Astronomy and Astrophysics Archives

Left: overview of the Sgr B2 complex in ALMA 3 mm dust continuum from Ginsburg et al. (2018). From south to north, the coloured stars indicate the positions of G+0.633, Sgr B2(S), Sgr B2(M), Sgr B2(N), and G+0.693. The white stars denote all of the dense hot cores characterised so far towards Sgr B2(S) and Sgr B2(DS) (Jeff et al. 2024). The dashed golden square represents the extension of Sgr B2(DS) as traced by Meng et al. (2019) VLA continuum maps at 4 GHz. The blue and green rectangles indicate the area shown in the right panels. Right: 0th-moment map of HNCO 404 − 303 towards G+0.693 (upper panel) and G+0.633 (lower panel), computed through the MOPRA observations of the GC by Jones et al. (2012) and measured in TA∗ units. Contours are added at 98, 90, 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, and 20% of the maximum. The beam is shown in the bottom left (∼38′). -- Astronomy and Astrophysics

The Galactic Centre G+0.633-0.0604 Molecular Cloud: A New Astrochemical Gold Mine

by Keith CowingSeptember 14, 2026September 14, 2026

[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 […]

Artist’s impression of TOI-2267 ©Mario Sucerquia (University of Grenoble Alpes). Credit ©Mario Sucerquia (University of Grenoble Alpes).

Three Earth-sized Planets Discovered In A Compact Binary System

by Keith CowingOctober 27, 2025October 27, 2025

An international team of researchers has just revealed the existence of three Earth-sized planets in the binary stellar system TOI-2267 located about 190 light-years away. This discovery, published in Astronomy […]

ALMA-images of the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone. The research team suspects that protoplanetary discs are forming in its clouds. Credit Fengwei XU (PKU); ALMA Partnership; Laura Pérez (NRAO)

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

A Multitude Of Protoplanetary Discs Detected In The Galactic Center

by Keith CowingMay 16, 2025May 16, 2025

For decades, astronomers have discovered hundreds of protoplanetary disks – structures believed to represent the early stages of our own solar system.