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The Sweet Secrets of Arrokoth’s Red Surface
On New Year’s Day in 2019, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft sent back images of Arrokoth, the farthest object ever explored. This snowman-shaped body in the Kuiper Belt, past Neptune’s orbit, has puzzled scientists with its rusty red surface.
Researchers initially thought that solar and cosmic radiation might be converting ices on Arrokoth into organic molecules that create the red hue. However, a recent lab experiment may have solved the mystery.
Sugar-Rich Surface
Scientists simulated space radiation on a mix of methanol and carbon monoxide, similar to Arrokoth’s composition. After exposure, they found the formation of sugar molecules, including glucose and allose, as well as glycerol.
These sugar compounds, along with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), could explain Arrokoth’s red color when viewed from space. The presence of sugars suggests that worlds like Arrokoth may have delivered essential ingredients for life to Earth.
For more details, you can access the published paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
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