Harvard astronomers discover new molecule in space

Abstract

A team of scientists from Harvard College Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, has reported discovery of sulfur monoxide molecules in space.The discovery of the molecules, not previously known to exist in interstellar space, is important, the scientists said, because astronomers may be able to make inferences, through complicated theoretical interpretations, about the abundance of oxygen in space and about the processes by which the molecules are formed. A knowledge of these processes is important in understanding the evolution of stars and interstellar gases.