As comet 46P/Wirtanen neared Earth on December 2, astronomers using ALMA took a remarkably close look at its innermost regions.
Image Release: ALMA Maps Europa’s Temperature
New ALMA images show never-before-seen surface details on Europa, including an enigmatic “cold spot.”
VLBA Measures Asteroid’s Characteristics
Astronomers used the VLBA in an unusual way to learn new details about an asteroid’s size, shape, and orbit.
ALMA Confirms Complex Chemistry in Titan’s Atmosphere
Saturn’s frigid moon Titan has a curious atmosphere. In addition to a hazy mixture of nitrogen and hydrocarbons, like methane and ethane, Titan’s atmosphere also contains an array of more complex organic molecules, including vinyl cyanide, which astronomers recently uncovered in archival ALMA data. Under the right conditions, like those found on the surface of Titan, vinyl cyanide may naturally coalesce into microscopic spheres resembling cell membranes.
One of Life’s Building Blocks Found around Infant Sun-like Stars
ALMA has observed stars like the Sun at a very early stage in their formation and found traces of methyl isocyanate — a chemical building block of life.
ALMA Investigates ‘DeeDee,’ a Distant, Dim Member of Our Solar System
Far beyond Pluto is a recently discovered cold, icy body that astronomers call “DeeDee.” New ALMA observations reveal that it has “the right stuff” to be considered a dwarf planet.