CHEMISTRY IN SPACE

INDIAN_ARMY19890

CHEMISTRY IN SPACE

There is a universe of chemistry to study. This is an area near the star Eta Carina.

Like we always say... Matter is everywhere. So wherever matter is changing, chemistry won't be far behind! It's here on Earth, on the Moon, on Mars... Anywhere! While you, the chemist, sit here on Earth you don't have to study the chemistry of Earth. You could work with astronomers and geologists to study the chemistry of other planets and stars.

You would not just study the surface of other planets. There are as many things to study on each planet we discover as there are on Earth. Examples...
- Chemistry of atmospheres.
- Chemistry and elemental makeup of stars.
- Chemistry and elemental makeup of asteroids (those are easier to study because they come close to Earth).
- Anything that might be on another body in the universe.

A GOOD EXAMPLE FROM MARS

For thousands of years Mars has looked red when you view it from Earth. That's simple enough. But why? One day we sent a probe to Mars that took a close-up look at the rocks and dust that cover the planet. They figured out from samples that the rocks and dust have a high level of Iron (Fe). When the iron (Fe) oxidizes with any trace oxygen (O) in the atmosphere, it turns red. Voila! You know the chemistry of Martian rocks. Recently, scientists have determined that water once existed on Mars. They had to actually get on the surface and study the rocks and elements found on the Martian surface. When you are in the area you are studying, it is called in situ investigation. When you observe from a distance, you are studying remotely.

It wasn't only a chemist who figured this out. Chemists usually work with astronomers, astrophysicists, and geologists when studying other planets. They all work together as a team and explore using probes and satellites.

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IN SPACE

We have always had a tough time with organic chemistry. If you're thinking you can escape the clutches of organic chemistry in space, you're wrong. Astronomers at NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have recently detected organic molecules in very young galaxies. They found "polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons" which are ringed molecules made of hydrogen (H) and carbon (C) in various configurations.

How'd they do it? They used an instrument called an infrared spectrometer to split up the infrared light that Spitzer detects. When they split up the light, they found peaks in specific wavelengths that told them organic molecules were present. Peaks at specific wavelengths act like fingerprints and tell scientists the type of molecules present. The most amazing fact (it's amazing to us) is that they were studying galaxies that were 10 billion light years away.

Community Contributions - Articles by goIITians

CHEMISTRY IN SPACE

A GOOD EXAMPLE FROM MARS

ORGANIC CHEMISTRY IN SPACE