Astronomy & Telescopes Archives

Drawing of the octagon with the lamps in the rods. At the centre of the octagon is the rotating mirror, which is mounted on the turn-table (yellow). -- astro-ph.IM

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Two Fabry-Perots and Two Calibration Units for CARMENES

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2026June 9, 2026

The wavelength calibration and nightly drift measurements for CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs) are provided by a combination of […]

GREX-PLUS (Galaxy Reionization EXplorer and PLanetary Universe Spectrometer)

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

GREX-PLUS Science Book v2

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2026June 9, 2026

GREX-PLUS (Galaxy Reionization EXplorer and PLanetary Universe Spectrometer) is a mission candidate for a JAXA strategic L-class mission to be launched in the 2030s. Its primary science goals are two-fold: […]

All-sky OVRO–LWA map in J2000 equatorial coordinates, generated from real-time cross-correlation data for a single 10 s integration across the 50–86 MHz band. Right ascension is shown in hours and declination in degrees. The synthesized beam is 549.4" × 453.7" (FWHM) at a position angle of 44.9◦ -- astro-ph.IM

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report

All-Sky Ultra-Narrowband Spectral Imaging with the OVRO-LWA: Technosignature Constraints and Axion-Like Particle Prospects

by Keith CowingJune 8, 2026June 8, 2026

We present an imaging-domain search for technosignatures at decametric wavelengths with the OVRO-LWA, targeting ultra-narrowband continuous-wave signals between 50 and 86 MHz.

Hierarchical clustering of the molecular cores based on the abundance ratios HN13C/HC3N, H13CO+/HC3N, and HC17O+/HC3N. Top panel: dendrogram obtained using Ward’s method. The vertical axis represents the Ward distance, which quantifies the chemical dissimilarity between cores. The horizontal dashed line indicates the adopted linkage-distance cut. The x-axis labels denote the core numbering. Bottom panels: mean abundance ratios of HN13

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

Simple Cyanides and Formylium Ions Isotopologues in Early Star-forming Molecular Cores

by Keith CowingJune 8, 2026June 10, 2026

Understanding the chemistry related to the early stages of star formation is of great importance, as it is linked to the beginnings of the most complex chemistry in the interstellar […]

Planets orbiting M-type stars (Teff < 4000K) are plotted in black on the orbital period–planet radius diagram. TOI-1883 b is highlighted in red.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Press Release

The Mass of TOI-1883 b: A Low Density Super-Neptune In The Ridge Regime Transiting An Early-M dwarf

by Keith CowingJune 8, 2026June 8, 2026

Recent large-scale transit surveys conducted by space telescopes such as Kepler and TESS have revealed a vast number of exoplanets, uncovering the diversity of their population.

Comparison of input SEDs used in this study and molecular photoabsorption cross sections relevant to Archean-analog photochemistry. The horizontal bars indicate the FUV and NUV wavelength intervals used to compute the stellar FUV/NUV ratios in Figures 5 and 7. Top: Top-of-atmosphere (ToA) stellar energy fluxes at TRAPPIST-1 e from 120–350 nm for five SEDs: Peacock+2019 (P19) Median (orange) (S. Peacock et al. 2019), Mega-MUSCLES (W21) Adaptive (yellow), Mega-MUSCLES (W21) SEM (light blue) (D. J. Wilson et al. 2021), a “Revised PHOENIX” model (dark blue) constrained by the HST observations published in D. J. Wilson et al. (2021), and a scaled modern Sun (red) (G. Thuillier et al. 2004). All SEDs are scaled to TRAPPIST-1 e’s ToA irradiance. Bottom: Representative molecular cross sections for CH4 (pink), CO2 (black), H2O (green), O2 (light blue), and O3 (dark blue) are shown, highlighting the wavelength overlap between the cross sections and the stellar UV output. Where both the flux and the cross section are large, photolysis rates increase and influence production and loss pathways throughout the atmosphere. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1

Ultraviolet-Driven Atmospheric Degeneracies Challenge Conventional Biosignature Frameworks for Terrestrial Planets with Ultracool M Dwarf Hosts: An Archean-Analog TRAPPIST-1 e Case Study

by Keith CowingJune 7, 2026June 7, 2026

The ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a host star strongly shapes the atmospheric composition and potential biosignatures of its planets. This relationship may be especially important for the planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, […]

Astronomy & Telescopes, Career Opportunities, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Rocky Worlds DDT Community Involvement Initiative (CII)

by Keith CowingJune 5, 2026June 5, 2026

The Rocky Worlds DDT Core Implementation Team is pleased to announce the launch of a new, community-led effort to enable collaboration and coordination around Rocky Worlds DDT science: the Rocky […]

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

Detection Of A Four-carbon Sugar In Interstellar Space (Erythrulose)

by Keith CowingJune 5, 2026June 5, 2026

Sugars are essential biomolecules, serving as metabolic fuels, nucleic acid backbone components, and structural or energy-storage polymers. A central question in origin-of-life research is how monosaccharides formed on the primitive […]

Panchromatic spectral energy distributions for representative G-type stars in the HWO target sample with existing multiwavelength data. Despite similar stellar types, the high-energy emission varies significantly between stars, reflecting differences in magnetic activity, age, and rotation. A solar spectrum (black) illustrates that even the Sun is not representative of other solar analogs in the high-energy regime. These variations lead to large discrepancies in the radiation environments experienced by orbiting planets, demonstrating that proxy spectra are insufficient and that direct UV observations of each target are required. -- astro-ph.IM

A Critical UV Legacy: A Hubble Roadmap for HWO Science Readiness

by Keith CowingJune 5, 2026June 5, 2026

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will provide the first opportunity to directly image and spectrally characterize terrestrial exoplanets in the habitable zones of nearby stars.

The heatmap shows the practical recovery threshold for the stellar–planetary metallicity correlation: small and moderate surveys lose sensitivity once intrinsic scatter becomes large, whereas Ariel-scale samples maintain high recovery fractions across the tested scatter range. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

HERMES: HiERarchical Modelling for Exoplanet Science

by Keith CowingJune 5, 2026June 5, 2026

ESA’s Ariel Space Mission will characterise the atmospheres of approximately 1000 exoplanets to quantify population-level trends.

Astronomy & Telescopes

Two Fabry-Perots and Two Calibration Units for CARMENES

GREX-PLUS Science Book v2

All-Sky Ultra-Narrowband Spectral Imaging with the OVRO-LWA: Technosignature Constraints and Axion-Like Particle Prospects

Simple Cyanides and Formylium Ions Isotopologues in Early Star-forming Molecular Cores

The Mass of TOI-1883 b: A Low Density Super-Neptune In The Ridge Regime Transiting An Early-M dwarf

Ultraviolet-Driven Atmospheric Degeneracies Challenge Conventional Biosignature Frameworks for Terrestrial Planets with Ultracool M Dwarf Hosts: An Archean-Analog TRAPPIST-1 e Case Study

Rocky Worlds DDT Community Involvement Initiative (CII)

Detection Of A Four-carbon Sugar In Interstellar Space (Erythrulose)

A Critical UV Legacy: A Hubble Roadmap for HWO Science Readiness

HERMES: HiERarchical Modelling for Exoplanet Science

Determining The “Biosignature Threshold” For Life Detection On Biotic, Abiotic, or Prebiotic Worlds.

Icy Ocean Planet Research: NASA ROSES-25 Amendment 71: New Opportunity A.16 Cryosphere

Global Carbon Fixation In Earth’s Subsurface Biosphere

tinyRNA-seq: An Optimized Approach To Sequencing Tiny RNAs And Primitive RNA Genomes

Stellar Flares Rather Than High Tint As Possible Cause For the Missing Methane In Young Exoplanets: The Case Study of V1298-Tau b