The Cat's Paw Nebula lies one of the largest space molecules ever seen
Scientists have discovered a hitherto unknown space molecule while investigating a relatively nearby region of intense star birth
a cosmic spot about 5,550 light-years away. It's part of the Cat's Paw Nebula, also known as NGC 6334.
The team, led by Zachary Fried, a graduate student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), examined a section of the nebula known as NGC 6334I
the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). This revealed the presence of a complex molecule known as 2-methoxyethanol
Discovering molecule 2-methoxyethanol was remarkable. It contains 13 atoms, which may not sound like a lot
This molecule also represents the largest and most complex "methoxy" molecule found in space to date, referring to a chemical with a methyl group atom bound to an oxygen atom.
This allows us to piece together how chemistry evolves alongside the process of star and planet formation."
the same team also hunted for 2-methoxyethanol in another region of space called IRAS 16293-2422B, home to four newborn protostars
They already had a good idea of the molecule they would be hunting for with ALMA, an array of 66 radio telescopes located in the Atacama desert in Northern Chile