Isotopologue ratios are anticipated to be one of the most promising signs of life that can be observed remotely. On Earth, carbon isotopes have been used for decades as evidence […]
Spectroscopy
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Viscous Heating As The Dominant Heat Source Inside The Water Snowline Of V883 Ori
FU Orionis-type objects(FUors) are embedded protostars that undergo episodes of high accretion, potentially indicating a widespread but poorly understood phase in the formation of low-mass stars.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Jupiter, Status Report
Spatial Variations of Jovian Tropospheric Ammonia via Ground-Based Imaging
Optical bandpass-filter observations can be simply processed to determine similar horizontal ammonia distributions above the Jovian cloud tops as mid-infrared and microwave observations.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Synthesis Of Urea On The Surface Of Interstellar Water Ice Clusters. A Quantum Chemical Study
Urea is a prebiotic molecule that has been detected in few sources of the interstellar medium (ISM) and in Murchison meteorite. Being stable against ultraviolet radiation and high-energy electron bombardment, […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune, Press Release
Exoplanet Practice: Webb Space Telescope Studies Uranus
Editor’s note: As we look outward at other worlds in other star systems we some major differences – and similarities with regard ot the variety of worlds and how they […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Charting Circumstellar Chemistry Of Carbon-rich AGB Stars: I. ALMA 3 mm Spectral Surveys
AGB stars are major contributors to the chemical enrichment of the ISM through nucleosynthesis and extensive mass loss.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Optimising Spectroscopic Observations Of Transiting Exoplanets
When observing the atmospheres of transiting exoplanets using high-resolution spectroscopy, one aims to detect well-resolved spectral features with high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) as is possible today with modern spectrographs.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The JWST Early Release Science Program for Direct Observations of Exoplanetary Systems V: Do Self-Consistent Atmospheric Models Represent JWST Spectra? A Showcase With VHS 1256 b
The unprecedented medium-resolution (R=1500-3500) near- and mid-infrared (1-18um) spectrum provided by JWST for the young (120-160Myr) low-mass (12-20MJup) L-T transition (L7) companion VHS1256b has opened new avenues for the in-depth […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Can Signs Of Life Be Detected On Enceladus?
As astrophysics technology and research continue to advance, one question persists: is there life elsewhere in the universe? The Milky Way galaxy alone has hundreds of billions of celestial bodies, […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Carbon-to-Oxygen Ratio in Cool Brown Dwarfs and Giant Exoplanets. I. The Benchmark Late-T dwarfs GJ 570D, HD 3651B and Ross 458C
Measurements of the C/O ratio in brown dwarfs are lacking, in part due to past models adopting solar C/O only. We have expanded the ATMO 2020 atmosphere model grid to […]