Oxygen finally spotted in space
 

One of astronomy's longest-running "missing persons" investigations has concluded: astronomers have found molecular oxygen in space.

While single atoms of oxygen have been found alone or incorporated into other molecules, the oxygen molecule - the one we breathe - had never been seen.

The Herschel space telescope spotted the molecules in a star-forming region in the constellation of Orion.

The find will be published in the Astrophysical Journal.

Oxygen is the third most abundant element in the cosmos, after hydrogen and helium. Its molecular form, with two atoms joined by a double bond, makes life on Earth possible - but this form had never definitively been seen in space.

A 2007 effort from the Swedish Odin telescope, published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, claimed a discovery of oxygen in a nearby star-forming region, but the discovery could not be independently confirmed.

One possible location for the missing oxygen is locked onto dust grains and incorporated into water ice.

The team chose a star-forming region in the constellation Orion, believing that oxygen would be "baked off" from the ice and dust in a warmer, more turbulent part of space.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14372708

Note: 2 August 2011 Last updated at 14:53 GMT

Hoorah, now we can finnaly breathe in space :DL:woot:

Well, they should funnel some of that oxygen down here to Earth!
It seems that there are a few people's brains short of oxygen. And you know what that means!
Person exhibits signs of stupidity!

I'z no stupid, I'z kno' I cant's breath in space. I can choke on one of those meteorite things :DL

http://blastr.com/assets_c/2010/03/A...x330-35435.jpg

If you can draw breath, they can hear you scream. Not that there was any lack of screaming at the time.

That's great news but pointless. We never going to reach the nearest star outside our system until we find a shortcut like a stargate :DL or wormhole even then we would have to figure out a way how to survive the wormhole travel. Traveling at the speed of light is out of the question. A wormhole is more realistic. I reckon even if Aliens exist they have found a wormhole close to earth and know how to travel through it.

A great discovery,now maybe ETs DID in fact come from Orion a long time ago...pyramids anyone? (only having fun) ;)
Only thing we need to discover next is greenhouse gases and fumes from machinery in deep space,and BINGO! hehehe

Thanks for the info.

Good news for oxygen thieves then.

Copyright by my SS mate Chis

That idea may not sound as far-fetched in the near future Jim,I wouldnt put anything beyond some sadistic greedy corporations,even to the extent of taxing the very air we breathe!. I have visions of a sort of Mad Max/Bladerunner/1984 type of world in the next few decades,may be sooner.I mean,the direction the governments are taking us all seems to indicate this will be an almost certainty.

I'm not sure you understood my post fully Paul :03:

Probably not knowing me :cry:
hmm,oxygen thieves eh?,must get my thinking cap on.

Am I getting warmer? :hmmm:

http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...oxygen%20thief

So this would adequately describe people that do nothing but ramble all the time (usually about garbage that doesnt benefit society in any way other than to irritate/and or inflame) ,consuming vital oxygen in the process? conversations about UFOs usually do the trick :03:

http://i983.photobucket.com/albums/a...ubsim/Grey.jpg

Maybe you've had the opportunity to see a "UFO", and therefore knows something we do not know, :03:

I do believe Jim is talking about a certain witty remark I seem to recall posted
long ago in a forum far far away. :hmmm:

Oxygen Thieves eh? :hmmm::hmmm::hmmm:

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/5...ballslarge.jpg