We present spatially resolved Keck/NIRC2 images of a stellar occultation by Titan on September 5, 2022 and compare them to predictions from concurrent ALMA observations and a suite of General […]
Titan
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
The Photochemical Plausibility of Warm Exo-Titans Orbiting M-Dwarf Stars
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has begun to spectrally characterize small exoplanets orbiting M-dwarf stars, but interpretation of these spectra is ambiguous, with stellar, instrumental, or atmospheric origins possible […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Status Report, Titan
Modeling Low-Temperature Plasmas Simulating Titan’s Atmosphere
In the study presented here, we model the gas phase chemistry induced by plasma discharge at low temperature (150 K) in the NASA Ames COSmIC Simulation Chamber (COSmIC) using a […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
NASA OIG Report: NASA’s Management Of The Dragonfly Project
Dragonfly, a rotorcraft lander that will fly like a large drone, is designed to gather samples from Saturn’s moon Titan, characterize Titan’s habitability, and look for precursors of the origin […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Dragonfly Astrobiology Mission Progresses Through Key Development And Test Activities
NASA’s Dragonfly mission has cleared several key design, development and testing milestones and remains on track toward launch in July 2028.
![[LEFT] Titan [RIGHT] Uranus -- NASA.gov](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Photochemical-Haze-Formation.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan, Uranus
Photochemical Haze Formation on Titan and Uranus: A Comparative Review
The formation and evolution of haze layers in planetary atmospheres play a critical role in shaping their chemical composition, radiative balance, and optical properties.
Posted inEnceladus, Europa, Extinction events, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Impacts on Ocean Worlds Are Sufficiently Frequent and Energetic to Be of Astrobiological Importance
Evidence for the beneficial role of impacts in the creation of urable or habitable environments on Earth prompts the question of whether meteorite impacts could play a similar role at […]
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Titan
NASA Research Shows Path Toward Protocells on Titan
NASA research has shown that cell-like compartments called vesicles could form naturally in the lakes of Saturn’s moon Titan.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Impact events, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report, Titan
Modeling Atmospheric Alteration on Titan: Hydrodynamics and Shock-Induced Chemistry of Meteoroid Entry
Meteoroid entry into planetary atmospheres generates bow shocks, resulting in high-temperature gas conditions that drive chemical reactions.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Titania, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Thermodynamic Perspective On Potential Life In Icy Ocean Worlds
Dr. Seda Işık, who completed her doctorate at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) Eurasia Institute of Earth Sciences in the Earth System Science Program, achieved significant results in interpreting chemical evidence […]