on the surface of Ceres" at all, Engadget says. NASA still isn't sure what the organics are exactly, but they gave off the same fingerprints as carbon-hydrogen bonds under near-infrared light and could include components like methyl and methylene. The scientists also believe that they're native to Ceres, made on the dwarf planet itself and not transplanted there by meteorites or small asteroids. Carbonates and clays previously identified on Ceres apparently exhibit chemical activity in the presence of water and heat. That means the organics could have formed in a water-rich environment -- and Dawn already proved that the giant asteroid is oozing with water. Russell also said that the molecules are "pre-biological" and what scientists would expect "if Ceres was working its way along the complexity path." They certainly make Ceres a life-friendly environment, so NASA is now considering the possibility that it's hosting microbial life. In addition, this new discovery can help shed light on the "origins of water and organics on Earth," pre-life chemistry that's prevalent outside our planet. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. Azerbaijan must respect human rights, Scholz tells Aliyev German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called for greater respect for human rights in Azerbaijan. Armenia: Defense Ministry warns against involving army in political processes The Ministry’s statement came after a video surfaced online, showing soldiers joining the protests in Tavush. Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. |