Satellite-based estimates of greenhouse gas (GHG) properties from observations of reflected solar spectra are integral for understanding and monitoring complex terrestrial systems and their impact on the carbon cycle due […]
spectrometer
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Moon, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics
The Solar Wind Can Apparently Make Water On The Lunar Surface
Scientists have hypothesized since the 1960s that the Sun is a source of ingredients that form water on the Moon. When a stream of charged particles known as the solar […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
An Ultraviolet Raman Spectral Library of 21 Organic Compounds and 41 Minerals for Planetary Exploration on Mars
Searching for life on Mars can help us understand the origins and evolution of life, and it has always been a primary scientific goal of Mars exploration missions by different […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
THUNDER: A Titan Orbiter Mission Concept for the New Frontiers Program Designed at the JPL Planetary Science Summer School
Saturn’s moon Titan is an enigmatic icy world whose surface is constantly modified by its active, Earthlike precipitation system. Here, we propose the Titan’s Hydrocarbons: Uncovering New Dimensions of Evolutionary […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Ceres, Cryobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Dwarf Planet Ceres: Building Blocks Of Life Delivered From Space
Organic molecules are among the necessary inventory of life-friendly worlds. On Earth, the compounds of carbon, hydrogen and – in smaller quantities – other elements form the basic building blocks […]
![(A) X-ray fluorescence composite map. Red color shows P abundance, green shows Mg abundance, and blue shows Si abundance. White circles outline areas analyzed by ACRONM. White arrows indicate matrix and clasts that contain nanometer-to-micrometer scale phosphate detectable by EDX-TEM only [shown in (B)].](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Inorganic-Interpretation-of-Luminescent.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Status Report
Inorganic Interpretation of Luminescent Materials Encountered by the Perseverance Rover on Mars
A major objective of the Mars 2020 mission is to sample rocks in Jezero crater that may preserve organic matter for later return to Earth.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Tricorders & Sensors
Tricorder Tech: Ultra-small Spectrometer Yields The Power Of A Device 1,000 Times Larger
Editor’s note: as we send increasingly sophisticated astrobiology probes – to more places – often at much greater distances – they will need to be able to do more and […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
New And Improved James Webb Space Telescope MIRI MRS Photometric Calibration Now Available
The MIRI team has updated the photometric calibration reference files for the Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS), effective from CRDS context version 1263. This update reflects a more comprehensive analysis of […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
SPECtrophotometer for TRansmission spectroscopy of exoplanets (SPECTR)
The SPECtrophotometer for TRansmission spectroscopy of exoplanets (SPECTR) is a new low-resolution optical (3800 Å – 6850 Å) spectrophotometer installed at the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory (BOAO) 1.8 m telescope.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
The D/H Ratio in Titan’s Acetylene From High Spectral Resolution IRTF/TEXES Observations
We report observations of deuterated acetylene (C2HD) at 19.3 μm (519 cm−1) with the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in July 2017.