[Science] Nitrogen is one of life’s building blocks, but it’s only helpful in the right amounts. Too much nitrogen in water, for example, can lead to poor water quality and […]
Imaging & Spectroscopy
![First detection of fully deuterated methanol in interstellar space This composite image shows the Perseus molecular cloud, which is located about 1,000 light-years from Earth. A rare form of the organic alcohol methanol has been observed around at least one of the very young stars still embedded within it. This is the first time this molecule has been detected in space, as shared by the ALMA COMPASS Large Program (Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys). Credit: Ekaterina Moerova / MPIfR; Background: NASA, CXC, SSC, NOAO, DSS; and 3D image of methanol fromPubChem [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2004-. PubChem Compound Summary for CID 887, Methanol; [cited 2026 July 16]. -- [NRAO]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Exotic.png?resize=1200%2C724&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Exotic Methanol Discovered In Planet-Building Zones
[NRAO] An international team of astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), of which the U.S. National Science Foundation National Radio Astronomy Observatory is a partner (NSF NRAO), has […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
More Than One Thousand TESS Planets
[NASA Exoplanet Archive] This week’s 70 new planets have unlocked a new exoplanet milestone: 1,000 planets have been discovered with data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)! The new […]
Posted inBrown Dwarfs
First Detection Of Variable Water Clouds Outside Of Our Solar System
[University Of Arizona]. A Jupiter-sized world just 7.5 light-years away is cloudy, chemically complex, and, it turns out, more like home than anyone expected.
Posted inBrown Dwarfs
SPHEREx Telescope Sees Menagerie Of Brown Dwarfs
[NASA] NASA’s SPHEREx (Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer) space telescope is shedding light on brown dwarfs, celestial objects that blur the line […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Complex Organic Molecules In Protostars With ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) VII. First Interstellar Detection Of Fully Deuterated Methanol
[astro-ph.GA] There have been no robust identifications of fully deuterated methanol, CD3OD, in the interstellar medium (ISM) to date.
![The Target Pixel File (TPF) of HS 0209+0832 from the TESS observations in Sector 71. The SPOC pipeline aperture is overplotted with shaded red squares. The position of HS 0209+0832 is demarcated by the number “1” and a white cross. All nearby sources within ∆m = 4 are displayed as red circles, with their size proportional to their brightness relative to HS 0209+0832. Each source is labelled by the rank of their projected distances from HS 0209+0832. The white arrows denote the orientation of the spacecraft during the observations. This figure was created with tpfplotter121 -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Discovery-of-a.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Discovery Of A Second-generation Planet Candidate Accreting Onto A White Dwarf
[astro-ph.EP] Many white dwarfs accrete the debris of disrupted planetary bodies, detected in the form of metal-enrichment in their atmospheres, dusty or gaseous circumstellar discs, and photometric transits from debris.
![1 and 2-planet detectability thresholds for 4 specific configurations of planet mass and period ratios (close to and outside of resonance). The black grid points represent systems where only a single planet is detectable. Grey points show where both planets are detectable. The red line is a power law fit to the upper black contour, parametrising the 2-planet detection threshold. Similarly, the blue line is a power law fit to the lower contour and parametrises the 1-planet detection threshold. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Detecting-multiple.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inGaia Mission
Detecting Multiple Planets In Gaia Data Using Bayesian Model Selection
[astro-ph.EP] Gaia will soon provide a census of cold giant planets. However, an astrometric signal contains the superimposed reflex motion of all companions, so planetary signals cannot be treated individually.
![The fitted source and lens system positions as measured in the HST F606W (V −band; blue) and F814W (I−band; red) data. The contours show the 68%, 95%, and 99% confidence intervals for the V and I data, respectively. The measured V −band and I−band position of the (brighter) source star is nearly identical. We detect a weak (∼1.3σ) color-dependent centroid shift at the location of the lens system. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/First-Direct.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
First Direct Identification Of A Multi-Star Microlens System Hosting A Planet
[astro-ph.EP] Nearly 25 years have passed since gravitational microlensing delivered its first exoplanet discoveries.
Posted inSETI & Technosignatures
The First Decade of Breakthrough Listen
[astro-ph.IM] Breakthrough Listen (BL), launched in July 2015 with a 10-year, $100M commitment from the Breakthrough Prize Foundation, is the most comprehensive search for technosignatures ever conducted.