Thursday 23 August 2012

Hunters Blade – Where Life Begins

Hunters Blade

Orion The Hunter

clip_image001The stars in the magnificent constellation of Orion-The Hunter represent Orion with his two hunting dogs fighting Taurus the Bull. Found on the celestial equator it is visible throughout the world.

The Orion Nebula is known to be one of the most fruitful factories in space.clip_image002 It is found in the second star in Orion’s Belt (a chain of three stars) and is a stellar birthing ground where stars and planets are born from collapsing clouds of gas and dust. It is one of the brightest nebula and also visible to the naked eye in the evenings as a diffuse glow.


clip_image003Via a high definition spectroscope (HIFI) Herschel has identified within the Orion Nebula all the molecules needed for the creation of life – water, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, dimethyl ether, hydrogen cyanide and others.

 

Most are fatal to humans but with the right combination of temperature, and exposure to radiation, these chemical molecules can arrange themselves to form basic amino acids – the building block of life.

How this leads to complex life is still a much debated issue. But complex life cannot exist without amino acids. These are the  clip_image004building blocks of proteins. (Proteins are the active elements of cells.) They aid and control the chemical reactions that make the cells (and therefore life) work.

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Whilst this does not prove the existence of alien life it does prove the universe is ripe with the ingredients needed to build it, given the right combination of circumstances.

 

6 comments:

Snow White The Survival said...

If friends were flowers I would not pick you!
I'll let you grow in the garden & cultivate you with love
and care so I can keep you as a friend 4ever!!
Hugs kisses Snow White

Marty Mars said...

I love orion and it's facinating that i can see him way down here in the south pacific just like you on the other side of the world. Of course he is upside down. The whole constellation seems like a friend to me probably because I've stared and contemplated those stars (little eyes) so many times. All good things to you and your loved ones zia - from aotearoa.
Arohanui
Marty .

Zia Wolf-Sun said...

Thank you Snow White! Hugs :)

Zia Wolf-Sun said...

Thank you for remembering me Marty despite my infrequent visits to blogger! I love the idea that Orion is viewable in this way and it always makes me think there must be zillions of people out there all looking at it at the same time as me...never alone and lonely!If you have a telescope or binoculars there are some awesome sights to be seen beyond the human eye's ability to see. And I think it's little eyes look straight back at us little humans marvelling at it too!

GreatGranny said...

Very enjoyable. I found you on Arlene's blog.

Zia Wolf-Sun said...

Hello GreatGranny :) Lovely to see you here, and thank you for your visit...do come again!