![Keck/NIRSPEC M -band spectrum of TRAPPIST-1 (black) with best-fit model (red). Top: echelle order 16 (λ ≈ 4.63–4.73 µm). Bottom: order 15 (λ ≈ 4.93–5.04 µm). Residuals (data minus model) are shown beneath each panel. Gray shading indicates the relative telluric transmission (dimensionless, 0–1). Masked pixels are omitted from the retrieval. -- [astro-ph.SR]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-Isotopic.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.SR]. Elemental and isotopic abundances are key tracers of planet formation, stellar evolution, and Galactic chemical evolution. Very low-mass stars are particularly interesting in this regard, because unlike more massive […]
TRAPPIST
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Activity And Composition of Periodic Comets 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko and 103P/Hartley 2 At Two Different Perihelion Passages
Through photometry and spectroscopy, we studied the evolution of the activity and chemical composition of comet 67P during its 2025 and 2021 perihelion passages and of comet 103P during its […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Hidden Gems In TESS: Sherlock Finds Two New Rocky Planets Around Nearby M Dwarfs
The Hidden Gems project searches the TESS data for additional planets transiting low-mass stars in confirmed systems. Our goal is to identify planet candidates that are below the detection threshold […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Three Earth-sized Planets Discovered In A Compact Binary System
An international team of researchers has just revealed the existence of three Earth-sized planets in the binary stellar system TOI-2267 located about 190 light-years away. This discovery, published in Astronomy […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Variations in Volatile-Driven Activity of Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) Revealed by Long-Term Multi-Wavelength Observations
Context. A comprehensive study of comets over a wide heliocentric distance range helps us understand the physical processes driving their activity and reveals compositional differences across dynamical groups. C/2017 K2 […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A Transiting Rocky Super-Earth And A Non-transiting Sub-Neptune Orbiting The M Dwarf TOI-771
The origin and evolution of the sub-Neptune population is a highly debated topic in the exoplanet community.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Water Condensation Zones Around Main Sequence Stars
Understanding the set of conditions that allow rocky planets to have liquid water on their surface — in the form of lakes, seas or oceans — is a major scientific […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
TESS Discovers A Super-Earth Orbiting The M Dwarf Star TOI-1680
We report the discovery by the TESS mission of a super-Earth on a 4.8-d orbit around an inactive M4.5 dwarf (TOI-1680) and its validation with ground-based facilities.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
A Key Planetary System Helps To Understand Formation Mechanisms Of Super-Earths
A study led by researchers of the University of Liège and the CSIC – using observations from NASA’s TESS telescope – presents the detection of a system of two planets […]