astrochemistry Archives

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release

High Nitrogen And Carbon Isotopic Ratios In The Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

by Keith CowingMarch 18, 2026March 18, 2026

Interstellar objects provide a unique opportunity to further our understanding of the planetary formation process by studying in detail material formed around another star. Their ices contain precious clues about […]

Spectrally integrated line flux maps for 3I/ATLAS observed using JWST NIRSpec: (a) H2O at 2.7 µm, (b) CO2 at 4.3 µm, (c) CO at 4.7 µm. Image axes are aligned with the equatorial (RA/decl.) grid. Molecular emission has been isolated by subtracting a polynomial fit to the adjacent continuum. Spatial coordinates are with respect to the brightest pixel in each map (the pseudo-nucleus). Inset panels (upper right) show the continuum-subtracted spectra within the image integration wavelength range, spatially integrated within a 3′′ diameter circular aperture centered on the pseudo-nucleus (corresponding to 3,900 km at the 1.8 au distance of the comet from the telescope). Lower left corner shows the direction of the (sky-projected) comet-Sun (S) and nucleus velocity (v) vectors. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, 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

by Keith CowingMarch 17, 2026March 17, 2026

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 […]

Disk physical structure from our three parametric models (Models 1 to 3 from top to bottom, see Tables 1 and 2). The 2D gas temperature (left) and total H density (right) are shown as colors, with iso-curves in white. The dashed red line corresponds to AV = 1 mag (as measured from the top). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, 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

by Keith CowingMarch 17, 2026March 17, 2026

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 […]

Comparison of various tracers of dust, gas, and extinction toward the CygX region. Cyan contours in all images indicate H2O ice peak optical depths of 0.25, derived from the H2O ice map smoothed with a Gaussian kernel of σ ∼ 31′′ (5 pixels). (a) 2MASS NICEST AJ extinction, with a resolution of 3′ . (b) FCRAO 13CO (1–0) Moment 0 map (beamsize 45′′ FWHM) integrated over −10 to +20 km s−1 , corresponding to the ensemble of star-forming molecular clouds directly associated with the Cyg OB2 cluster (N. Schneider et al. 2006). (c) Herschel-derived NH2 column density. (d) Herschel-derived dust temperature, Td. Both Herschel images are at a resolution of 36.4′′ -- astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Intelligence & Language, Press Release

SPHEREx Wide-Field Infrared Spectral Mapping of Interstellar Ices and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

by Keith CowingMarch 16, 2026March 16, 2026

We present some of the first infrared spectral maps acquired by SPHEREx. These maps, which to our knowledge are the largest of their type ever compiled in the near-infrared, reveal […]

Microscope images of Ryugu samples collected from the first and second landing sites of the Hayabusa2 mission, respectively. Credit: Jaxa/Jamstec

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Press Release

All DNA/RNA Nucleobases Are Found On Asteroid Ryugu

by Keith CowingMarch 16, 2026June 11, 2026

Samples from the asteroid Ryugu collected and returned to Earth by the Japanese Hayabusa 2 mission contain all five nitrogenous bases—adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, and uracil—that make up nucleic acids, […]

Stacked images of 3I/ATLAS acquired by HiRIC CMOS camera onboard Tianwen-1 spacecraft (upper row) and the corresponding 1/ρ divided images (lower row) from the three epochs. All images are displayed north up and east to the left. The stacked images are displayed with logarithmic brightness stretch, and the enhanced images are displayed with a linear brightness stretch. The arrows in the upper panels mark the projected directions of the Sun and the heliocentric velocity vector. The scalebars are 10,000 km. The bright star trails are visible in each stack due to the apparent movement of 3I in the sky background during each 30-second observation epoch. -- astro-ph.EP

Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Observed from Mars by China’s Tianwen-1 Spacecraft

by Keith CowingMarch 14, 2026March 14, 2026

China’s Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter successfully imaged the third interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, during its close encounter with Mars using the onboard HiRIC CMOS camera. This is China’s first deep-space observation of […]

Pollux instrument concept schematic diagram. -- astro-ph.IM

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

The Ocean Worlds Science Case For The Pollux Spectropolarimeter

by Keith CowingMarch 13, 2026March 13, 2026

Pollux is a candidate European instrument contribution to the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), designed to advance our understanding of the formation and evolution of cosmic structures in the universe, and […]

CH3OH/H2O column density ratio found in the literature for a wide range of clouds, YSOs and Solar System comets (see Sect 4.1 for the references). The values for molecular clouds, LYSOs and MYSOs reflect the ice composition, while the ratio was measured in the gas-phase for protoplanetary disks and comets. We used open symbols for the protoplanetary disks in which the upper/lower limit on the methanol-to-water column density ratio was estimated combining measurements taken at different wavelength ranges. The upward triangles for the HD 100546 and the IRS 48 disks indicate a lower limit, whereas the downward triangles for DG Tau A and HL Tau indicate a upper limit. The values for HL Tau are taken dividing the 3σ upper limit on the NCH3OH for the three different assumed excitation temperature in Table 2 for the water column density measured by Facchini et al. (2024). -- astro-ph.SR

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

Hunting For Methanol In The Water Rich, Planet Forming Disk Aaround HL Tau

by Keith CowingMarch 13, 2026March 13, 2026

Methanol, the simplest complex organic molecule found in space, is considered a key compound necessary for the formation of chemical species of prebiotic interest. Methanol detections in protoplanetary disks remain […]

Astrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Hydrocarbon Complexity And Photochemical Shielding Of Prebiotic Feedstock Molecules In Exoplanet Atmospheres

by Keith CowingMarch 11, 2026March 11, 2026

The potential of prebiotic chemistry to propagate on an exoplanet fundamentally depends on whether the atmospheric conditions can facilitate the production of prebiotic feedstock molecules.

OSIRIS-REx Sample Return after landing -- NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report

OSIRIS-REx Derived Sample Site Products Release

by Keith CowingMarch 9, 2026March 9, 2026

This is the release of the OSIRIS-REx Derived Sample Site Products Bundle. This bundle contains detailed catalogs created during the Sample Site Selection Phase of the OSIRIS-REx mission.

astrochemistry

High Nitrogen And Carbon Isotopic Ratios In The Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS

Isotopic Evidence For A Cold And Distant Origin Of The Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS

Ortho-Para Chemistry of H2CO in the Protoplanetary Disk TW Hya

SPHEREx Wide-Field Infrared Spectral Mapping of Interstellar Ices and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

All DNA/RNA Nucleobases Are Found On Asteroid Ryugu

Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS Observed from Mars by China’s Tianwen-1 Spacecraft

The Ocean Worlds Science Case For The Pollux Spectropolarimeter

Hunting For Methanol In The Water Rich, Planet Forming Disk Aaround HL Tau

Hydrocarbon Complexity And Photochemical Shielding Of Prebiotic Feedstock Molecules In Exoplanet Atmospheres

OSIRIS-REx Derived Sample Site Products Release

Sea Ice As An Origin Of Life Location For Hycean And Ocean Worlds

Viruses, Proviruses and Satellites from Asgard Archaea Enrichments Reveal Complex Microbial Interactions

Mars Rover Curiosity’s Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) Calibration

Carbon and Sulfur Isotopes of Microfossils and Pyrites from Neoarchean Cherts: Microbial Diversity in an Ancient Deep-Marine Environment

Auroral Belts As Magnetically Localized Reactors For Prebiotic Chemistry On Early Earth