Interstellar ice plays a key role in the thermal evolution of the interstellar medium and in astrochemical pathways, yet its large-scale distribution remains poorly constrained.
WISE
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Conferences and Meetings, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
The Dyson Minds 2025 Workshop: SETI around Black Holes
The Dyson Minds 2025 Workshop, held at the Center for Brains, Minds & Machines at MIT and organized by Penn State, MIT, and The Ultraintelligence Foundation, brought together researchers in […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Citizen Science / Open Science, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Three Thousand Motion-Confirmed L and T Dwarf Candidates From The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 Citizen Science Project
The Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 citizen science project uses data from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer to detect infrared objects with significant motion.
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.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Exploring The Habitability And Interior Composition Of Exoplanets Lying Within The Extended Habitable Zone
Studying the habitability, internal structure and composition of exoplanets is crucial for understanding their potential to sustain life beyond our solar system.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
The Resolved Behavior of Dust Mass, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Fraction, and Radiation Field in ~ 800 Nearby Galaxies
We present resolved 3.6−250 μm dust spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting for ∼800 nearby galaxies. We measure the distribution of radiation field intensities heating the dust, the dust mass surface […]
Posted inAstropharmacy / Biotechnology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Intelligence & Language, Science Fiction, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report
Technosignatures: Did WISE Detect Dyson Spheres/Structures Around Gaia-2MASS-selected Stars?
Soon after the release of the WISE all-sky catalogue of 500 million mid-infrared (IR) objects, suggestions were made that it could be used to search for extrasolar devices constructed by […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Discovery Of 118 New Ultracool Dwarf Candidates Using Machine Learning Techniques
We present the discovery of 118 new ultracool dwarf candidates, discovered using a new machine learning tool, named SMDET, applied to time series images from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, Status Report
Processing of Hydrocarbon Dust In Star-forming Galaxies Revealed With AKARI
Hydrocarbon dust is one of the dominant components of interstellar dust, which mainly consists of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and aliphatic hydrocarbons. While hydrocarbon dust is thought to be processed in […]
Posted inBrown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Dark Kinetic Heating of Exoplanets and Brown Dwarfs
Dark kinetic heating of neutron stars has been previously studied as a promising dark matter detection avenue. Kinetic heating occurs when dark matter is sped up to relativistic speeds in […]