![Images acquired on 2019 October 4 (left) and 27 (right) with LDT. The top row show stacks of r and CN images, respectively. The bottom row shows the same images enhanced by subtraction of an azimuthal median profile. The enhanced CN images have been smoothed with a Gaussian profile to better reveal the faint underlying structure. A compass indicating north (N), east (E), the anti-sunward direction (−⊙), and the anti-velocity vector (−v) are overlaid on the r panels, while a scale bar showing a distance at the comet of 20,000 km is given on the CN panels (1 arcsec corresponds to 2134 km on October 4 and 1814 km on October 27). All four panels for a given night have the same orientation and physical scale at the comet. The October 4 image is a single frame and shows several artifacts that could not be removed without a median combination include several bright pixels in the CN frame (yellow) and a bad column in all frames (black diagonal line). On October 4, a bright star is seen near the left edge of the r frames and as a diagonal (yellow) line in the upper right in CN. Two faint trailed stars are visible in the r images on October 27. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-Highly.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP]. We report on imaging, spectroscopy, and narrowband photometry of interstellar comet 2I/Borisov obtained at Lowell Observatory from 2019 September 13 to December 16.
Astrogeology
Posted inAstrogeology
Volatile Depletion In Rocky Planets As A Chemical Fingerprint Of Hybrid Accretion
[astro-ph.EP] Volatile depletion in rocky planets relative to their host stars is commonplace in both the Solar System and exoplanetary systems, yet the connections between planet formation and composition remain […]
![Occam’s razor-based deconvolution result of the subset of signals associated with CnHmN parent and fragment species detected by the DFMS on 3 August 2015. The measured signals (measured) are given in arbitrary units (a. u.) with 30 % error margins. The different contributions of the chosen candidate molecules are colour-coded according to their molecular structure – in shades of red and purple for chain-based molecules and in shades of green and blue for cyclic molecules. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Nitrogen.png?resize=1200%2C707&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Nitrogen- And Nitrogen-oxygen-bearing Organic Molecules In Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: An Untargeted Investigation
[astro-ph.EP] Comets provide a unique window into the history of the Solar System as they carry some of the best-preserved material and make it available to in situ exploration.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
An Evolving Cosmic Shoreline and Sandbar Bounding the Rocky Airless Valley
[astro-ph.EP] Recent JWST observations challenge the traditional ‘cosmic shoreline’ from both sides, revealing thick volatile atmospheres on the hottest close-in ‘lava worlds,’ where irradiation should drive the most extreme escape, […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
JWST Reveals A Race Against Time For Forming Planets
[SETI Institute] Planets form from disks of gas and dust around young stars, but the gas needed for growth does not last forever. New observations from NASA’s James Webb Space […]
![An artist’s rendering of “cosmic sandbar” planet TOI-561b orbiting its star, with its atmosphere illuminated. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford [STScI])](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Why-Some.jpg?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inLava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds
Why Some Planets Have Theory-defying Atmospheres
[Stanford University] Stanford researchers have offered a compelling explanation for why some sizzling, lava-covered worlds nestled tightly around their stars can keep hold of their atmospheres. At such close quarters, […]
![Sunburst diagrams describing the evolution of the inner planets (top) and the outer giant planets (bottom) in the DAG simulations. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Effects-of.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Effects Of Outer Giant Planets On In Situ Formation Of Inner Super-Earths
[astro-ph.EP] Recent studies have found an observational correlation between the presence of outer giant planets and inner super-Earths, which implies that outer giants do not suppress the formation of super-Earths.
Posted inMars
Gullies At The Start Of Martian Spring
HiRISE regularly takes repeat images of gullies to look for changes. This site is one of the most frequent monitoring sites, with more than 70 images to date. It is […]
Posted inTricorders & Sensors
New UC Riverside Lab Focuses on Cutting Edge Astrobiology Tools
[UC Riverside] The Planetary Geochemistry and Astrobiology Laboratory is led by Assistant Professor Fabian Klenner, a new faculty member in UCR’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. His research focuses […]
![Upper Panels. Maps of N × ρ for ortho-H2O and para-H2O, the derived OPR, and Trot(H2O) for the 6 µm band measured on February 28. Note that N for each species has been corrected for the derived OPR. Lower Panels. As in the upper panels for the 2.6 µm H2O bands measured on March 1. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/JWST-Spatial.png?resize=1200%2C727&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
JWST Spatial-Spectral Mapping of Green Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF)
[astro-ph.EP] We report a survey of molecular emission from cometary volatiles using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) toward Oort cloud comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) carried out on UT 2023 […]