NASA Reveals Key to Unlock Mysterious Red Glow in Space

NASA scientists created a unique collection of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) spectra to interpret mysterious emission from space.

Above image combines visible-infrared Spitzer Space Telescope images of the galaxy Messier-82. The red streaming away from the galaxy into intergalactic space traces the infrared emission from PAHs.

Above image is an interstellar nebula, showing the emission from PAHs in red, some PAH molecular structures and the interstellar PAH infrared signature.

nasa.gov