Astronomers find cyanide gas in interstellar object 2I/Borisov

phys.org ^ | 10/07/2019 | Mat Williams

[BenLurkin]

C/2019 Q4 (Borisov) this summer provided renewed opportunities to study material left by outgassing. Using data gathered by the William Herschel Telescope (WHT), an international team of astronomers found that 2I/Borisov contains cyanide.

Since comets and asteroids are essentially material left over from the formation of a planetary system, these studies will allow scientists to place constraints on the physical and chemical processes involved in the formation of extrasolar planets. Basically, it's like being able to study extrasolar planets without having to go there physically. Prof. Fitzsimmons told Universe Today, materials from other planetary systems, delivered to our doorstep—or at least to our own solar system. The physical nature gives us clues as to how other planetary systems evolve, and the types of small bodies that may exist there. Measuring their composition allows us to compare what we find with decades of studies of comets and asteroids orbiting the sun."

Fitzsimmons and his colleagues used the 4.2-meter WHT and the Intermediate-dispersion Spectrograph and Imaging System (ISIS) located at the ESO's La Palma Observatory to observe the comet. What they observed was a thin cloud that showed a strong signal from cyanogen gas (CN) – in other words, a toxic vapor that indicated the presence of cyanide.

But before anyone gets to thinking that this could pose a danger to life on Earth, a few caveats are necessary. For starters, based on 2I/Borisov's trajectory, the comet will pass beyond the orbit of Mars. By December 8th, 2019, it will make its closest approach to the sun, reaching under 2 AU in distance (or twice the distance between the sun and Earth).

This means that Earth has no chance of passing through the comet's tail, and therefore will not be getting any cyanide gas in its atmosphere.

[BuffaloJack]

My favorite cyanide example is Nitrile or Buna-N rubber, originally called polycyanide rubber, but quickly changed by marketing to something else.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks fieldmarshaldj for the ping, BenLurkin for the topic.

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