Kyoto University Archives - Astrobiology

EXOKYOTO4D -- Kyoto University

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

Release Of The Exoplanet Database “EXOKYOTO3D” And Announcement Of The Extended Version “EXOKYOTO4D”

by Keith CowingApril 10, 2026April 10, 2026

A research group led by Professor Yosuke Alexandre Yamashiki (Graduate School of Advanced Integrated Studies in Human Survivability, Kyoto University), Assistant Professor Takanori Sasaki (Graduate School of Science), and Dr […]

Artist’s impression of the simulations conducted in this research. Jupiter (lower left) has a strong magnetic field which creates a cavity in its circumplanetary disk. Saturn (upper right) lacks a strong magnetic field so its circumplanetary disk evolves without a cavity. Credit: Yuri I. Fujii/L-INSIGHT [Kyoto University], Illustrator: Shinichiro Kinoshita

Astrogeology, Callisto, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Io, Jupiter, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Rhea, Saturn, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How Jupiter Cultivated More Large Moons Than Saturn

by Keith CowingApril 8, 2026April 8, 2026

The two largest planets in our Solar System, Jupiter and Saturn, also have the largest satellite systems, or the most moons. At present, Jupiter’s reported moon count stands at more […]

Red, green and blue represent Chandra X-ray images of O- (0.6–0.85 keV), Si- (1.76–1.94 keV) and Fe-enhanced (6.54–6.92 keV) regions, respectively. The white grids indicate the fields of view of our two-pointing observations with XRISM/Resolve, which has a 6 × 6 pixel array: a pixel at a corner is only used for calibration. Pixels we selected for our spectral analysis are highlighted in yellow. In the south-east (SE) and north (N) regions, we examined the spectrum of each pixel and selected those exhibiting large equivalent widths of K emission; the spatial distribution of these pixels closely matches that of the O and Si emission lines. In contrast, the west (W) region exhibits weak O line intensity, and the K emission line in its spectrum is faint (Fig. 2).-- Nature

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Astrochemistry: Where The Elements Come From

by Keith CowingDecember 4, 2025December 4, 2025

“Why are we here?” is humanity’s most fundamental and persistent question. Tracing the origins of the elements is a direct attempt to answer this at its deepest level. We know […]

Artist's depiction of a coronal mass ejection from EK Draconis. The hotter and faster ejection is shown in blue, while the cooler and slower ejection is shown in red. Credit NAOJ

Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics

Coronal Mass Ejections At The Dawn Of The Solar System

by Keith CowingOctober 28, 2025October 28, 2025

Down here on Earth we don’t usually notice, but the Sun is frequently ejecting huge masses of plasma into space. These are called coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

a, Backscattered electron image of a fine Ryugu grain. The white boxes correspond to the areas shown in b and c. b, Secondary electron image of framboidal magnetite showing granular texture. c, Secondary electron image of porous iron sulfide surrounded by phyllosilicate. The arrow points to an iron whisker on the iron sulfide surface. Sample ID is A0104-021012.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Meteorites Were A Likely Source Of Nitrogen For Early Earth

by Keith CowingDecember 2, 2023December 2, 2023

Micrometeorites originating from icy celestial bodies in the outer Solar System may be responsible for transporting nitrogen to the near-Earth region in the early days of our solar system. That […]