![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)
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 […]
Comets and Asteroids
![[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 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release
All DNA/RNA Nucleobases Are Found On Asteroid Ryugu
Samples from the asteroid Ryugu collected and returned to Earth by the Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission contain all five nitrogenous bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil—that make up nucleic acids, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Observed from Mars by China’s Tianwen-1 Spacecraft
China’s Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter successfully imaged the third interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, during its close encounter with Mars using the onboard HiRIC CMOS camera. This is China’s first deep-space observation of […]
![[Top] The boulder-covered moon Dimorphos as seen 8.55 seconds before the impact of the DART space craft. [Bottom] The same image after correcting for lighting conditions across the surface and shadows cast by boulders, revealing a fan-shaped pattern of streaks (highlighted in color for emphasis). Credit: NASA/JHU-APL/UMD.](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/New-NASA-DART-Mission-Data.png?resize=1200%2C722&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Panspermia, Press Release, Sample Return
New NASA DART Mission Data Reveals that Asteroids Throw ‘Cosmic Snowballs’ at Each Other
About 15% of asteroids near Earth have small moons orbiting them, making binary asteroid systems common in our cosmic neighborhood.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Direct View of the Chemical Properties of Water from Another Planetary System: Water D/H in 3I/ATLAS
All detected water reservoirs in the solar system exhibit a deuterium enrichment that links back to the physical environment at the time of stellar birth.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Hydration Features on Near-Earth Objects: Integrating New Data with Prior Results
Near-Earth objects (NEOs) are excellent laboratories for testing processes that affect airless bodies, as well as informing us about solar system history.