Interstellar ices play a fundamental role in the physical and chemical evolution of molecular clouds and star-forming regions, yet their large-scale distribution and abundance remain challenging to map.
interstellar medium
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Astrochemistry: XRISM Satellite Measures Sulfur – An Essential Life Component
An international team of scientists have provided an unprecedented tally of elemental sulfur spread between the stars using data from the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) spacecraft.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Probing The Variations Of Interstellar Dust Abundance And Properties Within And Between Galaxies With HWO UV Spectroscopy In The Local Volume
The cycle of metals between the gas and the dust phases in the neutral interstellar medium (ISM) is an integral part of the baryon cycle in galaxies.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
CO, CS, HCO, HCO+, C2H, And HCN In The Diffuse Interstellar Medium
Context. Radio frequency molecular absorption lines appear along sight lines with AV well below 1 mag, revealing the presence of H2 in diffuse gas even when 2.6mm CO emission is […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Toward Unraveling Cyanopolyyne Surface Chemistry: A Preview on Isolated Systems From HC3N to Ethyl Cyanide and Propylamine
Cyanopolyynes, a family of nitrogen containing carbon chains, are common in the interstellar medium and possibly form the backbone of species relevant to prebiotic chemistry.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, Status Report
Binding Energies Of Small Interstellar Molecules On Neutral And Charged Amorphous Solid Water Surfaces
The interstellar medium (ISM) is all but empty. To date, more than 300 molecules have already been discovered. Because of the extremely low temperature, the gas-phase chemistry is dominated by […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Exploring The Formation And Alteration Of Organics In Ice: Experimental Insights For Astrochemistry And Space Missions
The formation and alteration of organic molecules within the Solar System and beyond is closely related to the life cycle of ice in space. Cold molecular clouds in the interstellar […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
VUV Processing of Nitrile Ice: Direct Comparison of Branching in Ice and TPD Spectra
The interplay between radiation chemistry and sublimation dynamics of condensed organic compounds on cold grains is fundamental to describe observed gas-phase and ice-phase molecular abundances in the ISM.
![Plot of predicted peak [Cii] absorption opacity, τ (peak) [CII] , that would be observed at instrumental velocity resolution, against the integration time required to detect that absorption at S/N = 10. Points are plotted for FIRSST, PRIMA, SALTUS, and Origins proposed FIR telescopes. For each telescope, we plot values corresponding to the 402 diffuse-ISM candidate sightlines identified in Section 2.2.. Additionally highlighted is the region of parameter space occupied by the 3 sightlines targeted by our SOFIA-upGREAT study; these values correspond to the predicted/notional values given in Table 1 (as both observed sightlines returned null results, due to instrumental or astrophysical artefacts). We mark the parameter space where observations should be most plausible (as discussed in Section 5). Integration times incorporate any additional time required or sky observations of off positions either side of the target sightline. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Measuring-Interstellar-Carbon-Abundance.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Measuring Interstellar Carbon Abundance via 158 um [CII] Absorption with SOFIA
Carbon plays key roles in the InterStellar Medium (ISM) — as a constituent of dust, as the carrier of the dominant far-infrared cooling line, and as a component of various […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Computational Insights Into the Chemical Reaction Networks of C3H6O3,C3H7O3 and C2H5O2: Implications for the Interstellar Medium
The formation of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium (ISM) is central to astrochemistry and prebiotic chemistry, as these species may act as precursors to biomolecules essential for life.