[astro-ph.GA] Context. Formamide formation in the Universe has been the subject of debate due to its importance as a precursor to amino acids and RNA. Current studies focus on the […]
Protoplanetary Disk
![Proposed scenario to explain the hydrocarbon-rich spectrum of HOPS-68. Gas-phase carbon-bearing species enrich the gas between the soot line (∼ 500 K) and the graphite sublimation rim (∼ 1200 K), which we refer to as the "refractory carbon destruction zone", and are then entrained and transported out of the disk by the disk wind. In the outflow cavity, C2H2 reacts with UV-photons, with C2H as reaction product. C2H can react with C2H2 to form carbon-chain species such as C4H2 and C6H2. The location of the isotherms were estimated using the results from paper A.-- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Up-in-smoke.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Up In Smoke: Carbon-destruction In The Terrestrial Planet-forming Region Of A Young Class I Disk
[astro-ph.SR] Earth’s surface and deep mantle are strongly depleted in carbon compared to the Sun. Sublimation of solid carbonaceous material in the inner midplanes of young disks could cause this […]
![A comparison of the dominant heating and cooling mechanism for different times and at the time of the maximum temperature. Each model is started at 𝑇 = 10 K. -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/UCLCHEM.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
UCLCHEM 4.0: An Open Source Gas-grain Astrochemistry Simulation Framework
[astro-ph.GA] Astrochemical modeling is a key tool for the understanding of the formation and destruction of molecules in the dense gas of the interstellar medium, as observed by modern day […]
![CPD continuum flux densities at 345 GHz for different planet masses and separations. The dots mark the solar system gas giants, the directly imaged planets in PDS 70 and WISPIT 2, and candidate protoplanets in disc gaps. For comparison, the distribution of fully formed gas giants is shown (top panel). The white curves display sensitivity limits. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Planet-formation.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Planet Formation On Solar System Scales
[astro-ph.IM] Giant planets are often regarded as primordial protoplanetary “architects”. Their formation and interactions with planetesimals and other planets during and after the protoplanetary disc phase are key to setting […]
![Current ALMA can detect the rich chemistry within the snowline around higher-mass stars, with an example spectrum shown in the top panel. For Sun-like stars, mapping across the CO snowline only ( > ∼ 10 au) is currently possible, which corresponds to the giant planet formation zone. The step changes in spatial resolution and sensitivity provided by ALMA2040 will allow us to detect and map the composition of terrestrial-planet-building material around Sun-like stars. Data from Qi et al. (2013), Andrews et al. (2016), and Booth et al. (2024a). -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Chemistry-on.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
Chemistry On Solar System Scales
[astro-ph.IM]. The initial chemical composition of planets, primitive bodies in our solar system, and exoplanets is ultimately set by their nascent protoplanetary disks.
![Integrated intensity maps of the 1.7 mm continuum, 183 GHz water line, and three methanol lines in the HD 100546 (top row) and IRS 48 (bottom row) disks. White contours highlight the inner dust ring of HD 100546 and the asymmetric mm-crescent of IRS 48 from their continuum maps, pink contours show 3, 4, and 5σ levels. The white ellipse in the bottom left of each panel shows the beam.-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/An-ALMA.png?resize=1200%2C697&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
An ALMA View On Molecular Complexity: Water, Methanol, And Methyl Formate In The HD 100546 And IRS 48 Disks
[astro-ph.EP] Water and methanol are the fundamental constituents of interstellar and cometary ices: understanding their abundances in disks is therefore of high importance to reveal how this ice reservoir evolves […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Ring Pattern Reveal The Mechanism By Which Unseen Planets And Dust Particles Gather On Their Own
[Kyushu University] Planetary systems like our solar system are born within a disk of gas and dust (protoplanetary disk) surrounding a newly formed star. Observations with the ALMA telescope have […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Capture of Interstellar Planetesimals in Protoplanetary Discs in Binary Star Systems
[astro-ph.EP] Planet formation requires growth over 12 orders of magnitude in size, from micron-sized dust grains to fully formed planets.
![Final semi-major axes and masses for all objects produced in simulations with regular disks. The left panel shows objects produced in disks with low C/O ratios and the right one shows planets in high C/O ratio disks. The dash-dotted line shows the initial mass of planestesimals in our simulations while the dotted line shows the initial mass of planetary embryos. We consider planets to be anything at or above the initial embryo mass, fragments to be anything below the initial planetesimal mass, and planetesimals to be any object at or above the initial planetesimal mass but below the initial embryo mass. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Correlations.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Correlations Between The Carbon-to-Oxygen Ratio and the Orbital and Physical Properties of Exoplanets
[astro-ph.EP] Studies suggest that protoplanetary disks around stars with high carbon-to-oxygen (C/O) ratios can produce terrestrial planets with carbon-dominated compositions instead of silicon-dominated ones.
Posted inAstrogeology
Our Solar System Chose Fire Over Ice To Build Its First Bodies
[Yale University] When the solar system first took up the task of building solid bodies — such as planets, moons, and protoplanets — it basically had a choice between two […]