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First Complex Sulfur Molecule Discovered 27,000 Light-Years Away

1/26/2026

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Summary

Story summary

The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and the Centro de Astrobiología detected the sulfur-bearing molecule 2,5-cyclohexadiene-1-thione (C6H6S) in the molecular cloud G+0.693–0.027, about 27,000 light-years from Earth.
The molecule is a 13-atom compound with a six-membered ring and is the first complex sulfur compound found in space.
The findings were published in Nature Astronomy and link interstellar clouds to the early solar system, informing understanding of life's building blocks.

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Story summary

The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and the Centro de Astrobiología detected the sulfur-bearing molecule 2,5-cyclohexadiene-1-thione (C6H6S) in the molecular cloud G+0.693–0.027, about 27,000 light-years from Earth.
The molecule is a 13-atom compound with a six-membered ring and is the first complex sulfur compound found in space.
The findings were published in Nature Astronomy and link interstellar clouds to the early solar system, informing understanding of life's building blocks.