This is the first installment of a new post series where we'll explore some of the craziest things in the universe, big and small. So come along, curious reader, let's learn something new!
Comets. Beautiful icy rocks flying through space, littering the solar system with particles that melt away as they fling around the sun. The "tail" of a comet is formed when water ice and other materials are heated as it flies closer to the sun. One comet in particular, Comet Lovejoy, was discovered to be ejecting numerous organic molecules. Among them, ethyl alcohol! The very same type of alcohol we silly humans drink to ward off normalcy...
In October of 2015, an international team of scientists observed the comet at its closest approach to the sun using spectroscopy, put very simply, a method of measuring the frequencies of light bouncing off molecules to determine their composition. The team found 21 different organic compounds in the gases being ejected, also including glycolaldehyde, a simple sugar.
The findings give credence to the theory that comets could have offered us all the necessary building blocks for life in earth's history, during a time known as the Late Heavy Bombardment.
This isn't the first time we've found alcohol in space, though. Back in 1995, scientists discovered a cloud of alcohol around 1000 times larger than our solar system! This cloud contains mostly methyl alcohol, which isn't suitable for drinking, but there is some delicious ethyl mixed in.
So the next time you have a drink, make a toast to Lovejoy, the drunkest comet we've ever seen.
