Dwarf planets Eris and Makemake have surfaces bearing methane ice of unknown origin. D/H ratios were recently determined from James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations of Eris and Makemake, giving […]
Detection of indigenous organic matter (IOM) in rocks using molecular-laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is reported. IOM refers to carbon-based compounds of variable complexity intimately associated with mineral and amorphous phases […]
Context: The local census of very low-mass stars and brown dwarfs is crucial to improving our understanding of the stellar-substellar transition and their formation history. These objects, known as ultra-cool […]
This study introduces the exocomet curve of growth, a new method to analyse the variable absorptions observed in β Pictoris spectrum and link them to the physical properties of the […]
Engineers are working to stabilize a dust cover on one of the science instrument’s cameras.
The identification of preserved organic material within fossils is challenging. Well-established vibrational spectroscopy techniques, such as micro-FTIR (Fourier Transform Infra-Red spectroscopy), have been widely used to investigate organic fossils molecular […]
Using data from the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) — a joint project of NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR — Southwest Research Institute scientists have […]
Impacts from icy and rocky bodies have helped shape the composition of solar system objects, for example the Earth-Moon system, or the recent impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. […]
Venus Express provided a long-term monitoring of Venus atmosphere. Several works focused on the dynamics of the upper cloud visible on the day-side in ultraviolet images sensitive to the 65-70 […]
High-energy radiation from stars impacts planetary atmospheres deeply affecting their chemistry, providing departures from chemical equilibrium.
