Interstellar – Page 4 – My WordPress Site

The main image at left shows a combined Webb and Hubble view of spiral galaxy NGC 1637, with the region of interest Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, C. Kilpatrick (Northwestern), A. Suresh (Northwestern); Image Processing: J. DePasquale (STScI) Larger image

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

Astrochemistry: JWST Locates Supernova Progenitor Was Surrounded By Carbon-rich Dust

by Keith CowingFebruary 23, 2026February 23, 2026

Results assuming undetected contacts with technoemissions over the past 65 years. a: Number n of undetected past contacts required to achieve a present-day detectability of at least 95 %, as a function of the search radius R. The thin black line shows the number of habitable planets Np as a function of R calculated from Np = 1010 R dxrρdisk(r)θ(R − d), where d is the distance from Earth. The grey region marks where n > Np. b: Average emitter longevity versus R for selected n/Np values. c: Upper and lower bounds on the expected number of present-day detections, ⟨k⟩, computed from Equation (15) for detectabilities P = 95%, 99%, and 99.9% . For each P, all possible ⟨k⟩ values lie within the corresponding colored areas. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures

Undetected Past Contacts With Technological Species: Implications For Technosignature Science

by Keith CowingFebruary 23, 2026February 23, 2026

Three possible pathways for hydrogen abstraction from CH3CH2SH by the OH radical: (a) abstraction from the -CH2 group, (b) abstraction from the -SH group, and (c) abstraction from the -CH3 group. All geometries are optimized using the M06-2X/def2- TZVP level of theory, with energies calculated at CCSD(T)/CBS, including zero-point energy (ZPVE) corrections at M06-2X/def2- TZVP. The ... represent bond formation and cleavage processes, with significant bond lengths indicated in Å. The atom color scheme is consistent throughout the paper and is illustrated separately for reference. -- astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

Interstellar Formation of Thioethanal (CH3CHS). Gas-Phase and Ice-Surface Mechanisms involving Secondary Sulfur Products

by Keith CowingFebruary 20, 2026February 20, 2026

Overview of the L1544 (LEFT panel) and IRAS 16293–2422 (RIGHT panel) regions as traced by the Herschel3 continuum maps at 350 𝜇m. The white contours correspond to [5,7,9,12,14]𝜎, where 𝜎 is 12 MJy sr−1 in L1544, and 1.1 MJy sr−1 in IRAS 16293–2422, respectively. The FoVs of the GBT observations are shown as blue circles – solid line for Ku-band and dashed line for X-band observations (see Sect. 3). Green diamonds identify the continuum (∼1.3 mm) peak position in L1544 (Ward-Thompson et al. 1999) and the position of the A/B, and E objects in IRAS 16293–2422 (Kahle et al. 2023). The size of the Herschel beam (25′′) is shown in the bottom left corner, while the scale bar is shown in the bottom right. -- astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

Carbon Chain Diversity In L1544 And IRAS 16293-2422: An Astrochemical Pathfinder Study For The SKAO

by Keith CowingFebruary 19, 2026February 19, 2026

Results assuming undetected contacts with technoemissions over the past 65 yr. (a) Minimum number nmin of undetected past contacts required to achieve a present-day detectability of at least 95%, as a function of the search radius R. The thin black line shows the number of habitable planets Np as a function of R calculated from Np = 1010∫ drρdisk(r)θ(R − d), where d is the distance from Earth. The gray region marks where n > Np. (b) Average emitter longevity vs. R for selected n/Np values. (c) Upper and lower bounds on the expected number of present-day detections, 〈k〉, computed from Equation (15) for detectabilities P = 95 %, 99%, and 99.9%. For each P, all possible 〈k〉 values lie within the corresponding colored areas. -- The Astronomical Journal

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures, Societal Issues

If Alien Signals Reached Earth, Why Haven’t We Seen Them?

by Keith CowingFebruary 17, 2026February 17, 2026

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of Earth taken Feb. 14, 1990, by NASA’s Voyager 1 at a distance of 3.7 billion miles (6 billion kilometers) from the Sun. The image inspired the title of scientist Carl Sagan's book, "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space," in which he wrote: "Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us." The above image, “Pale Blue Dot Revisited,” was created in 2020 for the 30th anniversary of the iconic picture. The updated version used modern image-processing software and techniques to revisit the well-known Voyager view, while attempting to respect the original data and intent of those who planned the images. NASA/JPL-Caltech Larger image

Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Uranus, Venus

Pale Blue Dot Anniversary

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2026February 14, 2026

Structures of selected H2O adsorption configurations for cluster (left) and monolayer (right). Ice structures were generated with global optimization. The labels indicate the adsorption energy and the number of hydrogen bonds of type acceptor (A) and donor (D). The color code is as in Figure 1. -- physics.chem-ph

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astrochemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

Machine Learning Exploration Of Binding Energy Distributions Of H2O At Astrochemically Relevant Dust Grain Surfaces

by Keith CowingFebruary 14, 2026February 14, 2026

Molecular structures of cis-HCOOH and transHCOOH. Carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms are represented by grey, white, and red spheres, respectively -- astro-ph.GA

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Interstellar, News Summary Archives

Organic Acid Chemistry in ISM: Detection of Formic Acid and its Prebiotic Chemistry in Hot Core G358.93−0.03 MM1

by Keith CowingFebruary 12, 2026February 12, 2026

Chemistry in Extreme Environments -- ACS Central Science

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

Chemistry in Extreme Environments: The Mystery of Molecular Complexity In Space

by Keith CowingFebruary 11, 2026February 11, 2026

Supramolecular Interactions -- ACS Earth and Space Chemistry via X-mol.net

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

Supramolecular Interactions of Organometallic Origin Facilitating Astrochemical Reactions: An Electronic Structure Study Featuring Metal Cyanides versus Metal Isocyanides

by Keith CowingFebruary 11, 2026February 11, 2026