[Nature Communications Chemistry] Oxygen-bearing organic molecules, including aldehydes, alcohols, and peroxides, serve as key precursors to complex organics in extraterrestrial environments. Their non-equilibrium formation mechanisms critically constrain the molecular complexity […]
Imaging & Spectroscopy
![Relative emissivity spectrum of 2P/Encke’s nucleus obtained by the COMICS observations, in comparison with that of 460P/PanSTARRS (T. Ootsubo et al. 2021). The spectrum of 460P/PanSTARRS (in grey) is shifted by 0.1 for the readability. The grey hatched area is the wavelength region influenced by the telluric ozone absorption. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Photometric.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Photometric and Spectroscopic Observations of Comet 2P/Encke’s Nucleus in the Mid-Infrared Wavelength Region
[astro-ph.EP] We observed comet 2P/Encke with the Cooled Mid-Infrared Camera and Spectrometer (COMICS) on the Subaru telescope on UT 2003 November 12.3, when the comet was at heliocentric and geocentric […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
A New Method Maps An Exoplanet’s True Shape
[Cornell] Mathematical models have necessarily reduced distant exoplanets to idealized circles – until now.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Wavefront-Conditioned Photon Measurements for Exoplanet Spectroscopy: Contrast Limits and Conditional Gains
[astro-ph.IM]. A wavefront-sensor (WFS) prediction can select the photon measurement before detection or condition its likelihood afterward.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Ring Pattern Reveal The Mechanism By Which Unseen Planets And Dust Particles Gather On Their Own
[Kyushu University] Planetary systems like our solar system are born within a disk of gas and dust (protoplanetary disk) surrounding a newly formed star. Observations with the ALMA telescope have […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Capture of Interstellar Planetesimals in Protoplanetary Discs in Binary Star Systems
[astro-ph.EP] Planet formation requires growth over 12 orders of magnitude in size, from micron-sized dust grains to fully formed planets.
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: Preview: Fall 2026 Lake Untersee Field Season
Keith’s note: Dale Andersen is preparing for his second expedition to Lake Untersee, Antarctica for 2026. The first 2026 Field season at Lake Untersee was conducted from January – March […]
![Radiogenic dose and the benefit of drilling. (a) GCR dose versus depth for constant-depth and steadily exhuming horizons, compared with the depth-independent radiogenic dose. Shading spans the radiogenic dose of the baseline composition at 3 Ga (0.9 MGy) and that of the regional GRS abundances at 3.9 Ga (5.6 MGy). Where a curve crosses the radiogenic level, the two doses are equal. (b) Total-dose reduction at 100–101 and 199–200 cm versus exposure age; dashed lines are the GCR-only shielding factors. Dotted lines mark effective ages for 10 and 100 nm yr−1 exhumation. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Radiation.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inMars
Radiation Limits On Amino Acid Preservation And Chiral Measurement At Oxia Planum
[astro-ph.EP] Amino acid enantiomeric excess (EE) is a potential biosignature, but its measurement requires sufficient surviving material as well as preserved chirality.
Posted inAstrochemistry
Infrared Spectroscopy Of Cyanonaphthalenes Under Interstellar Relevant Conditions And Their Potential Connection With Astronomical Aromatic Infrared Bands
[Astronomy & Astrophysics] Context. Aromatic infrared bands (AIBs) are widely observed in diverse astrophysical environments and are generally attributed to vibrational emission from polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The recent interstellar […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Trailblazing Technique Uncovers The Real Shape Of Scorching-hot Exoplanet Atmospheres
[University of Bristol] Until now the alien white-hot worlds of exoplanets have been depicted as circular, but new research has revealed the true shape of their atmospheres to be a […]