The Stardust Revolution

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The Stardust Revolution Page 37

by Jacob Berkowitz


  Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, 105

  Chandrasekhar, Subrahmanyan, 103

  Charbonneau, David, 254, 297, 300

  chemistry

  chemical reactions, 124

  chemicals in red giant stars, 185

  cosmic, 22, 235–40,

  dawn of, 282–83,

  experiments, 221–23,

  fundamental patterns of chemicals, 295–96,

  life as, 290

  nineteenth-century discoveries, 47–51,

  organic, 116, 235–40,

  in space, 180

  study of life and, 286

  terrestrial, 186–87,

  See also astrochemistry; biochemistry

  Cheung, Al, 174–75, 177

  Chicxulub crater, 233

  Chihuahua, Mexico, 200

  chlorophyll, 189

  CHNOPS (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur), 293

  chondrites, 203

  Chyba, Christopher, 233

  circumbinary planets, 264–65,

  clouds, cold molecular, 222–23, 236–39. See also nebulae

  coal, 48, 77, 215

  coldness in space, 148–49,

  Cold War, 83, 181

  race to the Moon, 131, 134, 268

  spy planes, 197

  spy satellites, 147

  collisions

  cosmic dust, 220

  Earth, 232

  Late Heavy Bombardment, 231–35,

  Columbia University, 171

  comets

  81P/Wild 2 (a.k.a. Wild 2), 26, 196, 224–25, 229

  formation of, 220–21,

  impacts on Earth, 232–33,

  molecular diversity in, 231

  compounds, discovery of, 48

  computer models of stars, 83

  computer science, 269

  Comte, Auguste, 45–46, 55, 59, 199, 305

  connections, 14–15, 308

  constellations

  ancient cultures and, 14, 137

  Cassiopeia, 151, 164

  Cygnus, 273

  Gemini, 62–63,

  Hydrus, 259

  Leo, 178

  Orion, 155, 304

  Contact (Sagan), 161

  Continents of Creation, 150, 153

  Copernican Revolution, 28, 243, 294, 304

  core evolution in stars, 96

  Cornell University, 146, 269

  cosmic delivery of organic material, 233–35,

  cosmic dust

  carbon in, 142–43, 234

  collection of, 195–97,

  collisions of, 220

  discovery of, 139–43,

  distribution in interstellar space, 154–55,

  and evolution, 157

  falling on Earth, 198–99,

  ice on, 179

  infrared astronomy and, 146–49,

  microscopic minerals in, 156–57,

  production in dying stars, 155

  role in origin of life, 157–58,

  See also stardust

  cosmic ecology, 142

  cosmic evolution, 121, 243–44, 278–84, 302–303. See also evolution

  cosmic genealogy, 30

  cosmic microwave background, 103

  cosmic radio waves, 171

  cosmochemistry, 27, 99, 125, 209, 217

  cosmology, 29, 40, 137, 141, 283

  Cosmos (Sagan), 31

  Coulomb barrier, 88

  Course in Positive Philosophy, The (Comte), 45–46,

  Craig Venter Institute, 109

  Crick, Francis, 128, 289

  Crookes, William, 72–76,

  cryovacuum system, 222, 238

  Cullers, Kent, 271

  Curie, Pierre, 78

  CW Leonis (star), 178–79,

  cyanogen, 166

  cyano-octatetra-yne, 186

  cyclotron, 64–65,

  Cygnus (constellation), 273

  Dalgarno, Alex, 279–83, 297

  Dalton, John, 73–74,

  Dark Ages, 282

  Dark Companions of Stars (van de Kamp), 249

  dark matter, 137–40,

  dark-sky preserves, 136

  Darwin, Charles, 104, 116, 292–93,

  Darwinism, 72, 77, 290

  on origin of life, 111

  On the Origin of Species, 42, 49, 110, 113, 117, 278

  See also evolution

  Darwinian Revolution, 28, 294

  Darwin telescope, 298, 302

  De La Rue, Warren, 55

  Delta II rocket, 272

  Demon-Haunted World, The (Sagan), 31

  devolatized solar abundances, 294

  diamonds, 157, 212–13.See also nano-diamonds, stellar

  diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs), 190

  dimethyl sulfide, 302

  dinosaurs, extinction of, 232–33,

  Dirac, Paul, 90–91,

  distances in light-years, 17–18,

  DNA, 13, 128, 189, 226, 229, 287, 289–91, 296

  Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, 249

  Doppler spectroscopy, 246, 249, 257, 259

  Drake, Frank, 164

  Draper, Anna Palmer, 58

  Draper, Henry, 57–58,

  Duquennoy, Antoine, 255

  dust.See cosmic dust; stardust

  Earth

  age of, 77

  atmosphere

  biosignatures, 301

  primordial, 123, 126–30, 291

  birth of, 200–202, 204–205,

  Earthshine, 301

  as exoplanet, 301

  formation of, 208, 219–21,

  historical and cosmic context of, 30

  lifeless period of, 122

  photographs of, 14

  Earth-like planets, 33, 270, 297, 307. See also super-Earths

  Earth-sized exoplanets, 254, 261, 270–76. See also exoplanets

  eclipse, lunar, 129

  ecology, 26–27,

  Eddington, Arthur, 79–81, 90

  E=mc2, 80, 96

  81P/Wild 2 (a.k.a. Wild 2).See Wild 2 (comet)

  Einstein, Albert, 32, 39, 287

  general relativity, 86

  theories, 28–29, 80–81,

  Eisenhower, Dwight D., 132, 181

  “Electrical Disturbances Apparently of Extraterrestrial Origin” (Jansky), 163

  electromagnetic spectrum, 33, 145–46,

  electron microscopes, 197, 219

  electrons, 67, 76, 171, 209, 268, 281–82,

  elements

  abundances of, 84–85, 87, 91–92, 97, 99–100, 143, 293–94,

  atomic weight of, 88

  compounds, formation of, 74

  element 42 (molybdenum), 64

  element 43 (technetium), 59, 63–64,

  identification of, 48–51,

  of life, 119–20,

  light emitted from, 49–52,

  origin of, 64, 67–105, 282–83,

  emission and absorption, law of, 54

  emptiness, interstellar, 141

  energy and wavelengths, 146

  “Energy Production in Stars” (Bethe), 81

  Enrico Fermi Institute, 207

  enzymes, 227, 287

  ethyl alcohol, 187

  Europa, water on, 177

  European Southern Observatory, 258

  European Space Agency, 177, 298, 302

  evolution

  biological, 30

  chemistry and, 287

  continuum of, 292

  cosmic dust and, 157

  and definition of life, 290

  evolutionary genetics, 130

  evolutionary theory, 27, 42, 110–14, 122, 244

  of molecules, 121–24,

  and origins, 12

  terrestrial, debates over, 24–25,

  See also cosmic evolution; Darwin, Charles; origins

  Evolution of the Protoplanetary Cloud and Formation of the Earth and Planets (Safronov), 208

  exobiology, 129–34,

  exoplanets

  abundance of, 257, 259


  alien Earth, search for, 240, 266–76,

  atmospheres, 298–302,

  discovery of, 23–24, 31–32, 243–44, 254–55, 297

  early searches for, 248–56, 269–72,

  exploration of, 256–66, 274–76,

  failed discovery claims, 248–49,

  mass of, 261

  migration towards stars, 263–64,

  names of, 262

  types and frequency of, 261–62,

  “Expanding Universe and the Origin of Elements” (Gamow), 87

  experiments

  Allende meteorite, 212

  astronomy, 46

  carbon formation, 93–94,

  chemistry, 47–48, 238–39,

  cold cosmic chemistry, 221–24,

  on Earth's primordial atmosphere, 126–29,

  life-detection, 288

  Miller-Urey type, 288

  primordial soup, 223

  spontaneous generation of life, 117–18,

  extinction

  definitions of, 26

  of dinosaurs, 232–33,

  of starlight, 140–41, 246

  extraterrestrial life, 31–32, 35, 161, 266–76,

  extreme genealogy, 11–15, 17, 112, 278–79, 284, 307–308,

  Extreme Solar Systems II conference (Jackson Hole, WY), 242, 244, 257, 258, 266, 272, 307

  Fahrenheit temperature scale, 17

  family tree, 12–13, 209, 223, 278–79, 283–84, 308

  fats, 24, 116, 186, 226

  Fermi, Enrico, 125, 129

  FfAME (Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution), 287–88,

  Field, George, 173

  55 Cancri (star), 259

  51 Pegasi b (a.k.a. 51 Peg b) (planet), 31, 243, 255, 262, 272

  flame colors, 48–49,

  force vital, 116–17, 119

  formaldehyde, 187, 225, 238, 283

  Foster, Jodie, 161

  Foundation for Applied Molecular Evolution (FfAME), 287–88,

  Fowler, William, 68–71, 83, 96–97, 104–105, 183

  Nobel Prize in Physics, 68, 102

  photographs of, 70, 97

  work with Fred Hoyle, 68–71, 93

  Fraunhofer, Joseph von, 52–53,

  Fraunhofer lines, 44, 61, 247

  French Academy of Sciences, 117

  Freund, Bob, 161–62,

  Friedmann, Alexander, 86

  Gaia hypothesis, 299

  galaxies, 40, 138–40, 260

  Galileo, 14, 32, 54, 140, 304

  Gamma Cephei (star), 251, 253–54,

  Gamma Cephei b (planet), 254

  gamma rays, 145

  Gamow, George, 86–88, 91–92, 103

  Ganymede, water on, 177

  gases

  biosignatures, 298, 301

  chemical disequilibrium, 299

  greenhouse gases, 147

  identification of, 298

  noble gases, 209

  Gemini (constellation), 62–63,

  genealogy, 11–15, 236

  genetic code, 295.See also DNA

  Geneva Observatory, 242

  geology, 199, 203–205, 208, 231

  germ theory, 118

  glucose, 187

  glycine, 223

  glycoaldehyde, 187

  God, 71–72, 103, 129

  gold (element), 71, 85, 87, 101–102, 281, 304

  Goldilocks zone, 271

  Goldin, Daniel, 23–24,

  Goldschmidt, Victor Moritz, 84–85, 87, 91–92, 99

  grains, cometary, 195–98. See also comets

  graphite, 143, 156, 158, 218, 219

  Grasslands National Park, Canada, 135–37,

  gravity, 72, 77

  gravitational collapse, 282

  gravitational lensing, 264

  instability, 219–20,

  Greenberg, Mayo, 150

  greenhouse gases, 147

  Greenland, 235

  Guanajuato, Mexico, 303

  Guggenheim Fellowship, 96

  habitable zone, 271, 274, 307

  Haeckel, Ernst, 110–11,

  Haldane, John B. S., 129–31,

  Hale, George Ellery, 40–44, 61, 67, 82, 241, 297

  Hale Telescope, 41, 62–63,

  Hamlet Indiana meteorite, 210

  Harkin's rule, 97

  HARPS (High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher), 258, 259, 263, 274

  Harvard College Observatory, 58, 277–78,

  Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA), 254, 277, 279, 284, 297

  Harvard University, 286

  Harwit, Martin, 146–48,

  Hat Creek Radio Observatory, 174–75,

  Haute-Provence Observatory, 255

  Hawking, Stephen, 40

  HD 10180 (star), 259

  HD 46407 (star), 99

  HD Catalogue (Henry Draper Catalogue), 58

  heat-shield technology, 268

  Heidelberg, Germany, 49

  helium

  abundance of, 85, 120

  amounts of, 103

  big bang and, 281–82, 301

  in stars, 101, 184

  stellar fusion and, 81–82,

  Helix Nebula, 185

  Helmholtz, Hermann von, 77

  Henry Draper Catalogue (HD Catalogue), 58

  Herd, Richard, 203

  Herschel, Frederick William, 138, 144–45, 305

  Herschel space telescope, 178

  Herzberg, Gerhard, 166, 247

  Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, 252

  Hey, J. S., 164

  High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), 258, 259, 263, 274

  Hitchcock, Dian, 299

  Hollis, Jan, 162

  Holocaust, 211, 214

  Home Is Where the Wind Blows: Chapters from a Cosmologist's Life (Hoyle), 104

  Hooker, Joseph Dalton, 111

  Hooker telescope, 60, 61

  Hoyle, Fred, 33–35, 69–71, 88–97, 104, 141–43, 158, 173, 183, 280

  Hubble, Edwin, 28–29, 40, 60, 114, 246

  Hubble Deep Field image, 260

  Hubble Space Telescope, 148, 260, 272, 300, 302

  Huggins, William, 56–57, 120

  Hulst, Hendrik van de, 165, 173

  human genome, 293

  Human Genome Project, 110

  humans, elemental composition of, 120

  Huxley, Thomas H., 119

  hydrocarbons, 188–89,

  hydrogen, 81, 82, 101, 119–20, 178–79, 184, 238, 293, 295

  abundance of, 85

  amounts of, 103

  in atmospheres, 123, 126–27, 129

  bombs, 131

  hydrogen cyanide, 187, 222

  molecular, 178–79, 187, 282

  in newborn universe, 280–82,

  Prout's hypothesis, 74

  radio wavelength of, 165

  hydrogen fluoride gas, 247, 251

  hydroxide, 173

  Hydrus (constellation), 259

  ice, 176–80, 222

  Iceland, 47

  identity, 11

  igneous rocks, 203

  I'itoi's Garden, 160

  Inca (Peru), 137

  “In Dust We Trust” (Greenberg), 150

  infrared astronomy

  all-sky infrared survey, 152

  cosmic dust and, 146–53, 156, 198

  discovery of infrared light, 145

  molecules, 235

  red giant stars, 239

  telescopes, 147–49, 152–53, 213, 260

  water, detection of, 176–77,

  Institute of Theoretical Astronomy, 147

  intelligent design, 89, 95, 176

  intergalactic medium, 154, 189

  International Astronomical Union, 41, 59

  International Society for the Study of the Origin of Life, 112

  International Symposium on the Origin of Life on Earth (1957), 125, 130

  interplanetary dust particles, 198

  interstellar dust grains, 179

  interstellar extinction of st
arlight, 140–41, 246

  interstellar space

  molecules in, 180, 237

  planets in, 264

  winds, 154

  IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite), 153

  IRC+10216 (star), 185

  iridium, 233

  iron, 143, 202–203, 306

  iron peak, 92

  in Sun's atmosphere, 54

  iron meteorites, 202–203,

  Irwin, Alan, 253

  isoleucine, 227

  isotopes

  defined, 74–75,

  discovery of, 80

  fingerprints, 209, 216–17, 229

  isotopic signatures, 228

  Ithaca, NY, 269

  Jackson Hole, WY, 242. See also Extreme Solar Systems II conference (Jackson Hole, WY)

  Jackson Lake Lodge, 241

  Jansky, Karl, 163, 171

  Jews, 211

  Joy, Alfred, 60

  Jupiter, 176, 220, 257, 304

  atmosphere, 123

  hot Jupiters, 261–63, 265

  moons of, 54, 177

  radio interference from, 164

  Jupiter-sized exoplanets, 248, 250, 254–56, 261–65, 270, 275, 300

  Kaler, James B., 135

  Kamp, Peter van de, 248–49,

  Karpov Physicochemical Institute, 114

  Keck Telescope, 273

  Kellogg, William K., 67

  Kellogg Radiation Lab, 67–70, 93, 94

  Kelvin, William Thomson, Baron (Lord), 77–79, 119

  Kelvin scale, 17

  Kennedy, John F., 133, 267

  Kepler-10b (planet), 262

  Kepler-11 solar system, 259

  Kepler-16b (planet), 264–65,

  Kepler-22b (planet), 275

  Kepler Object of Interest (KOI), 273

  kerogen, 230

  King, Bert, 201–202, 204

  Kirchhoff, Gustav, 49–55, 61, 247, 298, 300

  Kitt Peak National Observatory, 159–60, 183

  Kitt Peak radio telescope, 22

  KOI (Kepler Object of Interest), 273

  K-T boundary, 198, 233

  Kuhn, Thomas, 33

  Kuiper Belt, 225

  Kwok, Sun, 239

  Land of the Living Sky (a Saskatchewan motto), 136

  lasers, 172

  La Silla Observatory, 258

  Lassen, Mount, 174

  last universal common ancestor (LUCA), 12, 291

  Late Heavy Bombardment, 231–35,

  Latvia, 211

  Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 83

  Lazcano, Antonio, 111–12, 292

  lead sulfide, 147

  Lederberg, Joshua, 129–33, 137

  Lego principle, 296

  Leiden University, 165

  Leighton, Robert, 152

  lenses, 52–53,

  Leo (constellation), 178

  leucine, 227

  Lewis, Roy, 211–12,

  Lick Observatory, 138–39, 272

  life

  alternative forms of, 294–95,

  as cosmic continuum, 292–96,

  definitions of, 284–91,

  eternal, 119

  force vital, 116–17, 119

  love and, 285

  origin of, 109–12, 130, 133, 158, 204, 225, 232–35, 284

  on planets, 240

  questions about, 35

 

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