Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.2301c&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #23.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.520
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Simple carbon-bearing molecules in the solid state have been known as ices on the surfaces of small bodies in the Solar System since the detection of methane on Pluto. The inventory of these ices continues to grow with improving detection capabilities and the discovery of more objects. The detection and characterization of macromolecular carbon structures on solid bodies (and in atmospheric hazes) is difficult because their spectral features are usually less well defined than those of individual molecules, and because they are often quite opaque. However, their widespread presence is generally acknowledged because macromolecular carbon (or more simply, organic solid matter) occurs in carbonaceous meteorites, interplanetary dust particles, and particles of cometary origin. From an observational viewpoint, although discrete spectral features of organic solids seen in diffusely scattered sunlight from a Solar System body are lacking, such materials tend to impart a color to the surface on which they are present. Although colors vary widely, it is generally agreed that the reddest surfaces (e.g., those of some Kuiper Belt Objects and some Centaurs and comets) are colored by organic solids. Early laboratory work on the synthesis of organic solids by energy deposition in gas and ice mixtures (mostly related to Titan) showed that the production of highly colored solids is straightforward, but that the chemical analysis of the material is not. In addition to recent detections of specific classes of complex hydrocarbons on the satellites of Jupiter and Saturn, more recent laboratory work has begun to illuminate the entire subject of complex organic solids, their origins in the pre-solar cloud, the solar nebula, and on planetary bodies which are currently chemically active. This work underscores the point that together with rock, metal, and ice, organic solids are an essential component of bodies in the Solar System.
No associations
LandOfFree
Complex Organic Material on Small Bodies of the Solar System does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Complex Organic Material on Small Bodies of the Solar System, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Complex Organic Material on Small Bodies of the Solar System will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-999384