Northwestern University-led astronomers have discovered salty skies surrounding the universe’s famous “Pink Planet.”
JWST
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
JWST-TST High Contrast: First Direct Spectroscopy of GJ 504 b Reveals Clouds And Possible Metal Enrichment
Characterizing the coldest directly imaged companions through direct spectroscopy has only recently become possible with the James Webb Space Telescope.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Effect Of Tidal Gravity And Planetary Rotation On The Retrieved Atmospheric Abundances Of Close-in Exoplanets
Most modern atmospheric retrievals adopt the simplifying assumption that the planetary atmosphere endures no planetary rotation and stellar tidal effect.
![PAH ratio maps for the five PAHSPECS galaxies. We only show pixels that have a > 3σ measurement of the ratio. The left column shows NIRCAM color images using the F090W, F200W, F444W filters (M. J. Rieke et al. 2023). The second column shows the PAH6.2/PAH7.7 ratio. The third column shows the PAH11.3/PAH7.7 ratios. The fourth column shows the PAH3.3/PAH11.3 ratios. The final column shows [ArII]/PAH6.2. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/PAHSPECS-Spatially-Resolved-PAH.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
PAHSPECS: Spatially Resolved PAH Spectroscopy At Cosmic Noon With JWST MIRI MRS
We present spatially resolved spectroscopy with JWST/MIRI MRS of a representative sample of normal star-forming galaxies at z∼1.1 as part of the PAHSPECS program.
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
Webb Redefines The Dividing Line Between Planets And Stars
Planets, like those in our solar system, form in a bottom-up process where small bits of rock and ice clump together and grow larger over time. But the heftier the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Pluto, Status Report, Titan
An Unidentified Absorption Feature At 5.11 μm On The Surface Of Titan And Pluto From JWST Spectroscopy
Titan possesses a thick N2-CH4 atmosphere that makes it difficult to study its surface spectroscopically. The chemical composition of the solid surface of Titan thus remains very uncertain.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
First Detection Of HDO Ice In A Protoplanetary Disk
Protoplanetary disks are the birthplace of planets and planetary systems. Investigating the molecular inventory of disks is key to linking the chemical evolution of the interstellar medium and the makeup […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Earth As A Transiting Exoplanet
Context. Detecting and characterizing the atmosphere of rocky planets in the habitable zone is a key objective of exoplanet research in the era of JWST and the upcoming E-ELT. Spectroscopy […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report
GJ 3929 b as the First Complete Rocky Worlds DDT Data Set
Despite their large abundance, it is still unknown whether and under what conditions rocky planets around M dwarf stars can host atmospheres.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Characterizing Transiting Exoplanet Atmospheres in the 2030s with the Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope inaugurated the era of exoplanet atmospheric characterization. While the James Webb Space Telescope has largely taken up the mantle of infrared atmospheric characterization, Hubble’s unique short-wavelength […]