March 8th, 2021
NASA/SOFIA/Lynette Cook
NASA's airborne telescope has made another major discovery just months after it confirmed the presence of water on the Moon's sunlit surfaces. SOFIA's latest find relates to the essence left by an icy comet that zipped past Earth in 2016 from its origins on the outskirts of our solar system. Using one of its infrared instruments, the telescope was able to detect carbon — a key ingredient of life — in the dusty glow of Comet Catalina's tail.
The celestial visitor, which was briefly visible to stargazers before it slingshot past the Sun and out of view, is now helping scientists to unlock the mysteries of our own origins. NASA says comets like it could have delivered carbon to planets during the early formation of our solar system, when the Earth may have struggled to capture enough of the life-giving element on its own due to the carbon-depleting effects of primordial heat.