The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered C60 molecules in the interstellar medium (Image: GETTY)
The molecules that are shaped liked footballs get their names as they are formed by an arrangement of 60 carbon atoms. The ISM is the collection of gas and dust that separates our Solar System from other star systems. As CNN reports, the elements that form the ISM are crucial in the formation of stars and planetary bodies as they are pulled together to create the new celestial objects.
Martin Cordiner of the Catholic University of America’s Physics Department said: "The diffuse ISM can be considered as the starting point for the chemical processes that ultimately give rise to planets and life, so fully identifying its contents provides information on the ingredients available to create stars and planets."
The molecules form a carbon known as Buckminsterfullerene or Buckyballs.
The name was chosen after American architect Buckminster Fuller, the 60 atoms form a football shape with a carbon atom at each corner of the 20
