February 2025 - Page 2 of 16

2-dimensional illustrations for the on-sky locations (α, δ) for the first, discovery, and last images of the LSST discoveries with 13 ≤ H ≤ 14 for qs = 2.8 for all years (top row), odd rolling years (middle row) and even rolling years (bottom row). This excludes Year 2 of the simulation, which only deploys a rolling cadence over half of the survey footprint. The white star indicates the Solar Apex and the thin white line indicates the galactic plane. A sample of the observations for 10 ISOs is shown in the last column: the first, discovery, and last observations are connected by straight lines of random colour and the last observation is marked by a white dot to indicate the direction of motion. — astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Interstellar, Panspermia

The Visibility of the Ōtautahi-Oxford Interstellar Object Population Model in LSST

by Keith CowingFebruary 25, 2025February 25, 2025

Formation and growth of the disk. Gas surface densities (in g cm-2 ) for the inner 200 AU of the disk are shown at 13, 21, 30, 40, 50 and 60 kyr in (a) – (f). -- astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Interstellar

Habitable Worlds Formed at Cosmic Dawn

by Keith CowingFebruary 25, 2025February 25, 2025

A paleo-art reconstruction of a scene from the late Early Triassic, showing a coastal mudplain to alluvial ecosystem in the Heshanggou Formation, North China Credit Mr J Sun (CC BY 4.0)

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Fossils & Paleontology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives

Fossils Reveal Rapid Land Recovery After End-Permian Extinction

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Daisyworld is a basic planet filled with two kinds of daisies that together regulate the temperature to maintain ideal conditions. If the planet heats up or cools down too quickly, all the daisies will go extinct, even if they would otherwise have been able to survive just fine under those conditions. This discovery mirrors similar observations found in other models and observed in real-life ecosystems. Credit Hannah Daniel/AIP

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones

Rapid Environmental Change Can Threaten Even A Peaceful Daisyworld

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025

Zoom into the FU Ori binary system and the newly discovered accretion streamer. This artist's impression shows the newly discovered streamer constantly feeding mass from the envelope into the binary system. Image credit: NSF/NRAO/S. Dagnello larger image

Astronomy & Telescopes, Stellar Cartography

Orion’s Erupting Star System Reveals Its Secrets

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025September 18, 2025

Life Support Systems, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Moon

Developing An Alternative Medium For In-space Biomanufacturing

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Opacities of molecules in our best-fit model, with abundances matching the best-fit value (for H2O, CH4, NH3, HCN and C2H2) and 2σ upper limits (for CO and CO2) from our best-fit model. Opacities in the upper panel are at R=100 and in the lower panel are at R=1000 (matching the resolution used in our pRT retrievals). In the lower panel we highlight the regions where HCN and C2H2 absorb most strongly in the near- and mid-IR. For the WISE-0458 abundances, both species are only detectable in the mid-IR around 14 µm in the WISE-0458 atmosphere. With sufficiently high abundances (higher than those observed here), both species might become detectable in the near-IR, at 3 µm and 1.5 µm. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Imaging & Spectroscopy

HCN And C2H2 In The Atmosphere Of A T8.5+T9 Brown Dwarf binary

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025February 24, 2025

A hycean world -- Grok via Astrobiology.com

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Examining the Potential for Methyl Halide Accumulation and Detectability in Possible Hycean-Type Atmospheres

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Mars

A Hybrid Origin for the Martian Atmosphere

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy

The GAPS Programme at TNG LXVII. Detection Of Water And Preliminary Characterisation Of The Atmospheres Of The Two Hot Jupiters KELT-8 b And KELT-23 Ab

by Keith CowingFebruary 24, 2025February 24, 2025

Extreme Arabian Environments And Their Microbiomes: New Frontiers For Astrobiology And Biosignature Discovery

Astrobiology assesses the habitability of planetary bodies and the potential for extraterrestrial life. Analog environments on Earth serve as sites for studying extreme environments that resemble extraterrestrial conditions, aiding in validating life-detection methods, mission instrumentation, and biosignature preservation. These environments function as a source of model microorganisms and communities that define the habitability and biochemistry…

by Keith Cowing April 13, 2026April 13, 2026

From Early Earth to Enceladus – Mineral Electrochemistry Could Drive Organic Synthesis

At some point in Earth’s history, chemistry transitioned from abiotic organic synthesis—the building of more complicated organic molecules from smaller ones by nonbiological means—to biochemistry. Hydrothermal settings are compelling sites for the origins of this transition because they are natural chemical reactors. In this non-equilibrium setting; hot, reduced fluids continuously mix with cold, oxidized seawater…

by Keith Cowing April 13, 2026April 13, 2026

Chang’e Mission Samples Reveal How Exogenous Organic Matter Evolves On The Moon

Elements essential to life, such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur, were “delivered” to the Earth and Moon during the early stages of the Solar System via asteroids and comets impacting their surfaces. These exogenous materials may have provided the chemical building blocks necessary for the origin and early evolution of life on Earth.…

by Keith Cowing April 13, 2026April 13, 2026