Only Your Astrophysicist Knows for Sure

Is the universe planning to turn blonde?

The Rho Ophiuchi star formation region

Using a telescope perched high in the Chilean Andes, an international team of astronomers discovered molecules of hydrogen peroxide, the chemical that bleaches hair, in a dense cloud of gas and dust near the star Rho Ophiuchi some 400 light-years distant.  


This find is more than an amusing curiosity. Hydrogen peroxide is formed when two hydrogen atoms link up with two oxygen atoms (H₂O₂), a pair of elements critical for life. Moreover, take just one oxygen out of hydrogen peroxide and you get water (H₂O). So, further study of this molecule's chemistry out in deep space may help astronomers better understand the formation of water in the universe.  
Image Credit: ESO/S. Guisard