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 […]
ALMA
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
A Deep Search For Ethylene Glycol And Glycolonitrile In The V883 Ori Protoplanetary Disk
Ethylene glycol ((CH2OH)2, hereafter EG) and Glycolonitrile (HOCH2CN, hereafter GN) are considered molecular precursors of nucleic acids.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
First Detection Of Ethylene Oxide And Acetaldehyde In Hot Core G358.93−0.03 MM1: Tracing Prebiotic Oxygen Chemistry
Ethylene oxide (c-C2H4O) and its isomer, acetaldehyde (CH3CHO), are important complex organic molecules owing to their potential role in the formation of amino acids (R-CH(NH2)-COOH) in ISM.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
Formation Of Exoplanet AB Aurigae b Detected in H-alpha Light
Small rocky planets like Earth, which can harbor life, and giant gas planets like Jupiter are born around stars like the Sun. Their birthplace is a thin, disk-shaped structure of […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Fomalhaut, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Fomalhaut’s Warped Ring Is Shaped By Evolving Planets
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have made the highest resolution image to date, revealing new insights into the unusual and mysterious architecture of the debris disk encircling […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Butterfly Nebula (NGC 6302) Reveals Clues To Earth’s Creation
Clues about how worlds like Earth may have formed have been found buried at the heart of a spectacular ‘cosmic butterfly’.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Warped Protoplanetary Discs Reshape Ideas About How Planets Form
The textbook picture of how planets form – serene, flat discs of cosmic dust – has just received a significant cosmic twist. New research, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Status Report
Cosmic Cascades: How Disk Substructure Regulates The Flow Of Water To Inner Planetary Systems
The influx of icy pebbles to the inner regions of protoplanetary disks constitutes a fundamental ingredient in most planet formation theories.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Status Report
Linking Planet Formation To Exoplanet Characteristics: C/O As A Diagnostic Of Planet Formation
Gas-giant exoplanets are test cases for theories of planet formation as their atmospheres are proposed to carry signatures of their formation within the protoplanetary disk.
![The ≈1000 au environment of RW Aur at different wavelengths, as observed by ALMA and JWST. Panel (a): compact dust continuum emission at 1.3 mm wavelength (see Kurtovic et al. 2024, for a detailed study). Panel (b): continuum emission from MIRI-MRS subband 1A. Panel (c): Peak emission map of H2S(3). Panel (d): Peak emission map of [Fe II]. Panel (e): Moment 0 map of the 12CO emission at 230.538 GHz, as observed with ALMA. Panel (f): Peak emission map of H2S(3). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MINDS.-Young-binary-systems-with-JWSTMIRI.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
MINDS. Young Binary Systems With JWST/MIRI: Variable Water-rich Primaries And Extended Emission
As part of the JWST GTO program MINDS, we analyze the mid-infrared emission of three Class II binary systems: VW Cha, WX Cha, and RW Aur, to investigate the impact […]