An international team of astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a variety of molecules, ranging from relatively simple ones like methane to complex compounds like acetic […]
Interstellar
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Formation Of Glyceric Acid – An Important Component Of Life – In Space
A critical molecule for the metabolism of living organisms has been synthesized for the first time by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa researchers at low temperatures (10 K) on ice […]
Posted inInterstellar, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report
Interstellar Mission Update: NASA Makes Progress Toward Understanding Voyager 1 Issue
Since November 2023, NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has been sending a steady radio signal to Earth, but the signal does not contain usable data.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Interstellar, Status Report
H2CO And CS In Diffuse Clouds: Excitation And Abundance
To provide constraints on the chemical processes responsible for the observed columns of organic species, we used NOEMA to observe the sight line toward NRAO150 in the 2mm spectral window.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Photocleavage Of Aliphatic C–C Bonds In The Interstellar Medium
Ultraviolet (UV) processing in the insterstellar medium (ISM) induces the dehydrogenation of hydrocarbons. Aliphatics, including alkanes, are present in different interstellar environments, being prevalently formed in evolved stars; thus, the […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Interstellar, Status Report
Free-Floating Planets, Survivor Planets, Captured Planets and Binary Planets from Stellar Flybys
In star clusters, close stellar encounters can strongly impact the architecture of a planetary system or even destroy it.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Infrared Emission of Specific Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules: Cyanonaphthalenes
The unidentified infrared emission (UIE) features at 3.3, 6.2, 7.7, 8.6, 11.3 and 12.7 micron are ubiquitously seen in a wide variety of astrophysical regions and commonly attributed to polycyclic […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Interstellar Signal Linked To Aliens Was Actually Just A Truck
Sound waves thought to be from a 2014 meteor fireball north of Papua New Guinea were almost certainly vibrations from a truck rumbling along a nearby road, new Johns Hopkins […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Interstellar, Status Report
Fractionation In Young Cores: Direct Determinations Of Nitrogen And Carbon Fractionation In HCN
We aim to determine the 14N/15N and 12C/13C ratios for HCN in six starless and prestellar cores and compare the results between the direct method using radiative transfer modeling and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Elemental Abundances In The Diffuse ISM From Joint FUV and X-ray Spectroscopy: Iron, Oxygen, Carbon and Sulfur
In this study, we investigate interstellar absorption lines along the line of sight toward the galactic low-mass X-ray binary Cygnus X-2. We combine absorption line data obtained from high-resolution X-ray […]