The Special Issue of Geosciences entitled “Worlds of the Solar System: Geological Evolution and Habitability of Planets and Moons” aims to bring together the latest advances on the dynamic processes […]
Titan
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
Using SOFIA’s EXES To Search For C6H2 And C4N2 in Titan’s Atmosphere
In Titan’s atmosphere, the chemistry of small hydrocarbons and nitriles represent an important link from molecular species to the ubiquitous organic haze that gives Titan its characteristic yellow color.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
Zonal Winds In Titan’s Middle Atmosphere From A Stellar Occultation Observed With Keck Adaptive Optics
We present spatially resolved Keck/NIRC2 images of a stellar occultation by Titan on September 5, 2022 and compare them to predictions from concurrent ALMA observations and a suite of General […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
The Photochemical Plausibility of Warm Exo-Titans Orbiting M-Dwarf Stars
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has begun to spectrally characterize small exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars, but interpretation of these spectra is ambiguous, with stellar, instrumental, or atmospheric origins possible […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Status Report, Titan
Modeling Low-Temperature Plasmas Simulating Titan’s Atmosphere
In the study presented here, we model the gas phase chemistry induced by plasma discharge at low temperature (150 K) in the NASA Ames COSmIC Simulation Chamber (COSmIC) using a […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
NASA OIG Report: NASA’s Management Of The Dragonfly Project
Dragonfly, a rotorcraft lander that will fly like a large drone, is designed to gather samples from Saturn’s moon Titan, characterize Titan’s habitability, and look for precursors of the origin […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dragonfly Astrobiology Mission Progresses Through Key Development And Test Activities
NASA’s Dragonfly mission has cleared several key design, development and testing milestones and remains on track toward launch in July 2028.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
Identification of Likely Methane Absorption Features in the Optical Spectra of Titan
The optical spectra of Titan reveal a rich set of absorption features, most of which are likely associated with methane (CH4).
![[LEFT] Titan [RIGHT] Uranus -- NASA.gov](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Photochemical-Haze-Formation.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan, Uranus
Photochemical Haze Formation on Titan and Uranus: A Comparative Review
The formation and evolution of haze layers in planetary atmospheres play a critical role in shaping their chemical composition, radiative balance, and optical properties.
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Extinction events, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Impacts on Ocean Worlds Are Sufficiently Frequent and Energetic to Be of Astrobiological Importance
Evidence for the beneficial role of impacts in the creation of urable or habitable environments on Earth prompts the question of whether meteorite impacts could play a similar role at […]