![Schematic of the experimental chamber setup. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Laboratory.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.IM] Complex organic molecules are widely detected in star-forming regions and are important precursors to prebiotic species. Because these molecules are thought to form primarily within icy grain mantles, their […]
Astrochemistry
Posted inLava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds
Thermal Evolution of Lava Planets Across System Ages: Predictions for Hell of a Survey
[astro-ph.EP] Ultra-short-period (USP) rocky exoplanets can have dayside temperatures high enough to maintain permanent magma oceans, sitting at the intersection of interior geophysics and atmospheric chemistry. Coupled feedbacks between the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Thioacetaldehyde (CH3CHS) On Interstellar Ices: A Key Molecule To Unravel Two Chemical Dichotomies In The ISM
[astro-ph.GA] Thioacetaldehyde (CH3CHS), recently detected in TMC-1, has an abundance approximately 36 times lower than its oxygen analog, acetaldehyde (CH3CHO). This makes the CH3CHS/CH3CHO pair the one with the largest […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Interstellar Disparity: N- vs O-bearing Molecules: A Multidisciplinary Perspective across Interstellar Environments
[astro-ph.GA] Observations of O- and N-bearing molecules reveal systematic chemical differentiation across a wide range of interstellar environments.
![Schematic representation of the chemical concept explored in this work. (A) Ethanolamine (EtA, NH2CH2CH2OH), methanol (CH3OH), and water (H2O) are subjected to electron irradiation, illustrating the starting molecular components and the formation of an unresolved product inventory after energetic processing. The question mark denotes the chemically diverse products investigated by FTIR, TPD-QMS, and ESI-MS. (B) Structure of the choline cation, [(CH3)3NCH2CH2OH]+ , included as a structurally related reference for assessing methylated EtA-derived and/or choline-like spectral features. -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Electron.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Electron Irradiation And Temperature-programmed Desorption Of Layered Ethanolamine-water-methanol Ices
[astro-ph.GA]. Ethanolamine (EtA) is a recently detected interstellar complex organic molecule and a potential precursor to more functionalised N-bearing species.
![Surviving CH4 fraction as a function of depth below the surface and effective GCR exposure time. The colour scale gives the CH4 abundance relative to its initial value, while the dashed contours indicate 90%, 50%, and 10% remaining CH4. Vertical dashed lines mark the 3σ viable GCR exposure range of 0.87 - 3.12 Gyr. Increasing GCR exposure progressively extends CH4 depletion to greater depths while more deeply shielded layers retain a larger fraction of their primordial CH4. --[astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Delayed.png?resize=1200%2C713&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Delayed Methane Detection in 3I/ATLAS: GCR-Driven Subsurface Stratification and Interstellar Exposure Age Constraints
[astro-ph.EP] Interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS shows unusual volatile activity, including strong H2O, CO, and CO2 production and a delayed post-perihelion detection of CH4.
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Multiband Color Monitoring of 3I/ATLAS Through Ground-Based Relay Observations
[astro-ph.EP] We present multiband, long-baseline photometric observations of interstellar comet 3I throughout its 2025–2026 apparition using coordinated ground-based global relay observations.
![Comparison of isovalent species including sulfinothioic acid (1a, HSS(O)H) and recently detected hydrogen trioxide (trans‐/cis‐HOOOH). The calculated geometries of 1a were completed at the CCSD(T)‐F12/cc‐pVTZ‐F12 level of theory. This geometry is compared with calculated geometries of hydrogen trioxide from Bai et al. [17]. -- Agendwante Chemie via PubMed](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Interstellar-Ice.jpg?resize=1200%2C722&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Interstellar Ice Chemistry Yields Elusive Sulfinothioic Acid (HS(O)SH)
[Agendwante Chemie via PubMed]. Low-oxidation-state sulfur oxyacids are key yet experimentally elusive intermediates in interstellar sulfur chemistry; even the simplest member, sulfinothioic acid (HS(O)SH), has neither been detected in space […]
Posted inMoon
South Pole-Aitken Basin Sample Return And eXploration (SPARX) Science Definition Team Report
[astro-ph.IM] Sample return from South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) on the Moon has been recognized as the highest priority lunar science mission for well over two decades, appearing as a recommended […]
![Ratio maps involving the PAH7.7 feature and the F1500W synthetic photometry applied to the MRS cubes for ASPECS galaxies. The first row of panels shows the maps of the total PAH7.7 feature to the synthetic F1500W photometry. Ratios above 1 are possible because the wings of the PAH feature extend well beyond the filter (see text for details and Donnan et al. 2026b). The second row of panels is the fraction of PAH7.7 feature within the F1500W filter to the synthetic F1500W photometry. The third row of panels is the same as the second but for the fraction of continuum emission within the F1500W to the synthetic F1500W photometry -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/PAHSPECS.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
PAHSPECS: JWST/MIRI Spectroscopy Of PAHs at Cosmic Noon
[astro-ph.GA] The physical conditions of the interstellar medium (ISM) are thought to differ greatly at high redshifts compared to local galaxies. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are key ISM constituents, mediating […]