Hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor release carbon dioxide that is many million years old. This old carbon originates from the Earth’s interior, and it escapes either directly from the […]
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has provided the first direct measurements of the chemical and physical properties of a potential moon-forming disk encircling a large exoplanet. The carbon-rich disk surrounding […]
![RGB compilation in the Cygnus X region covering the footprint that we surveyed; in red is the CGPS 1.4 GHz continuum (Taylor et al. 2003), green is MSX 8 µm PAH emission Schneider et al. (2006), and blue is 13CO (1-0) tracing (some of the) molecular gas (Schneider et al. 2010). Left: The numbers enclosed by a circle in black indicate the ‘DR’ continuum sources identified in 5 GHz observations by Downes & Rinehart (1966), which are mostly thermal H ii regions, except for DR3 and DR4 that make up the supernova remnant γ-Cygni. Dotted circles show the Cyg OB2 association and open clusters NGC 6910 and NGC 6913. The region at ℓ > 80◦ commonly referred to as Cyg X North and at ℓ < 80◦ (also typically at lower latitudes) as Cyg X South are also indicated. Right: Contours of velocity-integrated C273α (moment 0), drawn at [3, 5.5, 8, ...28]σ. C273α is detected from 75% of the mapped region. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Cold-Dark-Gas-in-Cygnus-X.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Understanding the transition from atomic gas to molecular gas is critical to explain the formation and evolution of molecular clouds.
Astronomers have long tried to track down how elements like carbon, which is essential for life, become widely distributed across the universe. Now, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has examined […]
Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) […]
Context. The recent detection of nitrogen-enhanced, metal-poor galaxies at high redshift by the James Webb Space Telescope has sparked renewed interest in exploring the chemical evolution of carbon, nitrogen, and […]
The formation of protein precursors, due to the condensation of atomic carbon under the low-temperature conditions of the molecular phases of the interstellar medium, opens alternative pathways for the origin […]
A fleeting visit of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission to Venus has revealed surprising insights into how gases are stripped away from the upper layers of the planet’s atmosphere.
Giant impacts can generate transient hydrogen-rich atmospheres, reducing atmospheric carbon. The reduced carbon will form hazes that rain out onto the surface and can become incorporated into the crust. Once […]
The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, has achieved the highest resolution observations since it began operations.
