Hubble Spots Complex Carbon Compounds, Possibly Organic, on Pluto's Surface
The Hubble Space Telescope has sniffed out evidence of complex carbon molecules, the building blocks of life in this corner of the cosmos, lying on the frozen surface of Pluto. The distant dwarf world is known to harbor methane ice and other frigid compounds, but this is the first time scientists have suggested there could be other complex carbon chemicals, too. Something is absorbing ultraviolet light on Pluto's surface, and it may be organic compounds or some nitrogen-containing material, according to scientists at the Southwest Research Institute. That's organic not as in life, but as in carbon-based compounds that make up the building blocks of life as we know it right now. Related ArticlesHubble Telescope Finds Adorably Tiny Fourth Moon Orbiting PlutoNew Measurements Size Up Distant Dwarf Planet Eris As Pluto's TwinMoon May Beat Pluto as Coldest Place in Solar System TagsScience, Rebecca Boyle, dwarf planets, hubble space telescope, hydrocarbons, nasa,...