Astronomers Detect Molecular Nitrogen For The First Time Outside Our Solar System

From: Ron (baalke_at_earthlink.net)
Date: 06/09/04 

Date: 9 Jun 2004 16:54:42 -0700

THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
OFFICE OF NEWS AND INFORMATION
901 S. Bond Street, Suite 540
Baltimore, Maryland 21218-3843
Phone: (443) 287-9960 / Fax (443) 287-9920
June 9, 2004

MEDIA CONTACT: Lisa De Nike
Johns Hopkins University
lde@jhu.edu
(443) 287-9906

Nancy Neal
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
(301) 286- 0039

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ASTRONOMERS DETECT MOLECULAR NITROGEN OUTSIDE OUR SOLAR SYSTEM, FOR THE
FIRST TIME

Discovery Promises to Provide Insight into Formation of Planets

Using NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) satellite,
researchers have for the first time detected molecular nitrogen in
interstellar space, giving them their first detailed look into how the
universe's fifth most-abundant element behaves in an environment outside
the Solar System.

This discovery, made by astronomers at The Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, promises to enhance understanding not only of the dense regions
between the stars, but also of the very origins of life on Earth.

"Detecting molecular nitrogen is vital for improved understanding of
interstellar chemistry," said David Knauth, a post-doctoral fellow in the
Physics and Astronomy Department in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences
at Johns Hopkins and first author of a paper in the June 10 issue of
Nature. "And because stars and planets form from the interstellar medium,
this discovery will lead to an improved understanding of their formation,
as well."

Nitrogen is the most prevalent element of Earth's atmosphere. Its molecular
form, known as N2, consists of two combined nitrogen atoms. A team of
researchers led by Knauth and physics and astronomy research scientist and
co-author B-G Andersson continued investigations of N2 that began in the
1970s with the Copernicus satellite. At least 10,000 times more sensitive
than Copernicus, FUSE -- a satellite-telescope designed at and operated by
Johns Hopkins for NASA -- allowed the astronomers to probe the dense
interstellar clouds where molecular nitrogen
was expected to be a dominant player.

"Astronomers have been searching for molecular nitrogen in interstellar
clouds for decades," said George Sonneborn, FUSE project scientist at NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. "Its discovery by FUSE will
greatly improve our knowledge of molecular chemistry in space."

The astronomers faced several challenges along the way, including the fact
that they were peering through dusty, dense interstellar clouds that
blocked a substantial amount of the star's light. In addition, the
researchers confronted a classic Catch-22: Only the brightest stars emitted
enough of a signal to allow FUSE to detect molecular nitrogen's presence,
but many of those stars were so bright they threatened to damage the
satellite's exquisitely-sensitive detectors.

HD 124314, a moderately reddened star in the southern constellation of
Centaurus, ended up being the first sight line where researchers could
verify molecular nitrogen's presence. This discovery is an important step
in the complicated process of ascertaining how much molecular nitrogen
exists in the interstellar medium and how its presence varies in different
environments.

"For nitrogen, most models say that a major part of the element should be
in the form of N2, but as we had not been able to measure this molecule,
it's been very hard to test whether those models and theories are right or
not. The big deal here is that now we have a way to test and constrain
those models," Andersson said.

Launched on June 24, 1999, FUSE seeks to understand several fundamental
questions about the Universe. What were the conditions shortly after the
Big Bang? What are the properties of interstellar gas clouds that form
stars and planetary systems? How are the chemical elements made and
dispersed throughout our galaxy?

FUSE is a NASA Explorer mission. Goddard manages the Explorers Program for
the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. For
more on the FUSE mission, go to the Web site at: http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu.

        ###

Relevant Pages

  • Venerable Ultraviolet Satellite Returns to Operations (Forwarded)
    ... its aging onboard software control system rejuvenated ... comparable to earlier in the mission, ... at Johns Hopkins and FUSE's chief of observatory operations. ... FUSE was launched in June 1999. ...
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