Interstellar objects provide a unique opportunity to further our understanding of the planetary formation process by studying in detail material formed around another star. Their ices contain precious clues about […]
interstellar medium
Posted inAstrochemistry, 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
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 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Direct View of the Chemical Properties of Water from Another Planetary System: Water D/H in 3I/ATLAS
All detected water reservoirs in the solar system exhibit a deuterium enrichment that links back to the physical environment at the time of stellar birth.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Aromatic Species In The Molecular Universe
Interstellar polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) are an important component of the interstellar medium of galaxies, containing some 10 percent of the elemental carbon. Their vibrational emission dominates the mid-infrared spectra […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Low-energy Glycine Formation And Spectral Masking In Star-forming Regions
The presence of amino acids in comets and meteorites has long suggested that prebiotic molecules may have formed in space and contributed to the origins of life on Earth.
Posted inAnalog 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
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 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Interstellar Formation of Thioethanal (CH3CHS). Gas-Phase and Ice-Surface Mechanisms involving Secondary Sulfur Products
The formation pathways of sulfur-bearing species in the interstellar medium are crucial to understand astrochemical processes in cold molecular clouds and to gain new insights about the sulfur budget in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, Status Report
Organic Acid Chemistry in ISM: Detection of Formic Acid and its Prebiotic Chemistry in Hot Core G358.93−0.03 MM1
In the interstellar medium, formic acid (HCOOH) plays a significant role in the synthesis of the simplest amino acid, glycine (NH2CH2COOH). The presence of HCOOH suggests that oxygen-bearing molecules may […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Chemistry in Extreme Environments: The Mystery of Molecular Complexity In Space
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?
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Supramolecular Interactions of Organometallic Origin Facilitating Astrochemical Reactions: An Electronic Structure Study Featuring Metal Cyanides versus Metal Isocyanides
This work highlights how organometallic chemistry and supramolecular interactions can together drive astrochemically relevant reactions. For this purpose, MCN and MNC species (M = Mg(II), Mg(I), and Al(I)) detected in […]