![Overview of the d203-506 externally irradiated protoplanetary disk. Integrated intensity images from NIRCam F212N filter (a), Hubble Space Telescope [OI] (b), NIRSpec [FeII] (c), NIRSpec CH+ 1-0 P(7) at 3.95 µm (d), and MIRI MRS integrated from 7.16 to 7.20 µm assigned to CH+ 3 (e). Each panel is centered at α=5:35:20.318 and δ=-5:25:05.662 and are 2" × 2" wide. Contours of NIRCam vibrationally excited H2 (2.12 µm band) are represented in orange, and ALMA dust continuum emission at 344 GHz from the disk in white contours. (f,) Sketch of the d203-506 disk, jet, and wind. We note that the low mass star is not seen in the images because of the disk flaring. All JWST images are from the PDRs4All program, while the Hubble image is from (9). -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/FormationoftheMethylCation.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Forty years ago it was proposed that gas phase organic chemistry in the interstellar medium was initiated by the methyl cation CH3+, but hitherto it has not been observed outside […]
organic chemistry
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Saturn, Status Report, Titan
The Fate of Simple Organics on Titan’s Surface: A Theoretical Perspective
Atmospheric photochemistry on Titan continuously transforms methane and nitrogen gases into various organic compounds.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Saturn, Titan
Titan’s “Magic Islands” Are Likely Honeycombed Hydrocarbon Icebergs
Titan’s “magic islands” are likely floating chunks of porous, frozen organic solids, a new study finds, pivoting from previous work suggesting they were gas bubbles. The study was published in […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Venus
Stability of 20 Biogenic Amino Acids in Concentrated Sulfuric Acid: Implications for the Habitability of Venus’ Clouds
Scientists have long speculated about the potential habitability of Venus, not at the 700K surface, but in the cloud layers located at 48-60 km altitudes, where temperatures match those found […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Saturn, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A New Way To Characterize Habitable Planets
For decades, science fiction authors have imagined scenarios in which life thrives on the harsh surfaces of Mars or our Moon, or in the oceans below the icy surfaces of […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
How Do Particles With Complex Interactions Self-assemble?
In living cells, proteins self-assemble into large functional structures based on specific interactions between molecularly complex patches.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Meteorites & Asteroids, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Organic Compounds In Asteroids Are Formed In Colder Regions Of Space
Analysis of organic compounds – called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) – extracted from the Ryugu asteroid and Murchison meteorite has found that certain PAHs likely formed in the cold areas […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Synthesis Of Urea On The Surface Of Interstellar Water Ice Clusters. A Quantum Chemical Study
Urea is a prebiotic molecule that has been detected in few sources of the interstellar medium (ISM) and in Murchison meteorite. Being stable against ultraviolet radiation and high-energy electron bombardment, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Surface Of Enceladus Shields Buried Organics
The Saturnian moon Enceladus presents a unique opportunity in our Solar System to search for evidence of life, given its habitable ocean and plume that deposits organic-bearing ocean material onto […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Life-Sparking Chemistry Discovered On Enceladus
Scientists have known that the giant plume of ice grains and water vapor spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus is rich with organic compounds, some of which are important for life […]