[Florida International University] Before there was Earth, there was chemistry. In the unimaginable cold, dark clouds where stars and planets are born, carbon molecules assemble into more complex forms — […]
astrochemistry
![Temporal evolution of selected species and D/H ratios during the cloud (top panels) and core stages (lower panels). Panels (a) and (e) show the abundances of selected species during the cloud and core stages, respectively. Solid, dashed, and dotted lines denote models with Z = 1, 0.5, and 0.2, respectively. The remaining panels show the temporal evolution of the D/H ratios and the H2 OPR for Z = 1 (b, f), Z = 0.5 (c, g), and Z = 0.2 (d, h). In all panels, time is normalized by τfreeze for the corresponding density and metallicity. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/High-water.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
High Water D/H Ratio of the Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is Consistent With a Low-metallicity Origin
[astro-ph.EP] Recent JWST observations have revealed unusually high 12C/13C ratios in carbon-bearing molecules of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, consistent with formation in a lower-metallicity environment than the present-day local interstellar […]
![Low-angle backscatter electron (LABE) imaging (Supplement 9) of sample OREX-220001-1 consisting of particles obtained from inside the SRC but exterior to the sample canister — including fragments of Bennu, SRC char, and metal. FG, fine-grained. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/OSIRIS-REx.png?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Posted inSample Return
OSIRIS-REx Returned a Pristine Sample of Asteroid Bennu: Takeaways from the Mission’s Contamination Control and Knowledge Program
[astro-ph.EP] NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission had the objective of delivering a pristine sample from asteroid (101955) Bennu to Earth for scientific analysis–where “pristine” signifies the absence of foreign materials that could […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
The Galactic Centre G+0.633-0.0604 Molecular Cloud: A New Astrochemical Gold Mine
[Astronomy and Astrophysics] Context. In the central molecular zone (CMZ) environment, shocks play a key role in both triggering star formation and providing chemical enrichment. The Sgr B2 complex is […]
Posted inAstrogeology
Planet Formation at Cosmic Dawn: Planetesimals in H2O-rich Disks around Low-mass Stars
[The Astrophysical Journal Letters]. Primordial, or Population III (Pop III), supernovae (SNe) were the first nucleosynthetic engines in the Universe, forging the heavy elements required for the later formation of […]
![Simulated ablation heights of IDPs in exoplanet atmospheres. Our fiducial simulation is marked in red. Solid and dashed curves signify IDP compositions of MgSiO3 and Fe, respectively. The black dashed curve on the left most panel shows the approximation of the mass injection function Fv(p) for an arbitrary IDP mass flux for comparison with the ablation profiles. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Interplanetary-Dust.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology
Interplanetary Dust Ablation Seeds Silicate Clouds in Exoplanet Atmospheres
[astro-ph.EP] Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) are present throughout the Solar System, with Earth experiencing a mass flux of roughly 100 tonnes of IDPs per day.
Posted inAstrogeology
Trans-Neptunian Objects Remember Their Past
[NASA]. For the first time, scientists used the joint power of NASA’s Hubble and James Webb Space Telescopes to study some of the most far-flung bodies in our solar system, […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Two Extremely Irradiated Volatile-rich Sub-Neptunes With Companions In The TOI-426 And TOI-1839 Systems: Insights Into Arrival And Survival Near The Lower Edge Of The Neptunian Desert
[astro-ph.EP] Using TESS photometry and 147 HARPS radial velocities, we confirm two extremely irradiated, volatile-rich sub-Neptunes near the lower edge of the Neptunian desert: TOI-426 b and TOI-1839 b, orbiting […]
Posted inUncategorized
Multi-Wavelength Post-Perihelion Polarimetry of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
[astro-ph.EP] We present new post-perihelion polarimetric observations of the third discovered interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1; hereafter 3I), obtained using FORS2 at the Very Large Telescope, ALFOSC at the Nordic […]
Posted inImaging & Spectroscopy
Analytical Platform (Microsampling, Catapulting, Trapping, and LIBS) for the Characterization of Discrete Domains in Samples of Astrochemical Interest
[Analytical Chemistry] The chemical characterization of scarce or heterogeneous solid samples remains a significant analytical challenge due to the high material quantities required by conventional techniques.