![The JWST observation of the ice absorption dips of CH4, CO2, H2O , CH3OH + NH+4 molecules and the the emission line [S I] of the protostars. Upper Left Panel: The CH4 absorption dip feature in the stacked 1-dimension JWST/MIRI-IFU spectrum of protostar IRAS 23385+6053. The purple area marked the equivalent width of the CH4 absorption dip. Upper Right Panel: The CO2 absorption dip feature in the stacked 1- dimension JWST/MIRI-IFU spectrum of protostar IRAS 16253-2429. The purple area marked the equivalent width of the CO2 absorption dip. Bottom Left Panel: The ice absorption dips of H2O and CH3OH + NH+ in the stacked 1-dimension JWST/MIRI-IFU spectrum of protostar IRAS 23385+6053. The cyan and deep sky-blue marked the EWs of the two dips. Bottom Right Panel: The [S I] emission line in the stacked 1-dimension JWST/MIRI-IFU spectrum of protostar IRAS 23385+6053. The red area marked the equivalent width of the [S I] emission line. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/The-Spatial-Distribution-of-CH4.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
The origin and evolution of organic molecules represent a pivotal issue in the fields of astrobiology and astrochemistry, potentially shedding light on the origins of life.
protostellar
![Moment 0 maps of CH3CN (orange contours) overlaid on the CH3OH (51,4 − 41,3 A) emission (grey-scaled background). The moment maps are shown only around the systemic velocity ([10.8 ± 1] km s−1 ; right), where the CH3CN emission is detected. For CH3OH the 4𝜎 level is shown with the grey contours. For CH3CN, levels start at 4𝜎 with steps of 1𝜎 (1𝜎 = 2.9 mJy.beam−1km s−1 ). The green circles show the five regions of 0.5 ′′ × 0.5 ′′ defined to extract the spectra. The filled cyan square indicates the location of the starless core FIR6c-c (Kainulainen et al. 2017; Bouvier et al. 2021). The beams of CH3OH and CH3CN are depicted in the lower left corner of the left box. The dashed black circle represents the primary beam of 24.5′′ from the CH3CN observation. -- astro-ph.GA](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Discovery-Of-An-Intriguing-Chemically.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Discovery Of An Intriguing Chemically Rich Outflow In The OMC-2/3 Filament
Studying chemically rich protostellar outflows and their jet provides an important insight into the low-mass star formation process and its related chemistry.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report
Molecular Cloud Biology
Some astrobiological models suggest that molecular clouds may serve as habitats for extraterrestrial life.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
ALMA Observations of CH3COCH3 and the Related Species CH3CHO, CH3OH, and C2H5CN in Line-rich Molecular Cores
Context. Acetone (CH3COCH3) is a carbonyl-bearing complex organic molecule, yet interstellar observations of acetone remain limited. Studying the formation and distribution of CH3COCH3. in the interstellar medium can provide valuable […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
JOYS+ Study Of Solid State 12C/13C Isotope Ratios In Protostellar Envelopes: Observations of CO and CO2 Ice with JWST
The carbon isotope ratio is a powerful tool for studying the evolution of stellar systems. Recent detections of CO isotopologues in disks and exoplanet atmospheres pointed towards significant fractionation in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
JOYS+: Link Between Ice And Gas Of Complex Organic Molecules. Comparing JWST and ALMA Data of Two Low-mass Protostars
A rich inventory of complex organic molecules (COMs) has been observed in high abundances in the gas phase toward Class 0 protostars. These molecules are suggested to be formed in […]
![Continuum emission at 1.3 mm with robust parameter r = 0.5 for IRS1 (top row) and IRS2 (bottom row). The right panels are zoomed-in views of the left panels. The white contours in the right panels represent increasing selected values of σ [7σ, 14σ, 70σ, 140σ, 700σ] and [15σ, 40σ, 80σ] for IRS1 and IRS2, respectively. The 4σ contour level for IRS2 is also shown in panel c. The white ellipse represents the beam size. The red lines follow the position angle of the semi-major axis as derived from the best-fit model (in IRS2, the direction of the red line does not follow the apparent semi-major axis because the image is marginally resolved). Note that the color scales are not identical but depend on the peak intensity in each panel. --astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Early-Planet-Formation-in-Embedded-Disks.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Early Planet Formation in Embedded Disks (eDisk). XI. A High-resolution View Toward the BHR 71 Class 0 Protostellar Wide Binary
We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of the binary Class 0 protostellar system BHR 71 IRS1 and IRS2 as part of the Early Planet Formation in Embedded Disks […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
CH3OH and Its Deuterated Species in the Disk/Envelope System of the Low-Mass Protostellar Source B335
Deuterium fractionation in the closest vicinity of a protostar is important in understanding its potential heritage to a planetary system.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Correlations Among Complex Organic Molecules Around Protostars: Effects Of Physical Structure
Column density ratios of complex organic molecules are generally constant across protostellar systems with some low-level scatter.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
JWST Observations Of 13CO2 ice: Tracing The Chemical Environment And Thermal History Of Ices In Protostellar Envelopes
The structure and composition of simple ices can be modified during stellar evolution by protostellar heating. Key to understanding the involved processes are thermal and chemical tracers that can diagnose […]