interstellar ice Archives

Microscopic Image of Organic Ice Mixture captured from the O-PTIR high resolution microscope. -- [astro-ph.IM]

Detection of Organics in Water Ice by Optical-PhotoThermal Infrared Spectroscopy

by Keith CowingJuly 13, 2026July 13, 2026

[astro-ph.IM] The detection and characterization of organic molecules within water ice is vital for interpreting observations of icy moons and comets. However, organic-ice interactions often distort intrinsic water-ice absorption features, […]

Fig. 9: Distribution of water ice. The color map represents the smoothed Aice W1 values, where blue indicates the existence of water ice absorption. Several well-known regions are enclosed in boxes and labeled as regions 1 to 5, they are (1)Orion-Taurus-Perseus (OTP) region, (2)Cygnus Complex, (3)Serpens region, (4)Ophiuchus region and (5)Vela Co -- astro-ph.GA

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

The First Glimpse of Water Ice Absorption Map in the Milky Way

by Keith CowingJune 3, 2026June 3, 2026

Interstellar ice plays a key role in the thermal evolution of the interstellar medium and in astrochemical pathways, yet its large-scale distribution remains poorly constrained.

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 […]

Analog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Experimental And Computational Studies Of The Hydrogenation Of Carbon Disulfide (CS2) On Ice Analogues

by Keith CowingFebruary 26, 2026February 26, 2026

Carbon disulfide (CS2) is one of the sulfur-bearing species expected to be present in the interstellar medium (ISM). In this study, we investigated the surface reactions of solid CS2 with […]

Chemistry in Extreme Environments -- ACS Central Science

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

Chemistry in Extreme Environments: The Mystery of Molecular Complexity In Space

by Keith CowingFebruary 11, 2026February 11, 2026

Molecular complexity in the interstellar medium (ISM) poses one of the most intriguing challenges in astrochemistry: how can chemical reactions operate efficiently under the extreme physical conditions of space?

Transmission spectra of solid methanol and its five deuterated isotopologues at 10 K. The region between 650 to 590 cm−1 (15.4 to 16.9 µm), affected by increased noise from the beamsplitter, has been removed. The main CH3OH vibrational modes are indicated at the top. Spectra are vertically offset for clarity. -- astro-ph.GA

Analog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report

Broadband Infrared Spectroscopy Of Methanol Isotopologues In pure, H2O-rich, And CO-rich Ice Analogues

by Keith CowingFebruary 8, 2026February 8, 2026

Deuterium fractionation is highly efficient during the early stages of star formation, particularly in starless and prestellar cores where temperatures are low (<10 K) and molecular freeze-out onto dust grains […]

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

Atom Addition Formation of Thionylimide (HNSO) on Interstellar Dust Grains: Chemical Routes Requiring Oxygen And Nitrogen Atom Surface Diffusion

by Keith CowingFebruary 7, 2026February 7, 2026

We investigate the formation of the recently detected HNSO molecule using quantum chemical calculations on ices and astrochemical models in tandem.

Proposed formation pathways of biorelevant molecules (red arrows) in hydrogen cyanide (HCN)-containing interstellar ices and their role as precursors to biorelevant molecules such as amino acids and nucleobases. In prebiotic chemistry, hydrogen cyanide (1) plays a fundamental role in the synthesis of amino acids such as glycine (2) and nucleobases including adenine (3) (bold black arrows) and guanine (4) through nonequilibrium chemistry. Notably, 5, 11, 14–16, and 18 have been detected in the interstellar medium; 2–4 have been identified in carbonaceous asteroid Bennu and various chondrites like Murchison meteorite. -- Chemical Science

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report

Abiotic Formation Of Nitrile Precursors To Amino Acids And Nucleobases In Interstellar Ice Analogues

by Keith CowingJanuary 30, 2026June 10, 2026

Amino acids and the five canonical nucleobases have been identified in carbonaceous meteorites such as Murchison and Murray; however, their formation mechanisms under interstellar conditions have remained largely elusive.

Intensity maps at 4.4 µm with the apertures chosen for the fit. Aperture centers and diameters are listed in Table C.1. -- astro-ph.GA

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

Identification Of Solid N2O In Interstellar Ices Using Open JWST Data

by Keith CowingJanuary 16, 2026January 16, 2026

Context. There are only six molecules containing N-O bond that are detected in gaseous phase in interstellar medium. One of those is nitrous oxide (N2O), which was searched for but […]

Energy level diagram of the C + NH3 + CO reaction. The reaction proceeds from left to right. It starts with a triplet state; the intersystem crossings to the singlet states are marked with dashed arrows. S and TS stand for singlet and transition states. Red lines indicate the most probably pathway. -- astro-ph.GA

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

Chemical Modeling Of Aminoketene, Ethanolamine, And Glycine Production In Interstellar Ices

by Keith CowingOctober 28, 2025October 28, 2025

Icy interstellar dust grains are a source of complex organic molecule (COM) production, although their formation mechanisms are debated.

interstellar ice

Detection of Organics in Water Ice by Optical-PhotoThermal Infrared Spectroscopy

The First Glimpse of Water Ice Absorption Map in the Milky Way

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

Experimental And Computational Studies Of The Hydrogenation Of Carbon Disulfide (CS2) On Ice Analogues

Chemistry in Extreme Environments: The Mystery of Molecular Complexity In Space

Broadband Infrared Spectroscopy Of Methanol Isotopologues In pure, H2O-rich, And CO-rich Ice Analogues

Atom Addition Formation of Thionylimide (HNSO) on Interstellar Dust Grains: Chemical Routes Requiring Oxygen And Nitrogen Atom Surface Diffusion

Abiotic Formation Of Nitrile Precursors To Amino Acids And Nucleobases In Interstellar Ice Analogues

Identification Of Solid N2O In Interstellar Ices Using Open JWST Data

Chemical Modeling Of Aminoketene, Ethanolamine, And Glycine Production In Interstellar Ices

Tricorder Tech: Ground Truth For The DAVINCI Venus Mission

Mars Curiosity Rover Finds Evidence Of An Ancient Sandstorm

Pristine Meteorite Examination Adds To Our Knowledge Of Ancient Asteroids

NASA Study Finds Near-Earth Asteroid Is Actually Comet

NASA Awards STRIDE Contracts For Mars Advanced Surface Mobility Technology