Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Letter
  • Published:

Spectroscopic evidence for interstellar ices in comet Hyakutake

Nature volume 383, pages 418–420 (1996)Cite this article

Abstract

VOLATILE compounds in comets are the most pristine materials surviving from the time of formation of the Solar System, and thus potentially provide information about conditions that prevailed in the primitive solar nebula1–3. Moreover, comets may have supplied a substantial fraction of the volatiles on the terrestrial planets, perhaps including organic compounds that played a role in the origin of life on Earth4–6. Here we report the detection of hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) in comet Hyakutake. The abundance of HNC relative to hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is very similar to that observed in quiescent interstellar molecular clouds, and quite different from the equilibrium ratio expected in the outermost solar nebula, where comets are thought to form. Such a departure from equilibrium has long been considered a hallmark of gas-phase chemical processing in the interstellar medium7, suggesting that interstellar gases have been incorporated into the comet's nucleus, perhaps as ices frozen onto interstellar grains. If this interpretation is correct, our results should provide constraints on the temperature of the solar nebula, and the subsequent chemical processes that occurred in the region where comets formed.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Crovisier, J. in Asteroids, Comets, Meteors 1993 (eds Milani, A. et al.) 313–326 (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1994).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  2. Mumma, M. J., Weissman, P. R. & Stern, S. A. in Protostars and Planets III (eds Levy, E. H. & Lunine, J. I.) 1177–1252 (Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Greenberg, J. M. & Shalabiea, O. M. in Asteroids, Comets, Meteors 1993 (eds Milani, A., Di Martino, M. & Cellino, A.) 327–342 (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1994).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  4. Delsemme, A. H. in Fronteirs of Life (eds Tran Thanh Van, J. et al.) 105–118 (Frontières, Paris, 1991).

    Google Scholar 

  5. Owen, T. & Bar-Nun, A. Icarus 116, 215–226 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Greenberg, J. M. & Mendoza-Gomez, C. X. Adv. Space Res. 12, 169–180 (1992).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Watson, W. D. in Interstellar Molecules (ed. Andrew, B. H.) 341–353 (Reidel, Dodrecht, 1980).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  8. Matthews, H. E. et al. IAU Circ. 6353 (1996).

  9. Goldsmith, P. F., Langer, W. D., Ellder, J., Irvine, W. M. & Kollberg, E. Astrophys. J. 249, 524–531 (1981).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Goldsmith, P. F., Irvine, W. M., Hjalmarson, Å. & Ellder, J. Astrophys. J. 310, 383–391 (1986).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Bockelee-Morvan, D. et al. Astron. Astrophys 141, 411–418 (1984).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Irvine, W. M., Goldsmith, P. F. & Hjalmarson, Å. in Interstellar Processes (eds Hollenbach, D. J. & Thronson, H. A.) 561–609 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Swade, D. A., Schloerb, F. P., Irvine, W. M. & Kinzel, W. M. in Cometary Radio Astronomy (eds Irvine, W. M., Schloerb, F. P. & Tacconi-Garman, L. E.) 79–83 (NRAO workshop no. 17, Green Bank, WV, USA, 1987).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Brown, R. D. Nature 270, 39–41 (1977).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Schilke, P. et al. Astron. Astrophys. 256, 595–612 (1992).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Irvine, W. M., Schloerb, F. P., Hjalmarson, Å. & Herbst, E. in Protostars and Planets II (eds Black, D. C. & Matthews, M. S.) 579–620 (Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Pineau des Forets, G., Roueff, E. & Flower, D. R. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 244, 668–674 (1990).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Bergin, E. A., Snell, R. L. & Goldsmith, P. F. Astrophys. J. 460, 343–358 (1996).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Brown, P. D., Charnley, S. B. & Millar, T. J. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 231, 409–417 (1988).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Greenberg, J. M. in The Chemistry of Life's Origins (eds Greenberg, J. M. et al.) 195–208 (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1993).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Lacy, J. H. et al. Astrophys. J. 276, 533–543 (1984).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Larson, H. P., Davis, D. S., Black, J. H. & Fink, U. Astrophys. J. 299, 873–880 (1985).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Milligan, D. E. & Jacox, M. E. J. Chem. Phys. 47, 278–285 (1967).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Bernstein, M. P., Sandford, S. A., Allamandola, L. J., Chang, S. & Scharberg, M. A. Astrophys. J. 454, 327–344 (1995).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Fegley, B. & Prinn, R. in The Formation and Evolution of Planetary Systems (eds Weaver, H. A. & Danly, L.) 171–195 (Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  26. Cronin, J. R. & Chang, S. in The Chemistry of Life's Origins (eds Greenberg, J. M. et al.) 209–258 (Kiuwer, Dordrecht, 1993).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  27. Crovisier, J. Astron. Astrophys. 130, 361–372 (1984).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  28. Huebner, W. F., Boice, D. C., Schmidt, H. U. & Wegman, R. in Comets in the Post-Halley Era (eds Newburn, R. L., Neugebauer, M. & Rahe, J.) 907–936 (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1991).

    Google Scholar 

  29. Brown, R. D., Burden, F. R. & Cuno, A. Astrophys. J. 347, 855–858 (1989).

    Article  ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Herzberg, G. in Electronic Spectra and Electronic Structure of Polyatomic Molecules 494 (Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1966).

    Google Scholar 

  31. Irvine, W. M. & Knacke, R. F. in Origin and Evolution of Planetary Atmospheres (eds Atreya, S. K., Pollack, J. B. & Matthews, M. S.) 3–34 (Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  32. Eberhardt, P., Reber, M., Krankowsky, D. & Hodges, R. R. Astron. Astrophys. 302, 301–318 (1995).

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  33. Lis, D. et al. IAU Circ. 6362 (1996).

  34. Mumma, M. et al. IAU Circ. 6366 (1996).

  35. Crovisier, J. Astron. Astrophys. suppl. 68, 223–258 (1987).

    ADS  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Dominique Bockelee-Morvan, Nicolas Biver, Jacques Crovisier, Daniel Gautier and Heike Rauer: Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, F-92195 Meudon Principal Cedex, France

  2. Peter D. Godfrey: Chemistry Department, Monash University, Clayton 3168, Australia

  3. Tobias C. Owen and Matthew Senay: Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA

  4. Dariusz C. Lis, Jocelyn Keene, Thomas G. Phillips and Kenneth Young: California Institute of Technology, Downs Laboratory of Physics 320-47, Pasadena, California 91125, USA

  5. Henry E. Matthews: Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A OR6 Canada

  6. Henry E. Matthews, John K. Davies and William R. F. Dent: Joint Astronomy Centre, 660 N. A'ohoku Place, University Park, Hilo, Hawaii 96720, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Five College Radio Astronomy Observatory, 619 LGRC, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, 01003, USA

    William M. Irvine, Dominique Bockelee-Morvan, Dariusz C. Lis, Henry E. Matthews, Nicolas Biver, Jacques Crovisier, John K. Davies, William R. F. Dent, Daniel Gautier, Peter D. Godfrey, Jocelyn Keene, Amy J. Lovell, Tobias C. Owen, Thomas G. Phillips, Heike Rauer, F. Peter Schloerb, Matthew Senay & Kenneth Young

Authors
  1. William M. Irvine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dominique Bockelee-Morvan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dariusz C. Lis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Henry E. Matthews
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nicolas Biver
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jacques Crovisier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. John K. Davies
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. William R. F. Dent
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Daniel Gautier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Peter D. Godfrey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Jocelyn Keene
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  12. Amy J. Lovell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  13. Tobias C. Owen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  14. Thomas G. Phillips
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  15. Heike Rauer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  16. F. Peter Schloerb
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  17. Matthew Senay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  18. Kenneth Young
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Irvine, W., Bockelee-Morvan, D., Lis, D. et al. Spectroscopic evidence for interstellar ices in comet Hyakutake. Nature 383, 418–420 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/383418a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/383418a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing