Earth- and space-based observations provide synergistic information for space mission encounters by providing data over longer timescales, at different wavelengths and using techniques that are impossible with an in situ flyby. We report here such observations in support of the EPOXI spacecraft flyby of comet 103P/Hartley 2. The nucleus is small

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We present an abundance analysis of the star Cernis 52 in whose spectrum we recently reported the naphthalene cation in absorption at 6707.4 Å. This star is on a line of sight to the Perseus molecular complex. The analysis of high-resolution spectra using a χ2-minimization procedure and a grid of synthetic spectra provides the stellar parameters

The stability of C60 and C70 fullerenes in the interstellar medium deposited on dust surface or embedded in meteorites and comets has been simulated with γ irradiation and with He+ ion bombardment. It is shown by vibrational spectroscopy that a γ radiation dose of 2.6MGy (1Gy = 1 joule absorbed energy per kilogram) causes partial oligomerization of

The aliphatic amino acids L-alanine and L-leucine and the aromatic amino acids L-phenylalanine, L-tyrosine and L-tryptophan were irradiated in the solid state to a dose of 3.2 MGy. The degree of decomposition was measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Furthermore the degree of radioracemization was measured by optical rotatory

Fulleranes, the hydrogenated fullerenes C60H36 and C60D36 have been synthesized in n-hexane where they show an absorption maximum at 217 nm in their electronic absorption spectra with molar extinction coefficients ɛ217 = 17140 and 16480L cm-1 mol-1, respectively, which correspond to absorption cross-sections of order 6500 Mbarn, about 10 times

The infrared spectra, as well as the integrated molar absorptivity (Ψ) and the molar extinction coefficient (ɛ) of each infrared transition of the hydrogenated fullerenes (known as fulleranes) C60H36, C60H18 and C70H38, and a mixture of fulleranes generally referred to as 77 per cent of C60Hx and 22 per cent C70Hy with x≈y > 30, are presented and

The detection of C60 and C70 fullerenes in young planetary nebulae and in reflection nebulae suggests that these molecules are more common in certain astrophysical environments than previously thought. The dependence on temperature of the positions and widths of the infrared bands of the C60 and C70 fullerenes is needed for a firm qualitative

We report high-resolution spectroscopy of the moderately reddened (AV=3) early-type star Cernis 52 located in a region of the Perseus molecular cloud complex with anomalous microwave emission. In addition to the presence of the most common diffuse interstellar bands (DIBs) we detect two new interstellar or circumstellar bands coincident to within 0

Amino acids in Solar system bodies may have played a key role in the chemistry that led to the origin of life on Earth. We present laboratory studies testing the stability of amino acids against high energy radiation. All the 20 chiral amino acids in the levo form found in the proteins of the current terrestrial biochemistry were irradiated in the

We have obtained high-resolution optical spectroscopy of 10 reddened O-type stars with Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph at Very Large Telescope to search for interstellar bands of the naphthalene cation (C10H8+) in the intervening clouds. No absorption features were detected near the laboratory strongest band of this cation at 6707 Å

We report the discovery of a new broad interstellar (or circumstellar) band at 7088.8 +/- 2.0 Å coincident to within the measurement uncertainties with the strongest band of the anthracene cation (C14H10+) as measured in gas-phase laboratory spectroscopy at low temperatures. The band is detected in the line of sight of star Cernis 52, a likely

The AGILE gamma-ray burst GRB 080514B is the first detected to have emission above 30 MeV and an optical afterglow. However, no spectroscopic redshift for this burst is known. We report on our ground-based optical/NIR and millimeter follow-up observations of this event at several observatories, including the multi-channel imager GROND on La Silla

We present 10 new Spitzer detections of fullerenes in Magellanic Cloud Planetary Nebulae, including the first extragalactic detections of the C70 molecule. These new fullerene detections together with the most recent laboratory data permit us to report an accurate determination of the C60 and C70 abundances in space. Also, we report evidence for