Oxygen found in space.

@taiguy (478)
United States
March 27, 2007 4:22pm CST
For the first time molecular oxygen has been discovered in interstellar space. Finding out whether oxygen exists in certain portions of space is important for underwstanding the chemistry in large intersellar clouds when new stars are formed, and the processes behind star formation. The constellation of Ophiuchus hosts dense molecular clouds in the Milky Way at a distance of about 500 light years. New strs and their planets are currently being born. The Odin satellite has received a signal from this direction, indicating for the first time the presense of molecular oxygen (O2) in such clouds. Astrochemists have long argued that the Life molecules, that is water and oxygen, are highly abundant in the denser regions of the interstellar medium. Odin is a space-based radio observatory for studying both celestial objects and the Earth's atmosphere. The spacecraft is equipped with a 1.1-metre diamter radio telescope operating in the millimetre and submillimetre wavelength ranges. It contains a five-channel microwave radiometer tuned to the ground state transition of O2 at 118.75 GHz. Do you believe this proves there must be life on other planets?
2 people like this
2 responses
@maucute (979)
• Philippines
28 Mar 07
This is very interesting, I've not heard about this things until I've read this discussion.. So this has been proven that there's really oxygen in space? I'm not sure if I could directly based my decision just on it that there's life on other planets.. There might be a possibility that there is but I need reliable evidence before I decide what to believe.. Thanks this keeps me up to date with the universe.. :)
1 person likes this
@taiguy (478)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Indeed. Minute details can tend to be boring at times, but once you put everything together there can be some very interesting concepts going on.
@maucute (979)
• Philippines
29 Mar 07
I agree, I couldn't say it much better.. :) Sometimes little details can be as good as the bigger picture.. :)
1 person likes this
@stvasile (7306)
• Romania
27 Mar 07
I had no idea they didn't find oxygen out there until recently. Just last week I was looking for a galaxy wallpaper for my desktop and I found a picture where it said what every colour of a nebula represented, and one of those colours was standing for oxygen (which was quite alot!).
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@taiguy (478)
• United States
28 Mar 07
Interesting. I wonder if it was simply a projected theory for nebulas.
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@stvasile (7306)
• Romania
29 Mar 07
No, it was a telescope image, but now that I read your question better, I see you refer to molecular oxygen. I have no information if the oxygen seen in those telescope images was molecular or just atomic oxygen.
1 person likes this