![Overview of the MIRI-MRS spectra of the three T Tauri disks along with ALMA views of their dust emission for illustrative purposes. The mid-IR emission is dominated by a dust continuum with particularly flat silicate features in DL Tau and V1094 Sco, revealing large micron-sized grains with a prominent silica feature. The 13-16 µm region shows a wealth of molecular features with a prominent C2H2, HCN, and CO2 features outlined in Fig. 2. In addition the pure rotational lines of H2 and the Ne [II] line are seen in all three disks. -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/MINDS.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
(Abridged) We aim to investigate the inner regions of large and massive disks orbiting T Tauri stars, thought to be progenitors of systems with wide-orbit planets and possible cases of […]
T Tauri star
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release
Astrochemistry: Hubble Observes Lupus 3 Star-forming Cloud
While this eerie NASA Hubble Space Telescope image may look ghostly, it’s actually full of new life. Lupus 3 is a star-forming cloud about 500 light-years away in the constellation […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
JWST Reveals Carbon-rich Chemistry in a Transitional Disk
We present JWST-MIRI Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) observations of the Classical T Tauri stars GM Aur and RX J1615.3-3255 (J1615), both hosting transitional disks.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
CO Detected in CI Tau b: Hot Start Implied by Planet Mass and MK
We acquired high-resolution infrared spectra of CI Tau, the host star of one of the few young planet candidates amenable to direct spectroscopic detection.
![A collection of photometric fluxes and spectra of T Cha are shown. The blue vertical lines represent the variability in optical fluxes (Alcalá et al. 1993). IR photometric fluxes are from 2MASS, WISE, IRAC, IRAS, and Herschel. The millimetre band fluxes correspond to ALMA at 0.85 and 3 mm, SEST at 1.3 mm, and ATCA at 3.3 mm. The mid-IR spectra from Spitzer (grey) and JWST (orange) shows a varying continuum. Inset figure: The AIBs at 6.2, 8.1, and 11.3 µm, prominently appearing in the JWST spectrum, are marked. The two strong lines in the JWST spectrum correspond to the fine-structure [Ar ii] 6.98 µm and [Ne ii] 12.81 µm transitions. -- astro-ph.SR](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Polycyclic-Aromatic-Hydrocarbon-PAH-Abundances.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) Abundances In The Disk Around T Chamaeleontis (T Cha): PAH Sizes, Ionization Fraction, And Mass During JWST Observations
The T Tauri star T Cha is known to have a protoplanetary disk with a dust gap separating the inner and outer disk regions. The mid-IR JWST spectrum of T […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
JWST/MIRI Detection Of A Carbon-rich Chemistry In A Solar Nebula Analog
It has been proposed, and confirmed by multiple observations, that disks around low mass stars display a molecule-rich emission and carbon-rich disk chemistry as compared to their hotter, more massive […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Empirical and Radiative Transfer Hybrid (EaRTH) Disk Model: Merging Analyses of Protoplanetary Dust Disk Mineralogy and Structure
Our understanding of how exoplanets form and evolve relies on analyses of both the mineralogy of protoplanetary disks and their detailed structures; however, these key complementary aspects of disks are […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
Hubble Views The Birth Of A Sun-like Star
Looking like a glittering cosmic geode, a trio of dazzling stars blaze from the hollowed-out cavity of a reflection nebula in this new image from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Astrochemistry At Work: A Star Is Born
Jets emerge from the cocoon of a newly forming star to blast across space, slicing through the gas and dust of a shining nebula in this new image from NASA’s […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Interstellar, Status Report
MINDS. Abundant Water And Varying C/O Across The Disk Of Sz 98 As Seen By JWST/MIRI
MIRI/MRS on board the JWST allows us to probe the inner regions of protoplanetary disks. Here we examine the disk around the classical T Tauri star Sz 98, which has […]