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29
Fri, Mar

Breathable Oxygen Found In Another Galaxy For The First Time

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Extragalactic Molecules Oxygen have been detected by a scientist in a galaxy half-billion light-years away, making it the first time oxygen has been spotted outside the Milky Way galaxy.

 

A team of scientist led by Junzhi Wang, an astronomer at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory made the discovery, saying the oxygen was spotted in a galaxy called Markarian 231, located 581 million light-years from Milky Way.

According to Vice, the team of astronomers made the detection using the IRAM 30-meter telescope with ground-based radio observatories in Spain and the NEOMA interferometer in France indicated the emission of the molecular oxygen.

Markarian 231 was first discovered in 1969 and for decades scientist's curiosity has been driven by quasar it contains, as it is the closest galaxy that contains the energetic galactic object.

Despite the presence of molecular oxygen, humans or living things cannot just inhale it as it does not contain the right amount of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, among other molecules that make the breathable oxygen on Earth.

The team said the study shows about 100 times more oxygen in Markarian 231 than previous oxygen detections within Milky Way, most of which have been blown away by the dazzling galaxy's quasar.

With these new findings, scientists can discover the role it plays in the planetary system as well as the stellar and galactic development.

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