The delivery of water to the inner Solar System rocky planets, including Earth, remains debated, as standard models assume that they formed from dry grains, inside the snowline of the […]
silicates
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Bridging the Gap: Using Brown Dwarfs to Examine Silicate Clouds in Giant Exoplanet Atmospheres
We present results from examining the silicate cloud modeling of four JWST-observed hot Jupiters in the context of brown dwarf theory to further explore signatures of formation in present-day atmospheres.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report
Not All Sub-Neptune Exoplanets Have Magma Oceans
The evolution and structure of sub-Neptunes may be strongly influenced by interactions between the outer gaseous envelope of the planet and a surface magma ocean.
![Distribution of the 11.0/11.2 PAH band ratio versus stellar effective temperature for our HAeBe sample. Reference stars (SR 21A, PDS 144N, HD 97300) shows different ionization regimes. The shaded regions approximate PDR-like ranges from JWST data, whereas very low ratios occur at 5000–6000 K suggestive of neutral PAHs in low mass disk. MWC 137, which is showing very low ionization is likely an evolved B[e] star rather than an HAeBe star. -- astro-ph.SR](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Polycyclic-Aromatic-Hydrocarbons-In-The.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In The Circumstellar Medium Of Herbig Ae/Be Stars
We present a comprehensive mid-infrared spectroscopic survey of 124 Herbig Ae/Be stars using newly processed Spitzer/IRS spectra from the newly released CASSISjuice database.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Hydroxylated Mg-rich Amorphous Silicates as Catalysts for Molecular Hydrogen Formation in the Interstellar Medium
We present results from an experimental study on the interaction of atomic deuterium with Mg-rich amorphous enstatite and forsterite type silicates. Infrared spectroscopy was used to examine the process.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Rocky Planets Orbiting Small Stars Could Have Stable Atmospheres Needed To Support Life
Since its launch in late 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has raised the possibility that we could detect signs of life on exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Effect of Different Stickiness Between Icy and Silicate Particles on Carbon Depletion in Protoplanetary Disks
Earth and other rocky bodies in the inner Solar System are significantly depleted in carbon compared to the Sun and interstellar medium (ISM) dust.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Unraveling the Interface Chemistry Between HCN And Cosmic Silicates By The Interplay Of Infrared Spectroscopy And Quantum Chemical Modeling
Understanding the interaction between hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and silicate surfaces is crucial for elucidating the prebiotic processes occurring on interstellar grain cores, as well as in cometary and meteoritic matrices.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Trapped Water On Silicates In The Laboratory And In Astrophysical Environments
Existence of strongly bound water molecules on silicate surfaces, above the desorption temperature of water ice, has been first predicted by computational studies and recently demonstrated by laboratory experiments.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Webb Detects Water Vapor, Sulfur Dioxide And Sand Clouds In The Atmosphere Nearby Exoplanet WASP-107b
A team of European astronomers, co-led by researchers from the Institute of Astronomy, KU Leuven, used recent observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope to study the atmosphere of […]