The researchers took one suspected chemical, carbon disulfide, and used spectra measured in the laboratory under conditions similar to those in a comet.

The researchers took one suspected chemical, carbon disulfide, and used spectra measured in the laboratory under conditions similar to those in a comet.

They compared this spectrum with that from comet 122P/De Vico to identify carbon disulfide in the comet. The spectrum of this molecule is such that it could not have been detected by other methods.

Speaking at a gathering of planetary scientists in Cambridge, principal investigator, Dr. Mike Ahearn said that the comet is made of unbelievably fragile material.

March 26, 1996 ; What are Comet Tails Made Of? ; Credit: Jim Martin, Huntsville AL, Courtesy "Night of the Comet" (NASA / Ames)

This is an artist's concept of the Stardust spacecraft beginning its flight through gas and dust around comet Wild 2. The white area represents the comet.

Pristine dust from a comet that formed in the icy region beyond Neptune contains material that was once heated to a scorching 1100°C, a preliminary analysis of NASA's Stardust mission reveals.

The researchers took one suspected chemical, carbon disulfide, and used spectra measured in the laboratory under conditions similar to those in a comet.

Comets are small bodies made out of dust and ices ("dirty snowballs"). The term "comet" derives from the Greek aster kometes, which means "long-haired star"---a reference to the tail.

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