NASA scientists make an unexpected discovery of a “strange” molecule in Titan’s atmosphere

It’s likely that cyclopropenylidene (a combination of carbon and hydrogen) never appeared in your high school chemistry quizzes, but the molecule has been buzzing some astronomers since it was discovered in the atmosphere of Saturn’s intriguing moon Titan.

“Scientists say this simple carbon-based molecule could be a precursor to more complex compounds that could form or fuel possible life on Titan,” NASA said in a statement Tuesday.

Titan, a cold moon with lakes of methane, is the goal of NASA’s next Dragonfly mission, which will look for signs of past or present life.

A research team led by NASA scientists published their study of Titan in the Astronomical Journal this month. The team made the discovery thanks to observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter / submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile.

NASA planetary scientist Conor Nixon described the findings as “very unexpected”. This is the first time that cyclopropenylidene has been found in an atmosphere, although it has been seen in clouds of gas and dust in space.

Titan – which scientists suspect harbors an underground ocean of water – could be a parallel to ancient Earth. “We think of Titan as a real-life laboratory where we can see chemistry similar to that of ancient Earth when life was taking hold here,” said NASA astrobiologist Goddard Melissa Trainer.

Cyclopropenylidene is not proof of life on Titan, but it adds a new layer of intrigue to the many mysteries surrounding the mesmerizing massive moon.

Dragonfly, which is essentially a large drone, will be designed to land in multiple locations on Titan. We will have to wait a while for clearer answers to what is really happening there. NASA is aiming for a launch in 2027 for the mission.