Missing Space Sulphur: Have Chemists Solved the Mystery?

Missing space sulphur: have chemists solved the mystery?

The cold dusty clouds from which stars form in the Carina Nebula. Credit: ESO/APEX/T. Preibisch et al. (Submillimetre); N. Smith, University of Minnesota/NOAO/AURA/NSF (Optical) Sulphur is the 10th most abundant element in our solar system and the local interstellar medium. But when astronomers turn their high-powered telescopes to the molecular clouds and star-forming regions of the wider cosmos, they find gaseous sulphur strangely lacking. “If…

Chemists Solve the Mystery of Missing Space Sulfur

For decades, astrochemists have been looking for sulfur atoms in space and finding surprisingly little of the element.

Cosmic mystery solved with discovery of sulfur by University of Mississippi scientist - SuperTalk Mississippi

Astrochemists have long been grappling with a cosmic conundrum. Sulfur, a vital building block for life, appears to be in the wrong place in space. But now, a new study suggests we might know where it’s hiding.  Considered a vital chemical element for planets, stars, and life, the lack of molecular sulfur has been a mystery for years. An international research team, including University of Mississippi astrochemist Ryan Fortenberry, University of…