Titan faces Saturn in this mosaic image from the Catalan Cine mission.
NASA / JPL-Caltech / Institute of Space Science
Chances are the cyclopropanylidine (a combination of carbon and hydrogen) never appears on your high school chemistry class quiz, but some astronomers have buzzed into that atom since it was found in Saturn’s fascinating moon Titan’s atmosphere.
“Scientists say this simple carbon-based molecule could be a precursor to more complex compounds that could build or feed potential life on Titan,” NASA said in a statement Tuesday.
Titan, Icy moon with methane lakesIs the goal NASA’s next Dragon Fly mission, Which will find signs of past or present life.
A research team led by NASA scientists published its Titan study in the Astronomical Journal this month. The team was thanked for observing the Attackma Large Millimeter / Submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile.
Connor Nixon, a NASA planetary scientist, described the findings as “really unexpected.” This is the first time cyclopropanylidine has been found in an atmosphere where gas and dust clouds are seen in space.
Titan – which scientists suspect is a harbor of underwater seas – may be parallel to ancient Earth. NASA’s Goddard astrobiologist Melissa Trainer said, “We think of Titan as a real-life laboratory where we can see chemistry similar to the ancient Earth when life was captured here.”
Cyclopropanylidine is not evidence of life on Titan, but it has added a new layer of intrigue to the many mysteries surrounding the sleek, jumbo-sized moon.
The Dragonfly, which is essentially a large drone, will be built to land at several locations around Titan. Will have to wait a while for clear answers to what is really going on there. NASA aims to launch 2027 for the mission.
