Tag: Astrochemistry
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Polarization Parallels: Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS and Distant Solar System Comets
Overview Recent polarimetric measurements of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, as reported by Z. Gray and colleagues, offer a surprising parallel with distant solar system comets. The analysis indicates that the microphysical properties of dust in the coma of 3I/ATLAS are not demonstrably different from those of far-flung comets within our own solar system. This finding…
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Water’s Ultraviolet Fingerprint Detected in Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
Interstellar Ice Reaches Our Solar System For millions of years, a fragment of ice and dust wandered between the stars. This summer, that cosmic traveler—named 3I/ATLAS—made a rare entry into our solar system, becoming only the third confirmed interstellar comet. Its journey has already begun to reshape our understanding of how planetary materials form and…
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Ultraviolet fingerprint of water detected in interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS
Interstellar visitors and a long-awaited water signal For millions of years, a fragment of ice and dust drifted between the stars, a sealed bottle released into the cosmic ocean. This summer, that bottle washed ashore in our solar system as 3I/ATLAS, only the third known interstellar comet. In a landmark observation, Auburn University scientists used…
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Unveiling Trapped CO2 on Saturn’s Moons: JWST Sheds Light on Ice, Organics, and Solar System Chemistry
Introduction: A New Window into Outer Solar System Chemistry The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is expanding our understanding of planetary surfaces far beyond Earth. A recent study focusing on the satellites of Saturn uses JWST spectra to identify solid-state CO2 trapped within diverse host materials across eight mid-sized moons. This work reveals that CO2…
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JWST Sheds Light on Trapped CO2 Across Saturn’s Satellites
Overview The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has opened a new window into the chemistry of the outer solar system by detecting solid state carbon dioxide (CO2) on eight mid-sized Saturnian satellites. Spanning moons inside and outside the Iapetus–Phoebe region, these observations illuminate how CO2 can be trapped in various host materials at temperatures where…
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ESA Recycles Mars and Jupiter Missions to Track Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
ESA Turns Mars and Jupiter Missions toward 3I/ATLAS The European Space Agency (ESA) is repurposing a fleet of its planetary missions to monitor the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS as it speeds through the inner solar system. First spotted in July 2025 by Chile’s ATLAS telescope, 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed interstellar object, distinguished by its…
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Phosphine on Brown Dwarfs Challenges Life-Signature Claims
Phosphine and the hunt for alien life Phosphine, a molecule composed of one phosphorus atom and three hydrogen atoms, has long been touted as a potential beacon of life beyond Earth. On our planet, phosphine is produced mainly by biological activity or through industrial synthesis, making it a compelling, albeit controversial, biosignature. In recent years,…
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Phosphine on a brown dwarf reshapes the life-sign biosignature debate
Phosphine on a brown dwarf: a surprising detection NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has detected phosphine in the atmosphere of Wolf 1130C, a brown dwarf often described as a “failed star.” The discovery, published in Science, challenges the idea that phosphine is a universal sign of life. Brown dwarfs sit between planets and stars:…
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Comet 3I/ATLAS set for multi-spacecraft observation as it nears the Sun
Overview: a rare celestial visitor aligned with multiple spacecraft As Comet 3I/ATLAS makes its approach toward the inner solar system, astronomers anticipate an unusually rich data window. The object, whose path brings it close to the Sun, will also be observable from vantage points near Mars and Jupiter. Space agencies and ground-based observatories are coordinating…
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Phosphine in Brown Dwarf Atmospheres: Biosignature Clues
Introduction: Phosphine and the hunt for life beyond Earth Scientists seeking life beyond our planet often focus on biosignatures—molecules that hint at biological processes. Phosphine, a gas produced by anaerobic microbes on Earth, has long been proposed as a potential marker of life. Yet before any molecule can be treated as a true biosignature, researchers…