A Comet with Alcohol and Sugar

Astronomers have reported the discovery of a comet that contains alcohol and sugar. A comet is a cosmic ball made up of frozen gases, rock, and dust. According to the Daily Mirror, astronomers have been continuously monitoring comet C/2014 Q2 since January 30 of this year when it reached its closest point to the sun. Scientists have now announced that this comet contains significant amounts of ethanol and glycolaldehyde (a type of simple sugar). The Science News website states that this is the first time such a complex chemical structure has been discovered in a comet. Astronomers used a radio telescope at the Sierra Nevada Observatory in Spain to observe this comet. Ethanol and glycolaldehyde had previously only been found near young stars. The discovery of these molecules in a comet could indicate that they date back to the early years of the sun's formation. Comet C/2014 Q2, also known as 'Lovejoy,' is one of the most active comets discovered since the Hale-Bopp comet in 1997. Nicolas Biver, an astronomer at the Paris Observatory, is one of the authors of a paper regarding this comet published in the scientific journal 'Science Advances.' He stated, 'We have discovered that this comet releases at least the equivalent of 500 bottles of wine worth of alcohol every second during its peak activity.' Of the 21 molecules discovered in this comet, only ethanol and glycolaldehyde were new, while the remaining molecules, such as carbon monoxide, had been observed in other comets. Comet C/2014 Q2 orbits the sun once every 11,000 years; this comet was also visible to the naked eye in January 2015.