GBT Finds Benzonitrile in the Taurus Molecular Cloud 1

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nrao_Gallery_nrao17cb32  

Credit: B. McGuire, B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Astronomers using the Green Bank Telescope have made the first definitive interstellar detection of benzonitrile, an intriguing organic molecule that helps to chemically link simple carbon-based molecules and truly massive ones known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This discovery is a vital clue in a 30-year-old mystery: identifying the source of a faint infrared glow that permeates the Milky Way and other galaxies. The science team, led by chemist Brett McGuire at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, Virginia, detected this molecules telltale radio signature coming from a nearby star-forming nebula known as the Taurus Molecular Cloud 1, which is about 430 light-years from Earth.

Provider: National Radio Astronomy Observatory

Image Source: https://public.nrao.edu/news/2018-gbt-chemistry/

Curator: NRAO/AUI/NSF, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

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Image Details

Image Type
Collage
Object Name
Taurus Molecular Cloud 1 TMC-1
Subject - Milky Way
Nebula > Type > Star Formation

Distance

Universescale1
430 light years
Nrao_gallery_nrao17cb32_1280
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ID
Gallery_nrao17cb32
Subject Category
B.4.1.2  
Subject Name
Taurus Molecular Cloud 1, TMC-1
Credits
B. McGuire, B. Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)
Release Date
Lightyears
430
Redshift
430
Reference Url
https://public.nrao.edu/news/2018-gbt-chemistry/
Type
Collage
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
NRAO/AUI/NSF
URL
https://public.nrao.edu
Name
NRAO/AUI/NSF
Email
outreach@nrao.edu
Telephone
Address
520 Edgemont Road
City
Charlottesville
State/Province
Virginia
Publisher
NRAO/AUI/NSF
Publisher ID
nrao
Resource ID
Metadata Date
2018-05-21T12:13:18-04:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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Universescalefull
430 light years

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