The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has uncovered a key piece of the puzzle in how rocky planets, such as Earth, form around young stars.
Interstellar Dust
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Astrochemistry: Webb Watches Carbon-Rich Dust Shells Form, Expand in Star System
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 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
ALMA Observations of CO Isotopologues Towards Six Obscured post-AGB Stars
Low- and intermediate-mass stars evolve through the asymptotic giant branch (AGB), when an efficient mass-loss process removes a significant fraction of their initial mass.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, Status Report
Accurate Sticking Coefficient Calculation for Carbonaceous Dust Growth Through Accretion and Desorption in Astrophysical Environments
Context. Cosmic dust is ubiquitous in astrophysical environments, where it significantly influences the chemistry and the spectra. Dust grains are likely to grow through the accretion of atoms and molecules […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
In Six New Rogue Worlds, Webb Telescope Finds More Star Birth Clues
The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted six likely rogue worlds—objects with planetlike masses but untethered from any star’s gravity—including the lightest ever identified with a dusty disk around it.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Interstellar, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
Synergies Between Interstellar Dust And Heliospheric Science With An Interstellar Probe
We discuss the synergies between heliospheric and dust science, the open science questions, the technological endeavors and programmatic aspects that are important to maintain or develop in the decade to […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Twinkling Stars Fuel Interstellar Dust
Of the many different kinds of stars, asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars, usually slightly larger and older than our own sun, are known producers of interstellar dust.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Carbonaceous Dust Grains Within Galaxies Seen In The First Billion Years Of Cosmic Time
Interstellar dust captures a significant fraction of elements heavier than helium in the solid state and is an indispensable component both in theory and observations of galaxy evolution.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Press Release
Heliospheric Modulation of the Interstellar Dust Flow on to Earth
Aims. Based on measurements by the Ulysses spacecraft and high-resolution modelling of the motion of interstellar dust (ISD) through the heliosphere we predict the ISD flow in the inner planetary […]