The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will soon leave our solar system, never to return, but the observations of the comet will live on in NASA’s public data archives. More than a […]
Comets and Asteroids
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Observations Of Exocomets
Active small bodies in extrasolar systems, the extrasolar analogues of Solar System comets, provide insights into the orbital evolution and physical processes shaping planetary systems.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
How Juice Came To Observe Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
No matter how much planning goes into space missions, one must always expect the unexpected. But luck favours the prepared. In July 2025, an unexpected visitor entered our Solar System, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Unique Water Release Mechanism Uncovered In Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
A research team from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has conducted high-sensitivity radio observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using the Tianma Telescope, […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report
Narrowband Radio Technosignature Search Toward 3I/ATLAS With FAST
3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed interstellar object passing through the Solar System. In this work, we conduct narrowband radio technosignature search toward 3I/ATLAS using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) […]
![Eimission spectra of 3I/ATLAS taken with BFOSC and YFOSC. For clarity, the full spectral range is divided into three panels with different vertical offsets to emphasize specific features. The left panel highlights emission lines of Ni i (blue dashed lines) and Fe i (red dashed lines), and the CN violet band (blue shaded). The middle panel shows molecular bands of C3 (green shaded), CH (orange shaded), and C2 (red shaded), and lists the heliocentric distance for each spectrum. The right panel displays the [O i] λλ6300, 6364 doublet (green dashed lines). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Postperihelion-Coma-Composition.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Post-perihelion Coma Composition Of The Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS From Optical Spectroscopy
We present multi-epoch optical spectroscopy of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS obtained from December 2025 to January 2026 (heliocentric distances 1.8 to 3.3 au). From these spectra, we derive post-perihelion production […]
![[L] Close-up of a sample particle from asteroid Bennu. Credit NASA/Scott Eckley [R] The same particle analyzed with X-ray computed tomography scanning. This specimen shows the most common types of crack networks observed in Bennu samples. One has an extensive and connect framework of curved cracks, whereas the other has sparse, straight and flat fractures. Credit NASA/Scott Eckley](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Asteroid-Bennus-rugged-surface.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Sample Return
Asteroid Bennu’s Rugged Surface Baffled NASA. We Finally Know Why
In one of the biggest surprises of NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission, its target asteroid, Bennu, turned out to be a jagged, rugged world covered in large boulders, with few of the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Astrochemistry Opportunity: Hubble Unexpectedly Catches Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) Breaking Up
Comet K1, whose full name is Comet C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) – not to be confused with interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS – was not the original target of a recent Hubble study. […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
High Nitrogen And Carbon Isotopic Ratios In The Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Interstellar objects provide a unique opportunity to further our understanding of the planetary formation process by studying in detail material formed around another star. Their ices contain precious clues about […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Isotopic Evidence For A Cold And Distant Origin Of The Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
Interstellar objects provide the only directly observable samples of icy planetesimals formed around other stars, and can therefore provide insight into the diversity of physical and chemical conditions occurring during […]