![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)
[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 […]
Interstellar
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 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.
![Column density maps of 13CO2, CO and OCN− ice (panel I, II and III, respectively). 12CO2 column densities are derived from 13CO2 column densities. Panel IV shows the ratio between the 4.38 µm and 4.39 µm peak of the 13CO2 ice feature. A higher ratio indicates higher degree of CO2 ice segregation. The axes are shown on astronomical unit scales. Pixelated areas especially in the north and south of the maps as well as the edges are caused by low signal-to-noise levels. -- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Mapping.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Mapping Of Interstellar Ices With JWST In Protostellar Envelopes: Spatial Variations Of 13CO2, 12CO2, CO, OCN− and H2O ice
[astro-ph.SR] The composition of planets and their atmospheres is largely determined by the formation environment of the planet. This environment is pre-determined during early stages when the protostar is still […]
![Absolute CSs for the reaction of P+ with C2H2, measured at ECM = 0.14 eV as a function of the photon energy. Products are detected at m/z 56 (HCCP+, orange triangles) and m/z 55 (CCP+, blue circles). From Ephot ≈23 eV an additional product is observed at m/z 26 (C2H2 +, black squares). The vertical dashed black line indicates Ephot value at which CS trends as a function of ECM have been measured. Grey and red arrows indicate the calculated thermodynamic thresholds for production of P+ in ground and excited states, as detailed in the text.-- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Synthesis.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Synthesis Of Organo-phosphorous Species In Space: The Reaction Of P+ With C2H2
[astro-ph.SR] Despite its low cosmic abundance, phosphorus is a bioessential element whose prebiotic availability and incorporation into biomolecules remain open questions. Only a few phosphorous containing molecules with P to […]
![Schematic representation of the evolution of sulfur in light of our experiments. The diagram provides a conceptual overview of sulfur depletion driven by visual extinction.-- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Thermally.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Thermally Irreversible Sulfur Chemisorption On Silicate Grains As A Major Sulfur Reservoir In Molecular Clouds
[astro-ph.GA] Sulfur (S) chemistry in the interstellar medium remains poorly constrained due to the longstanding “missing sulfur” problem, where a significant fraction of cosmic sulfur in molecular clouds remains unidentified.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Detecting Extragalactic Exoplanets With Fast Radio Burst Nanolensing
[astro-ph.EP] Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are spatially and temporally compact sources at cosmological distances. As background sources, they will be uniquely sensitive to the gravitational lensing of exoplanets outside of […]
![The per-tile processing chain, applied to the Detector-4 tile of Fig. 1. (a) After flag masking and zodiacal-light subtraction, the input to the stellar subtraction. (b) After fitting and subtracting the empirical PSF at every catalogued source above the magnitude limit, with the saturated cores of the brightest stars masked. (c) After the median filter and the Gaussian smoothing to 2.6 ′ , which is what is coadded into the HEALPix maps. All three panels share a single histogram-equalised colour scale. -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/A-Full-Sky.png?resize=1200%2C637&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
A Full-Sky SPHEREx Map of Integrated 3.3 And 3.4 μm PAH Emission
[astro-ph.GA] Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in the interstellar medium and are among its smallest carbonaceous grains.
![Median protoplanetary disk composition predicted by the chemical model at different metallicities [Fe/H]. LEFT: Median overall composition. RIGHT: Median refractory composition. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/On-the.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inInterstellar
On The Compositions Of Interstellar Objects
[astro-ph.EP] As physical samples of distant planetary systems, the compositions of interstellar objects (ISOs) should correlate with the properties of their diverse parent stars.