Hypervolatile species such as carbon monoxide (CO) and molecular nitrogen (N2) have been detected in comets, and could be used to constrain comet formation temperature conditions if their presence is […]
Comet
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Dust Evolution During Protoplanetary Disk Bbuildup Enhances CO Ice Relative To Water
Water ice is expected to be the dominant volatile component of bodies formed in the outer Solar System. However, recent observations of comets and trans-Neptunian objects suggest that the relative […]
![The green-to-red intensity ratio of [O I] (G/R) in 3I (filled circle), compared with measurements for a sample of Solar System comets: Jupiter-family comets (JFCs; open triangles), Oort Cloud comets (OCCs; open squares), and Halley-type comets (HTCs; crosses) from A. Decock et al. (2013); A. McKay et al. (2015); Y. Shinnaka & H. Kawakita (2016); Y. Shinnaka et al. (2020), as well as C/2016 R2 from C. Opitom et al. (2019) and 2I/Borisov from C. Opitom et al. (2021). -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/A-post-perihelion-constraint.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
A Post-perihelion Constraint On The CO2/H2O Ratio Of Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS From [O I] Forbidden Lines
We present high-resolution optical spectroscopy of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS (C/2025 N1) obtained with the High Dispersion Spectrograph mounted on the Subaru Telescope on UT 2026 January 7, when the comet […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Coma Physics Of An Interstellar Object: JWST Spatial-Spectral Mapping Of 3I/ATLAS
We report a survey of molecular emission from cometary volatiles using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) toward interstellar object 3I/ATLAS carried out on UT 2025 December 22 and 23 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Isotopic Signature of Organic Molecules from Beyond the Solar System: An Enriched Methane D/H Ratio in the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
Interstellar objects are interlopers from other planetary systems, and their volatile compositions provide a glimpse into planet formation around their host star. We present near-infrared spectra of the coma of […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Citizen Science / Open Science, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
How Open NASA Data on Comet 3I/ATLAS Will Power Tomorrow’s Discoveries
The interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS will soon leave our solar system, never to return, but the observations of the comet will live on in NASA’s public data archives. More than a […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Observations Of Exocomets
Active small bodies in extrasolar systems, the extrasolar analogues of Solar System comets, provide insights into the orbital evolution and physical processes shaping planetary systems.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
How Juice Came To Observe Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
No matter how much planning goes into space missions, one must always expect the unexpected. But luck favours the prepared. In July 2025, an unexpected visitor entered our Solar System, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Unique Water Release Mechanism Uncovered In Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
A research team from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has conducted high-sensitivity radio observations of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS using the Tianma Telescope, […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report
Narrowband Radio Technosignature Search Toward 3I/ATLAS With FAST
3I/ATLAS is the third confirmed interstellar object passing through the Solar System. In this work, we conduct narrowband radio technosignature search toward 3I/ATLAS using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) […]