Results tagged “chirality”

A new study is helping to answer a longstanding question that has recently moved to the forefront of earth science: Did our planet make its own water through geologic processes, or did water come to us via icy comets from the far reaches of the solar system?

A research team with Jungmi Kwon (GUAS/NAOJ) has performed deep imaging linear and circular polarimetry (Note 1) of the 'Cat's Paw Nebula' (NGC 6334) (Note 2) located in the constellation Scorpius, successfully detecting high degrees of circular polarization (CP) of as much as 22% in NGC 6334. The detected CP degree is the highest ever observed.