[astro-ph.GA] We investigate spatial variations in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) properties and photoelectric heating efficiency in 67 nearby luminous infrared galaxies from the Great Observatories All-sky LIRG Survey (GOALS).
Spitzer
Posted inImpact events
JWST Studies Of Planet-shattering Collisions
[ESA]. In the early history of our Solar System, a Mars-sized object called Theia smashed into the infant Earth, vapourising massive amounts of rock and blasting it into space. Some […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Stellar Flares Rather Than High Tint As Possible Cause For the Missing Methane In Young Exoplanets: The Case Study of V1298-Tau b
[astro-ph.EP] Recent observations of V1298-Tau b, a warm sub-Neptune (R=9.85±0.3R⊕, M=13.1±5.3,M⊕, Teq=670K) orbiting a young (10-30Myr) K star, show depleted methane and surprising abundances of CO2 in its atmosphere.
Posted inBrown Dwarfs
SMDET-1: A Nearby Y Dwarf Candidate
[astro-ph.SR] We present the discovery of SMDET-1, a red, fast-moving object (μ≈1.3″/yr) identified in time-resolved unWISE coadds using a pixel-level deep learning methodology called SMDET.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
In The Heart Of Planetary Nebula Tc 1, A Buckyball Of Buckyballs
Fullerene C60, the molecule that looks like a soccer ball, had already been identified in the planetary nebula Tc 1 by the Spitzer Space Telescope in 2010. Now a team […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Probing The Atmospheres Of Young Long-Period Sub-Neptune Progenitors With ELT/ANDES
High-resolution cross-correlation spectroscopy (HRCCS) has emerged as a powerful technique for detecting and characterizing exoplanet atmospheres from the ground.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Epsilon Eridani, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Direct Imaging For The Debris Disk Around epsilon Eridani With The Cool-Planet Imaging Coronagraph
We analyze the inner debris disk around ϵ Eridani using simulated observations with the Cool-Planet Imaging Coronagraph (CPI-C).
![The ≈1000 au environment of RW Aur at different wavelengths, as observed by ALMA and JWST. Panel (a): compact dust continuum emission at 1.3 mm wavelength (see Kurtovic et al. 2024, for a detailed study). Panel (b): continuum emission from MIRI-MRS subband 1A. Panel (c): Peak emission map of H2S(3). Panel (d): Peak emission map of [Fe II]. Panel (e): Moment 0 map of the 12CO emission at 230.538 GHz, as observed with ALMA. Panel (f): Peak emission map of H2S(3). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MINDS.-Young-binary-systems-with-JWSTMIRI.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
MINDS. Young Binary Systems With JWST/MIRI: Variable Water-rich Primaries And Extended Emission
As part of the JWST GTO program MINDS, we analyze the mid-infrared emission of three Class II binary systems: VW Cha, WX Cha, and RW Aur, to investigate the impact […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Mapping Water Ice With Infrared Broadband Photometry
Interstellar ices play a fundamental role in the physical and chemical evolution of molecular clouds and star-forming regions, yet their large-scale distribution and abundance remain challenging to map.
![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.