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| ©John Debes |
| Red and near infrared wavelengths from the dust disk surrounding the star HR 4796A (masked in false-color image to make fainter disk visible) suggest the presence of complex organic molecules. The inner "hole" of the ring-shaped disk is big enough to fit our entire solar system and may have been swept clean of dust by orbiting planets. |
Astronomers at the Carnegie Institution have found the first indications of highly complex organic molecules in the disk of red dust surrounding a distant star. The eight-million-year-old star, known as HR 4796A, is inferred to be in the late stages of planet formation, suggesting that the basic building blocks of life may be common in planetary systems.
Comment: Let's do something fun. Here's a true/false question.
Are cell phones...
1. Harmful to children
2. Sources of traffic delays
3. Causes of traffic accidents
4. Not really necessary since we've managed without them for ages
5. A reason to put up a cellular infrastructure for potentially nefarious uses
The answer will be revealed when your children get older.