Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2022

36 MAY-JUNE 2022 ASTRO PUBLISHING U sing the Atacama Large Mil- limeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers at Leiden Observatory in the Nether- lands have for the first time de- tected dimethyl ether in a planet-forming disc. With nine atoms, this is the largest molecule identified in such a disc to date. It is also a precursor of larger organic molecules that can lead to the emer- gence of life. “From these results, we can learn more about the origin of life on our planet and therefore get a better idea of the potential for life in other planetary systems. It is very exciting to see how these find- ings fit into the bigger picture,” says Nashanty Brunken, a Master’s stu- dent at Leiden Observatory, part of Leiden University, and lead author of the study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics . Dimethyl ether is an organic mole- cule commonly seen in star-forming clouds, but had never before been found in a planet-forming disc. The researchers also made a tentative detection of methyl formate, a com- plex molecule similar to dimethyl ether that is also a building block for even larger organic molecules. Largest molecule yet in a planet-forming disc discovered by ESO - Bárbara Ferreira