SETI public: FW: Spitzer Finds Life Components in Young Universe

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>From: "NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory" <info_at_jpl.nasa.gov>
>Reply-To: <info_at_jpl.nasa.gov>
>Subject: Spitzer Finds Life Components in Young Universe
>Date: Thu, 28 Jul 2005 14:25:45 -0700
>
>MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
>JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
>CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
>NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
>PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
>http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
>
>Gay Yee Hill (818) 354-0344
>Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
>
>News Release: 2005-123 July 28, 2005
>
>Spitzer Finds Life Components in Young Universe
>
>NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found the ingredients for life all the
>way back to a time
>when the universe was a mere youngster.
>
>Using Spitzer, scientists have detected organic molecules in galaxies when
>our universe was one-
>fourth of its current age of about 14 billion years. These large molecules,
>known as polycyclic
>aromatic hydrocarbons, are comprised of carbon and hydrogen. The molecules
>are considered to
>be among the building blocks of life.
>
>These complex molecules are very common on Earth. They form any time
>carbon-based
>materials are not burned completely. They can be found in sooty exhaust
>from cars and airplanes,
>and in charcoal broiled hamburgers and burnt toast.
>
>The molecules, pervasive in galaxies like our own Milky Way, play a
>significant role in star and
>planet formation. Spitzer is the first telescope to see these molecules so
>far back in time.
>
>"This is 10 billion years further back in time than we've seen them
>before," said Dr. Lin Yan of
>the Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology in
>Pasadena, Calif. Yan is
>lead author of a study to be published in the August 10 issue of the
>Astrophysical Journal.
>Previous missions -- the Infrared Astronomical Satellite and the Infrared
>Space Observatory --
>detected these types of galaxies and molecules much closer to our own Milky
>Way galaxy.
>Spitzer's sensitivity is 100 times greater than these previous infrared
>telescope missions, enabling
>direct detection of organics so far away.
>
>Since Earth is approximately four-and-a-half billion years old, these
>organic materials existed in
>the universe well before our planet and solar system were formed and may
>have even been the
>seeds of our solar system.
>
>Spitzer found the organic compounds in galaxies where intense star
>formation had taken place
>over a short period of time. These "flash in the pan" starburst galaxies
>are nearly invisible in
>optical images because they are very far away and contain large quantities
>of light-absorbing
>dust. But the same dust glows brightly in infrared light and is easily
>spotted by Spitzer.
>
>Spitzer's infrared spectrometer split the galaxies' infrared light into
>distinct features that revealed
>the presence of organic components. These organic features gave scientists
>a milepost to gauge
>the distance of these galaxies. This is the first time scientists have been
>able to measure a
>distance as great as 10-billion light years away using the spectral
>fingerprints of polycyclic
>aromatic hydrocarbons.
>
>"These complex compounds tell us that by the time we see these galaxies,
>several generations of
>stars have already been formed," said Dr. George Helou of the Spitzer
>Science Center, a co-
>author of the study. "Planets and life had very early opportunities to
>emerge in the universe."
>
>Other co-authors include Ranga-Ram Chary, Lee Armus, Harry Tepliz, David
>Frayer, Dario
>Fadda, Jason Surace, and Philip Choi, all of the Spitzer Science Center.
>
>The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission
>for NASA's
>Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted
>at the Spitzer
>Science Center at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. Spitzer's infrared
>spectrograph was
>built by Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y. Its development was led by Dr.
>Jim Houck of Cornell.
>
>The Infrared Astronomical Satellite was a joint scientific project
>sponsored by the United States,
>the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The Infrared Space Observatory was
>a European
>Space Agency mission with Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical
>Science and NASA.
>
>For information on the Spitzer Space Telescope visit:
>http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/Media .
>
>For more information on NASA missions and programs visit: www.nasa.gov .
>
>-end-
>
>

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