While looking through a developing star called L1544, a team of astronomers found methanimine, an organic molecule scattered throughout the clump of gas. This organic molecule was found in regions of the developing star such as its pre-stellar core.
A Star Developing With Basic Ingredients For Life
The developing star L1544 is found within the Taurus Molecular Cloud and is located about 554 light-years away from Earth. This developing star, which is currently a gas cloud, has the potential of becoming a fully functioning star with a system of planets.
Hidden within this cloud is an organic compound called methanimine, which was recently discovered by a team of astronomers. Yuxin Lin was a part of the team that discovered this organic compound within this developing star.
This isn’t the first time that astronomers have discovered methanimine in space, but finding it in the pre-stellar core of a developing star is interesting. It means that once fully developed, the star, along with its system of planets, might have basic building blocks to form some sort of organic life.
Unlike other clouds within the Taurus Molecular Cloud that are collapsing under their own gravity, L1544 seems calmer. Methanimine seems to be forming in the midst of other materials at the warmer edges of L1544 before slowly falling into the cloud’s cold, dense centre.
These falling materials towards L1544’s centre distribute methanimine across the developing star’s pre-stellar core. As materials constantly fall into the centre, methanimine will be supplied to the core with some remaining on the cloud’s outer part, which might become a planetary disk after collapse.
What Is Methanimine?
Methanimine is a simple, unstable imine (an organic compound that contains the group –C=NH). Its chemical compound is CH2NH and is considered to be the simplest imine.
Breaking its molecules down will provide carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, key ingredients in the formation of life. Its existence in the pre-stellar core of L1544 signals that the developing star might be able to support life once fully formed.
