![Occam’s razor-based deconvolution result of the subset of signals associated with CnHmN parent and fragment species detected by the DFMS on 3 August 2015. The measured signals (measured) are given in arbitrary units (a. u.) with 30 % error margins. The different contributions of the chosen candidate molecules are colour-coded according to their molecular structure – in shades of red and purple for chain-based molecules and in shades of green and blue for cyclic molecules. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Nitrogen.png?resize=1200%2C707&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Comets provide a unique window into the history of the Solar System as they carry some of the best-preserved material and make it available to in situ exploration.
Rosetta
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Gelato: A Mission Concept for Comet Surface Sample Return
[The Planetary Science Journal] Understanding the role of comets in solar system formation and evolution has continued to be a driving question in planetary science. It is believed that comets […]
Posted inAway Teams & Field Reports, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Sample Return, Status Report
Offworld Science Droids: A Review Maps Key Technologies For Small-body Sampling Robots
Unlike planetary rovers operating on the Moon or Mars, robots working on asteroids and comets must interact with surfaces where gravity is extremely weak, terrain is highly irregular, and material […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Isotopic Signature of Organic Molecules from Beyond the Solar System: An Enriched Methane D/H Ratio in the Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS
Interstellar objects are interlopers from other planetary systems, and their volatile compositions provide a glimpse into planet formation around their host star. We present near-infrared spectra of the coma of […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Cubesats and smallsats, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Orbital Recon: Use Of AI to Make Earth-Observing Satellites Smarter
Editor’s note: for more than half a century we have been learning how to use the viewpoint from space to study our home world. The instruments we have developed often […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Recent Chemo-morphological Coma Evolution of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
We present VLT/MUSE observations of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko during its 2021 perihelion passage, from which we generated simultaneous maps of dust, [OI], C2, NH2, and CN comae across 12 pre- and […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Lost Sulfur In The Universe Found In Salt On Dust And Pebbles
An international team led by astronomers at Leiden University has shown in laboratory experiments that sulfur can bind with ammonium under icy cosmic conditions and form a salt that sticks […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Refractory-to-ice ratio in Comet 67P: Implications on the Composition of the Comet-forming Region of the Protoplanetary Disk
Comets, asteroids, and other small bodies are thought to be remnants of the original planetesimal population of the Solar System. As such, their physical, chemical, and isotopic properties hold crucial […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
NASA-Led Team Links Comet Water to Earth’s Oceans
Scientists find that cometary dust affects interpretation of spacecraft measurements, reopening the case for comets like 67P as potential sources of water for early Earth.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Evidence For Abiotic Dimethyl Sulfide In Cometary Matter
Technological progress related to astronomical observatories such as the recently launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) allows searching for signs of life beyond our Solar System, namely in the form […]