Planetary nebulae are sites where ejected stellar material evolves into complex molecules, but the precise physical conditions and chemical routes that govern these processes are unclear.
JWST
![(A to C) Continuum-subtracted maps. (A) Integrated cube (6908-9158 Å). (B) [C i] λ8272 integrated map. (C) Sum of the integrated maps of the [O ii] doublet at 7320 and 7330 Å. White dashed contours indicate intensity levels. Their spacing are indicated with the whites lines on the colorbars. (D) MUSE spectrum (blue) and HST photometry (orange dots) of V2376 Ori b. HST filter widths are indicated by orange bars. Green lines mark recombination features, other lines are labeled in black. -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Observation-Of-An-Accreting.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Observation Of An Accreting Planetary-Mass Companion With Signs Of Disk-Disk Interaction in Orion
Young (≲10 Myr) planetary-mass companions (PMCs) provide valuable insights into the formation and early evolution of planetary systems.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Proxima Centauri, Saturn, tau Ceti, Uranus
On the Detection Of Exorings in Reflected Light With JWST NIRCam
When directly imaging a cold giant exoplanet hosting a ring system, the reflected light from the rings can outshine the planet’s thermal emission and reflected-light in the near-infrared.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
TOI-1743 b, TOI-5799 b, TOI-5799 c and TOI-6223 b: TESS Discovery And Validation Of Four Super-Earth To Neptune-sized Planets Around M dwarfs
We combined TESS and ground-based photometric data to constrain the physical properties of the planets. TOI-6223-b is slightly larger than Neptune (Rp=5.12+0.24−0.25 R⊕) orbiting an early M dwarf in 3.86 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Possible Evidence For The Presence Of Volatiles On The Warm Super-Earth TOI-270 b
The search for atmospheres on rocky exoplanets is a crucial step in understanding the processes driving atmosphere formation, retention, and loss.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Hydrocarbon Hazes On Temperate Sub-Neptune K2-18b Supported By Data From The James Webb Space Telescope
K2-18b, a sub-Neptune orbiting in the habitable zone of an M dwarf, has attracted significant interest following observations with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and, more recently, with the James […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
The Photochemical Plausibility of Warm Exo-Titans Orbiting M-Dwarf Stars
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has begun to spectrally characterize small exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars, but interpretation of these spectra is ambiguous, with stellar, instrumental, or atmospheric origins possible […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1
Webb Looks at Earth-Sized, Habitable-Zone Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 e
Scientists are in the midst of observing the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 e with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Careful analysis of the results so far presents several potential scenarios for what […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
A Carbon-rich Atmosphere On A Windy Pulsar Planet
A handful of enigmatic Jupiter-mass objects have been discovered orbiting pulsars. One such object, PSR J2322-2650b, uniquely resembles a hot Jupiter exoplanet due to its minimum density of 1.8 g/cm^3 […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Understanding JWST Water Spectra: What Can Thermochemical Models Tell Us About The (Cold) Water In Protoplanetary Disks?
Rotational H2O spectra as observed with JWST/MIRI provide a good probe of the temperature and column density structure of the inner disk. H2O emission can also be influenced by dynamical […]