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Thousands of years ago, after the purported big bang had shaken the universe, the helium and the hydrogen present in space combined to form the first molecule -- helium hydride. This molecule, in turn, helped the universe cool down and form stars. This is the theory that scientists across the world have lived by to explain the formation of solar systems, etc. However, despite decades of search, they could not establish it because they could never find a trace of helium hydride in space, until now.
NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) could detect the primordial molecule. It was found in NGC 7027, a planetary nebula located 3,000 light-years away, reported Engadget.com. SOFIA, the world’s largest observatory, flies a Boeing 747 around the planet at 45,000 feet. This helps it capture infrared astronomical observations that are not clouded by the water vapour present in Earth's atmosphere.
This discovery establishes the assumption that helium hydride does exist in space, thereby confirming theories surrounding the chemistry of formation of the universe and its subsequent evolution. It was a joint project between NASA and the German Aerospace Centre. The findings were published this week in the journal “Nature”.
Additionally, the findings also prove the prowess of NASA's latest technology. SOFIA is the world's largest airborne observatory that returns after every flight into the space, thereby allowing NASA to add new tools. The molecule in question has been lurking in the space forever. Since the 1970s, scientists have been trying to fish it out in NGC 7027, where they believed it could exist. Their assumptions proved right after this finding; they were right all along. Only did they not have the right technology at their disposal.
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