ALMA Archives

Left panel: Sketch of the V883 Ori outbursting protostar: the luminosity increase of the central source pushes the snowline outwards (from 80 au in the midplane to 160 au in the disk surface layers), releasing iCOMs in gas-phase at dust temperatures > 100 K. However, the dust continuum optical depth in the inner 40 au screens the emission from complex organics despite their expected high column densities after sublimation (adapted from Lee et al., 2019b). Right panel; ALMA observations towards V883 Ori shows a ring of CH3OH emission, because methanol is observed in the region where 𝑇 > 100 K (i.e. inside the snowline) and where the dust optical depth becomes lower than 1, as shown in the sketch. The lower frequencies covered by the SKAO will allow us to probe iCOMS emission in the innermost 40 au region of these disks thanks to the low dust optical depths at cm wavelengths (adapted from Tobin et al., 2023). -- astro-ph.SR

Unveiling Complex Chemistry In Planet-forming Disks With The SKAO

by Keith CowingJuly 4, 2026July 4, 2026

[astro-ph.SR] The chemical composition of planets is inherited from that of the natal protoplanetary disk at the time of planet formation.

Sketch of the dust grain growth and disk structure. The physical processes, observational tech- niques, and disk components depicted are described in Sect. 1. The horizontal axis in the upper panel repre- sents increasing particle size (and implicitly evolutionary time), from micron-sized grains to planetary cores. The disk in the sketch coarsely extends to 30–100 au. The inner part highlights the motion of the ionized gas at (sub-)au scale toward the star following the magnetic field. -- astro-ph.EP

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets

Demographics Of Planet-forming Disks With The SKAO

by Keith CowingJuly 3, 2026July 3, 2026

[astro-ph.EP] Understanding how solid material in planet-forming disks evolves from micron-sized dust to planetary cores is a central challenge in modern astrophysics. This study has advanced dramatically in the past […]

Left: Qϕ image of WRAY 15-1880 obtained from the SPHERE polarimetric data. The red dot at the center of the image marks the position of the star; the dashed white circle is the size of the coronagraph used in this observation. The dotted straight lines mark the major and minor axes, as obtained by Curone et al. (2025). Right: similar image, but projected on the disk plane (i “ 39.22 deg) and rotated to have the major axis vertical and the minor axis horizontal. On this plane, the coronagraphic mask is an ellipse represented by the white dashed line. The yellow circle has a radius of 214.1 mas that is the peak of the disk as determined by the ALMA data (see Section 3.3.2). The center of this circle has been offset by 37 mas along the minor axis, to fit the outer contour of the observed disk East of the star, that is the closest side of the disk. The red solid circle (radius of 110 mas) fits the feature seen north of the star. The position of the planet discussed in Section 3.2 at the epoch of the SPHERE polarimetric observation is marked with a small white circle, and its orbit is shown as magenta circle. -- astro-ph.SR

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Analysis Of The Young Disk Around WRAY 15-1880: Does It Contain A Primitive Planetary System?

by Keith CowingJune 11, 2026June 11, 2026

Observations of (giant) planets accreting material within their natal environment are crucial to constrain models for their formation.

Collection of disks with localized asymmetries in the dust continuum emission, shown at the same spatial scale based on the Gaia DR3 parallax. The colorscale is chosen arbitrarily to highlight the substructures. These images were presented in Ragusa et al. (2021) (IRAS 04158+2805), McLachlan et al. (2026) (AT Pyx), Pinilla et al. (2022) (LkHa 330), Francis & van der Marel (2020) (HD 34282), Vioque et al. (2026) (HD 97048, J16070854), Isella et al. (2018) (HD 163296), Hashimoto et al. (2021a) (ZZ Tau IRS), Norfolk et al. (2021) (RY Lup), Benisty et al. (2021) (PDS70), P´erez et al. (2018) (HD 143006), Dong et al. (2018) (MWC 758), Zagaria et al. (2025) (CQ Tau), Gonz´alez-Ruilova et al. (2020) (ISO-Oph 2), Long et al. (2018a) (CIDA 9), and Kurtovic et al. (2021) (MHO 6). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, Stellar Cartography

An Archival Summary: 15 Years Of ALMA Observations On Disks And Planet Formation

by Keith CowingJune 9, 2026June 9, 2026

The Atacama Large (sub-)millimeter Array (ALMA) has been in scientific operations for almost 15 years.

Hierarchical clustering of the molecular cores based on the abundance ratios HN13C/HC3N, H13CO+/HC3N, and HC17O+/HC3N. Top panel: dendrogram obtained using Ward’s method. The vertical axis represents the Ward distance, which quantifies the chemical dissimilarity between cores. The horizontal dashed line indicates the adopted linkage-distance cut. The x-axis labels denote the core numbering. Bottom panels: mean abundance ratios of HN13

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

Simple Cyanides and Formylium Ions Isotopologues in Early Star-forming Molecular Cores

by Keith CowingJune 8, 2026June 10, 2026

Understanding the chemistry related to the early stages of star formation is of great importance, as it is linked to the beginnings of the most complex chemistry in the interstellar […]

Upper left panel: Moment 0 map of HC3N emission. Top center panels: Channel maps of the HC3N line; selected velocity channels are shown to highlight the Keplerian rotation of the disk. Bottom panel: Matched filter response spectrum for the full spectral window containing the HC3N J = 12-11 transition. The red dashed line marks the expected rest frequency of HC5N J = 41-40. -- astro-ph.SR

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

First Detection of HC5N in a Class II Disk around TW Hya

by Keith CowingJune 8, 2026June 10, 2026

Over the last decade of ALMA’s operation the molecular inventory of protoplanetary disks has expanded rapidly, revealing a diverse set of nitrogen-bearing organics and carbon-chain molecules that trace both prebiotic […]

Moment-zero maps for all of the Lupus and Upper Sco sources. The grayscale panels represent non-detections. No H2CO data was available for Upper Sco 6 and for the p-4-3 line for Lupus 6, Upper Sco 9, and Upper Sco 10. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

The ALMA Survey of Gas Evolution of PROtoplanetary Disks (AGE-PRO): Formaldehyde (H2CO) Emission And Its Links To Disk Properties

by Keith CowingJune 7, 2026June 7, 2026

Protoplanetary disks are rotating structures of gas and dust surrounding young stars, serving as the birth places of planets. Understanding the chemical evolution of organic materials in these disks is […]

Simulation of a planet embedded in a protoplanetary disc, causing disc material to pile up in a ring exterior to its orbit – Credit: Amena Faruqi / University of Warwick Credit Amena Faruqi / University of Warwick

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography

Weighing Newborn Planets Using Their Dusty Fingerprints

by Keith CowingMay 29, 2026May 29, 2026

A team of astronomers, led by University of Warwick in collaboration with researchers at MIT and McMaster, have developed a novel method to use the properties of dust rings around […]

Different faces of the dying star W Hydrae seen in different molecular lines with ALMA. Shown here are 30 faces out of 57 images in total. Credit: K. Ohnaka – N. Lira – ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO) Larger imagery

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, Stellar Cartography

Astrochemistry: ALMA Reveals 57 Faces Of A Dying Star

by Keith CowingMay 29, 2026May 29, 2026

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have obtained detailed radio images of a dying star’s atmosphere, revealing a remarkably complex and dynamic environment rich in chemical diversity.

Integrated flux for ALMA’s CO(3-2) line measurement. Superposed as black circles on Neptune’s map are the beam positions observed onto the planet and used for the spatially resolved retrievals. The filled red circle in the lower-left corner indicates the size and orientation of the beam. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Neptune, Status Report

Latitudinal Variations In Neptune’s Temperature Profile Observed With ALMA

by Keith CowingMay 26, 2026May 26, 2026

Despite the low solar irradiation it receives, Neptune shows a very active atmosphere with some of the most intense dynamics observed in Solar System atmospheres. Characterizing the atmospheric temperature profiles […]

ALMA

Unveiling Complex Chemistry In Planet-forming Disks With The SKAO

Demographics Of Planet-forming Disks With The SKAO

Analysis Of The Young Disk Around WRAY 15-1880: Does It Contain A Primitive Planetary System?

An Archival Summary: 15 Years Of ALMA Observations On Disks And Planet Formation

Simple Cyanides and Formylium Ions Isotopologues in Early Star-forming Molecular Cores

First Detection of HC5N in a Class II Disk around TW Hya

The ALMA Survey of Gas Evolution of PROtoplanetary Disks (AGE-PRO): Formaldehyde (H2CO) Emission And Its Links To Disk Properties

Weighing Newborn Planets Using Their Dusty Fingerprints

Astrochemistry: ALMA Reveals 57 Faces Of A Dying Star

Latitudinal Variations In Neptune’s Temperature Profile Observed With ALMA

NASA Spaceline Current Awareness List #1,206 2 July 2026 (Space Life Science Research Results)

Older Than The Sun: Astronomers Find New Clues To The Origin Of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Carl Sagan Month: Call For Participation

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Development Plan

Searching For The Elusive CH2+ With The James Webb Space Telescope. Another Carbocation To Constrain Astrochemical Networks