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Letters to Nature
Nature 270, 701-703 (22 December 1977) | doi:10.1038/270701a0; Accepted 13 October 1977
Origin and nature of carbonaceous material in the galaxy
F. HOYLE* & N. C. WICKRAMASINGHE
- Department of Applied Mathematics and Astronomy, University College, P.O. Box 78, Cardiff, UK
- *Honorary Professorial Fellow. Present address: Cockley Moor, Dockray, Penrith, Cumbria.
Abstract
ASTRONOMERS generally believe that the carbonaceous material emerging from stars must be in the form of graphite, the most stable condensed form of carbon, and that such emergence must be confined to situations where the C/O ratio exceeds unity, such as in the atmospheres of carbon stars. We argue here that this state of affairs remains valid for mass flows from stars of sufficiently low surface temperatures, but it is not correct for low density flows from stars with colour temperatures 
4,000 K (or for oscillatory stars with colour temperatures that go above 4,000 K for a portion of their cycle). In the latter case we show that carbonaceous material comprised mainly of polysaccharides will be able to condense.
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