![Eimission spectra of 3I/ATLAS taken with BFOSC and YFOSC. For clarity, the full spectral range is divided into three panels with different vertical offsets to emphasize specific features. The left panel highlights emission lines of Ni i (blue dashed lines) and Fe i (red dashed lines), and the CN violet band (blue shaded). The middle panel shows molecular bands of C3 (green shaded), CH (orange shaded), and C2 (red shaded), and lists the heliocentric distance for each spectrum. The right panel displays the [O i] λλ6300, 6364 doublet (green dashed lines). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Postperihelion-Coma-Composition.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
We present multi-epoch optical spectroscopy of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS obtained from December 2025 to January 2026 (heliocentric distances 1.8 to 3.3 au). From these spectra, we derive post-perihelion production […]
astro-ph.EP
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Status Report
The Efficient Delivery Of Highly-siderophile Elements To The Core Creates A Mass Accretion Catastrophe For The Earth
The excess abundance of highly siderophile elements (HSEs), as inferred for the terrestrial planets and the Moon, is thought to record a `late veneer’ of impacts after the giant impact […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Constraining Small Planet Compositions for Future Missions
Accurate mass and radius measurements of small transiting exoplanets are essential for probing their compositions, formation histories, and potential habitability.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems. VIII. Molecular Mapping Performance With JWST/MIRI MRS: VHS 1256 b As A Case Study
VHS 1256 b was the first planetary-mass companion to be observed with the James Webb Space Telescope’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (JWST/MIRI) using the Medium-Resolution Spectrometer (MRS).
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Isotopic Evidence For A Cold And Distant Origin Of The Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
Interstellar objects provide the only directly observable samples of icy planetesimals formed around other stars, and can therefore provide insight into the diversity of physical and chemical conditions occurring during […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Ortho-Para Chemistry of H2CO in the Protoplanetary Disk TW Hya
The spatial distribution of the chemical reservoirs in protoplanetary disks is key to elucidate the composition of planets, especially habitable ones. However, the partitioning of the main elements among the […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Long-term Monitoring Of WASP-19 b: Signs Of Apsidal Precession And Molecular Signatures
With more than 6000 exoplanets discovered so far, about 12 percent are hot Jupiters. Their large sizes and short orbital periods make them valuable targets for studying planetary formation, atmospheres, […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Bridging the Gap: Using Brown Dwarfs to Examine Silicate Clouds in Giant Exoplanet Atmospheres
We present results from examining the silicate cloud modeling of four JWST-observed hot Jupiters in the context of brown dwarf theory to further explore signatures of formation in present-day atmospheres.
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
exoALMA XX: Tomographic Detection of Embedded Planets in Protoplanetary Disks
The exoALMA Large Program has revealed a wealth of substructures in the dust and molecular line emission of several protoplanetary discs, suggesting that planet formation may unfold within highly dynamic […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Jupiter, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Motional Induction In Ganymede’s Ocean
We investigate the magnetic signature of oceanic circulation in Ganymede’s subsurface ocean using kinematic induction modeling. Our approach couples zonal jet flows from rotating thermal convection simulations with magnetic field […]