![Moment 0 maps of the transitions of CH3OH at 282213.3 MHz (Eup = 341 K, Aij = 9 × 10−7 s−1) and 281000.1 MHz (Eup = 191 K, Aij = 4 × 10−5 s−1), 13CH3OH at 283207.3 MHz (two transitions with Eup = 95 and 110 K, Aij = 7 × 10−5 s−1), CH18 3 OH at 309979.3 MHz (Eup = 77 K, Aij = 3 × 10−4 s−1 ), CH3OD at 291412.8 MHz (Eup = 161 K, Aij = 1 × 10−4 s−1 ), CH2DOH at 279335.7 MHz (Eup = 132 K, Aij = 3 × 10−5 s−1 ), CHD2OH at 296460.6 MHz (Eup = 108 K, Aij = 7 × 10−5 s−1 ), and CD3OH at 305957.8 MHz (Eup = 163 K, Aij = 2 × 10−4 s−1 ). The integration was done between -9 and 0 km s−1. The continuum peak (C) and the blueshifted (B) and the redshifted (R) positions are indicated with crosses. The directions of the blueshifted and redshifted outflows are indicated with cyan and orange arrows, respectively. The 0,0 position is the continuum peak position. [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/complex.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.GA]. [Abridged] Methanol is a complex organic molecule detected in both ice and gas toward star-forming regions. Due to its high abundance, its rarer isotopologues, including the deuterated ones, are […]
ALMA
Posted inAstrochemistry
Complex Organic Molecules In Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS) VIII. First Interstellar Detection Of Fully Deuterated Methyl Cyanide
[astro-ph.GA] Deuteration is a powerful metric to gain insight into the formation pathways of interstellar molecules in star forming regions.
Posted inUncategorized
Complex Organic Molecules in Protostars with ALMA Spectral Surveys (COMPASS): I. Overview of the ALMA Large Program
[astro-ph.GA] It remains a fundamental research question in astrochemistry to characterize the inventory of complex organic molecules formed during the early stages of star formation, which may affect the eventual […]
![CPD continuum flux densities at 345 GHz for different planet masses and separations. The dots mark the solar system gas giants, the directly imaged planets in PDS 70 and WISPIT 2, and candidate protoplanets in disc gaps. For comparison, the distribution of fully formed gas giants is shown (top panel). The white curves display sensitivity limits. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Planet-formation.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Planet Formation On Solar System Scales
[astro-ph.IM] Giant planets are often regarded as primordial protoplanetary “architects”. Their formation and interactions with planetesimals and other planets during and after the protoplanetary disc phase are key to setting […]
![Current ALMA can detect the rich chemistry within the snowline around higher-mass stars, with an example spectrum shown in the top panel. For Sun-like stars, mapping across the CO snowline only ( > ∼ 10 au) is currently possible, which corresponds to the giant planet formation zone. The step changes in spatial resolution and sensitivity provided by ALMA2040 will allow us to detect and map the composition of terrestrial-planet-building material around Sun-like stars. Data from Qi et al. (2013), Andrews et al. (2016), and Booth et al. (2024a). -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Chemistry-on.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Chemistry On Solar System Scales
[astro-ph.IM]. The initial chemical composition of planets, primitive bodies in our solar system, and exoplanets is ultimately set by their nascent protoplanetary disks.
![(Left) The N2H +/HCN ratio toward the central region of M83 shown in the color scale. The black contours show 3-mm continuum intensities with 0.5 mJy beam−1 increments. The beam size is shown at the bottom left corner. (Right) The same figure as Figure 2(a), but including data points from the galactic center region. The grey dashed lines have slopes of 1, and show the lines of constant N2H +/HCN ratios. -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/ALMA-observations.png?resize=1200%2C722&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
ALMA Observations Towards M83 Reveal N2H+ Tracing Dense Gas
[astro-ph.GA] Galactic observations have shown that N2H+ intensities preferentially trace star-forming dense molecular gas compared with HCN or HCO+, which are conventionally used as dense-gas tracers in extragalactic studies.
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 […]
![Full JWST spectrum of HOPS-68. We indicate the molecular absorption bands of oxygen-bearing molecules as studied in this work (SiO, H2O, CO2 and CO) and of carbon-bearing molecules as studied in paper B, as well as the most notable ice and silicate absorption features. Not indicated are 13CCH2, CS, and CH4 in the 7.3-7.8 µm region, and CH3, C4H2 and C6H2 around ∼ 16 µm, which will all be studied in paper B. Some prominent H2 emission lines are highlighted with a black arrow. HOPS-68 is not detected in continuum at wavelengths lower than 2.2 µm. The inset shows a zoom-in to the 7.8-8.6 µm region, which highlights the detection of SiO. -- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/A-breath.png?resize=1200%2C558&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
A Breath Of Fresh Air: Oxygen Enhancement From Silicate Sublimation During Early Protostellar Evolution
[astro-ph.SR] Recently, an analog to the t = 0 moment of our Solar System’s meteoritic record was identified for the first time around the Class I protostar HOPS-315.
![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 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.