Cambridge, MA -- Astronomers have mapped out the chemicals inside of planetary nurseries in extraordinary detail. The newly unveiled maps reveal the locations of dozens of molecules within five protoplanetary disks — regions of dust and gas where planets form around young stars.
"These planet-forming disks are teeming with organic molecules, some which are implicated in the origins of life here on Earth," explains Karin Öberg, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian (CfA) who led the map-making project. "This is really exciting; the chemicals in each disk will ultimately affect the type of planets that form — and determine whether or not the planets can host life."
https://www.cfa.harvard.edu/news/planets-form-organic-soups-different-in...