Using NIRSpec on JWST, we studied a sample of 15 intermediate-mass (1.8-4.1 Msun) young stellar objects (YSOs) previously identified with MIRI photometry in the low-metallicity NGC 346 star-forming cluster in […]
NIRSpec
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, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1
There Is No Earth-like Atmosphere On TRAPPIST-1 d
The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d intrigues astronomers looking for possibly habitable worlds beyond our solar system because it is similar in size to Earth, rocky, and resides in an area around […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1
Webb Narrows Atmospheric Possibilities For Earth-sized Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d
The exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d intrigues astronomers looking for possibly habitable worlds beyond our solar system because it is similar in size to Earth, rocky, and resides in an area around […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1
Strict Limits On Potential Secondary Atmospheres On The Temperate Rocky Exo-Earth TRAPPIST-1 d
The nearby TRAPPIST-1 system, with its seven small rocky planets orbiting a late-type M8 star, offers an unprecedented opportunity to search for secondary atmospheres on temperate terrestrial worlds.
![a, NIRCam false-colour image, where each colour channel was constructed by stacking NIRCam filters as annotated. The placement of the NIRSpec micro-shutters is shown in white (nearly identical across the all visits). Dashed coloured circles indicate the 0.3 "-diameter apertures used to extract the CIRC2 photometry. The [O iii] 88 µm emission and the MIRI/F560W image are overlaid with red and green contours respectively, both drawn at 3σ-4σ-5σ. A red (green) hatched ellipse shows the ALMA restoring beam (F560W point spread function). A horizontal bar indicates a physical scale of 1 kpc at z = 11.122. b, SEDs of the main component (A) of JADES-GS-z11- 0, as observed by NIRCam, MIRI, and NIRSpec/PRISM (Section 2.1), as well as the faint neighbouring source (B) whose photometry (filter curves drawn at the bottom) is consistent with having the same redshift. The best-fit bagpipes models are shown as solid (component A) and dashed (B) coloured lines, with squares indicating the model photometry. c, Best-fit model SFHs of the two components, with shading representing 1σ uncertainty. The dotted black line and grey shading illustrates the rising SFH prior based on dark matter halo accretion (see text for details), scaled to the stellar mass of component A. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/On-The-Origins-Of-Oxygen.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
On The Origins Of Oxygen: ALMA And JWST Characterise The Multi-phase, Metal-enriched, Star-bursting Medium Within A ‘Normal’ z>11 Galaxy
The unexpectedly high abundance of galaxies at z>11 revealed by JWST has sparked a debate on the nature of early galaxies and the physical mechanisms regulating their formation.
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A Panchromatic Characterization Of The Evening And Morning Atmosphere Of WASP-107 b
Limb-resolved transmission spectroscopy has the potential to transform our understanding of exoplanetary atmospheres. By separately measuring the transmission spectra of the evening and morning limbs, these atmospheric regions can be […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Water-rich Interior In The Temperate Sub-Neptune K2-18 b Revealed By JWST
Temperate sub-Neptunes Are Compelling Targets For Detecting Liquid-water Oceans Beyond The Solar System. If water-rich and lacking massive hydrogen-helium envelopes, these planets could sustain liquid layers beneath their atmospheres despite […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Detection Of Hydrocarbons In The Disk Around An Actively-Accreting Planetary-Mass Object
We present the 0.6–12-micron spectrum of Cha 1107-7626, a 6-10 Jupiter-mass free-floating object in the ∼2 Myr-old Chamaeleon-I star-forming region, from observations with the NIRSpec and MIRI instruments onboard the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Venus
Insufficient Evidence For DMS And DMDS In The Atmosphere Of K2-18 b
Recent JWST observations of the temperate sub-Neptune K2-18 b have been interpreted as suggestive of a liquid water ocean with possible biological activity. Signatures of DMS and DMDS have been […]