![Blackbody spectra derived from the 𝑇eff of the Dyson sphere candidates A to J throughout the wavelength range of 10 to 1000 microns together with the detection thresholds of telescopes Akari (Murakami et al. 2007), IRAS (Neugebauer et al. 1984), the ALMA 12∼m array6 and JWST/MIRI. In the case of JWST, both broadband imaging and spectroscopic limits (based on the LRS Slit or MRS7observations) are shown. In the case of JWST and ALMA, all limits refer to 5𝜎 confidence in 1 hour exposure time (where exposure times refer to observations per filter in the case of imaging; per band in the case of ALMA spectroscopy; per channel in the case of JWST/MIRI MRS spectroscopy and for the entire plotted wavelength range in the case of JWST/LRS spectroscopy). As can be seen, all candidates are detectable throughout some part of the wavelength coverage of JWST. The inset shows a zoom-in on the part of the spectral energy distribution that may be detectable with ALMA for four of the candidates (A, G, I and J). -- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Project-Hephaistos-1.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.SR] The infrared-flux excess of stars harbouring Dyson spheres represent one potential technosignature of extraterrestrial intelligence.
JWST
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Planetesimal Formation Across the Stellar Mass Spectrum and its Influence on Exoplanet-Inherited Volatile Budgets
[astro-ph.EP] Protoplanetary discs emerging from collapsing molecular clouds are capable of forming planetesimals at the water snowline during both the cloud collapse and Class II disc phases; such a scenario […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Atmospheric Retrieval Evidence For Water Isotopologue HDO On Exoplanet WASP-39b
[astro-ph.EP] Hydrogen-isotopologues are commonly used to trace the chemical processing and origin of hydrogen-bearing species throughout the Universe, however, their abundance remains unconstrained for extrasolar planets.
![DFT-computed anharmonic absorption spectra of 1-cyanonaphthalene in its neutral (1-CNN0 , top panel), cation (1-CNN+ , middle panel), and anion (1-CNN− , bottom panel) charge states. The calculated vibrational transitions are convolved with a Lorentzian profile using a FWHM of 4 cm−1 to simulate realistic spectral profiles. Numerical labels near the major peaks represent their respective wavelengths. Key vibrational bands, including the CN stretch at ∼ 4.4–4.6 µm and the CH stretch at ∼ 3.2–3.3 µm, are explicitly highlighted.-- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Anharmonic-Infrared-Emission.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Anharmonic Infrared Emission Of Cyano-Substituted Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Molecules: Cyanonaphthalenes As A Case Study
[astro-ph.GA] Recent detections of cyano-substituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cyano-PAHs) highlight them as key tracers of nitrogen heterocycles in the interstellar medium (ISM).
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Sulfur Photochemistry Observationally Traces Mantle Redox States Of Rocky Planets
[astro-ph.EP] Volatile outgassing from planetary interiors controls the composition of rocky exoplanets’ secondary atmospheres. However, observations indicate that disequilibrium processes, such as photochemistry and vertical transport, can strongly alter the […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Tracing The Source Of Carbon Oxides On The Large Moons Of Uranus
[astro-ph.EP] The Uranian moons Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon are enriched in CO2 mixed with CO, but the origin(s) of these carbon oxides, be they primarily native or radiolytic, remains […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Detected: Rocky, Habitable-zone Exoplanet With An Atmosphere
[Carnegie Science] A team of scientists led by Harvard University’s Collin Cherubim and including Shreyas Vissapragada and other Carnegie astronomers has detected evidence of an atmosphere on a rocky planet […]
![Retrieved temperature, mixing ratios, and haze parameters from all three retrieval set ups. Left: Retrieved volume mixing ratios for all three retrieval cases shown at the approximate depth of the haze layer. Right: Haze opacity in dashed lines and temperature in solid lines as a function of pressure and altitude. Where available we show the Teanby et al. (2006) mixing ratios and temperature profile. Despite varying assumptions and haze schemes, all retrievals indicate a haze layer in approximately the same pressure location. Note that the POSEIDON haze location is inferred from the pressure contribution functions and is shown as a shaded region. - [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Piercing-through.png?resize=1200%2C710&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Piercing Through The Haze: Characterizing Titan-like Terrestrial Exoplanets With JWST
[astro-ph.EP] As we enter a new era of using JWST to characterize exoplanet atmospheres, a top priority is defining observational needs and parameters in the search for life on an […]
Posted inBeta Pictoris
Webb Discovers A Hidden Planet In The Beta Pictoris Star System
[NASA] Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have discovered a giant planet outside our solar system, called an exoplanet, hiding within one of the most intensely studied planetary systems […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Distant Exoplanets May Be Hiding Water Beyond Webb Telescope’s Reach, Study Finds
[University of Chicago] The planets that appear most common in the universe could have a lot of water—but it could be hiding where telescopes can’t detect it, according to a […]