Infrared observations of the inner disks around very low-mass stars (VLMS, <0.3M⊙) have revealed a carbon-rich gas composition in the terrestrial planet-forming regions. Contrary to the typically water-rich T Tauri […]
Brown Dwarfs
![JWST-MIRI MRS spectrum of the young J0438 disk (black). The spectrum is dominated by amorphous silicate absorption and emission bands typical of a highly inclined disk configuration. A very weak CO2 ice absorption feature is tentatively detected (see Appendix A, Fig. 8) along with inner disk gas reservoir (Table 3) composed by molecular hydrogen (H2), water (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen cyanide (HCN), acetylene (C2H2) and the singly ionized cations of argon and neon ([Ar+], [Ne+]; for zoom-ins see Appendices B and C). The comparison between the JWST-MIRI and the Spitzer -IRS low- (SL, LL) and high- (SH) resolution spectra reveal continuum and line variability (grey and teal). The Spitzer -IRS spectra were taken from CASSIS (Lebouteiller et al. 2011, 2015) and Pascucci et al. (2013). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/MINDS-Anatomy-of-a-water-rich.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Brown Dwarfs, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
MINDS. Anatomy Of A Water-rich, Inclined, Brown Dwarf Disk: Lack Of Abundant Hydrocarbons
2MASS J04381486+2611399 (or J0438) is one of the few young brown dwarfs (BD) with a highly inclined (i∼70∘) disk.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Free-floating Planetary Mass Objects In LDN 1495 From Euclid Early Release Observations
Context. Substellar objects, including brown dwarfs and free-floating planetary-mass objects, are a significant product of star formation.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Interstellar, Press Release
New Study Reveals How Rogue Planetary-mass Objects Form In Young Star Clusters
A groundbreaking study published in Science Advances sheds new light on the mysterious origins of free-floating planetary-mass objects (PMOs)—celestial bodies with masses between stars and planets.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Brown Dwarfs, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
HD 163296 And Its Giant Planets: Creation Of Exo-comets, Interstellar Objects And Transport Of Volatile Material
The birth of giant planets in protoplanetary disks is known to alter the structure and evolution of the disk environment, but most of our knowledge focuses on its effects on […]
Posted inBrown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Free-floating Planetary Mass Objects In LDN 1495 From Euclid Early Release Observations
Context. Substellar objects, including brown dwarfs and free-floating planetary-mass objects, are a significant product of star formation. Their sensitivity to initial conditions and early dynamical evolution makes them especially valuable […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Diversity of Cold Worlds: A Blended-light Binary Straddling The T/Y Transition In Brown Dwarfs
We present the first brown dwarf spectral binary characterized with JWST: WISE J014656.66+423410.0, the coldest blended-light brown dwarf binary straddling the T/Y transition.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Webb Exposes Complex Atmosphere of Free-Floating Super-Jupiter SIMP 0136
An international team of researchers has discovered that previously observed variations in brightness of a free-floating planetary-mass object known as SIMP 0136 must be the result of a complex combination […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
HCN And C2H2 In The Atmosphere Of A T8.5+T9 Brown Dwarf binary
T-type brown dwarfs present an opportunity to explore atmospheres teeming with molecules such as H2O, CH4 and NH3, which exhibit a wealth of absorption features in the mid-infrared. With JWST, […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Science Fiction, Status Report, Stellar Cartography, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Architecture Classification For Extrasolar Planetary Systems
This paper presents a classification framework for the architectures of planetary systems based on a complete survey of the confirmed exoplanet population.