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Cometary ices are formed during star and planet formation, and their molecular and elemental makeup can be related to the early solar system via the study of inter- and protostellar material. The first cometary abundance of the halogen…

Remote observations of comets, especially using high spectral resolution millimeter spectroscopy, have enabled the detection of over 25 molecules in comets for the last twenty years. Among the molecules identified at radio wavelengths,…

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) can probe the molecular content of planet-forming disks with unprecedented sensitivity. These observations allow us to build up an inventory of the volatiles available for forming…

We have used the Spitzer Space Telescope Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) to observe the 5-37 micron thermal emission of comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 (SW3), components B and C. We obtained low spectral resolution (R ~ 100) data over the…

Here we review some of the major findings of the mass spectrometer suite ROSINA on board of ESA's Rosetta spacecraft to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. For more than 2 years, ROSINA continuously measured the composition of the gases…

Gas-phase sulphur bearing volatiles appear to be severely depleted in protoplanetary disks. The detection of CS and non-detections of SO and SO2 in many disks have shown that the gas in the warm molecular layer, where giant planets accrete…

There is increasingly more evidence being accumulated for the occurrence of large amounts of organic material in the cosmos, particularly in the form of aromatic compounds. These molecules can be found on the surface of Earth and Mars, in…

The chemical properties of protoplanetary disks are especially sensitive to their ionization environment. Sources of molecular gas ionization include cosmic rays, stellar X-rays and short-lived radionuclides, each of which varies with…

We have compiled a large sample of O, Ne, S, Cl, and Ar abundances which have been determined for 85 galactic planetary nebulae in a consistent and homogeneous manner using spectra extending from 3600-9600 Angstroms. Sulfur abundances have…

To date, gas phase observations of sulphur in dense interstellar environments have only constrained the molecular carriers of 1% of its predicted cosmic abundance. An additional 5% is known to be locked up in molecular solids in dense…

The long-lived spots caused by the impact of fragments of Comet S-L 9 on Jupiter can be understood if clouds of dust are produced by the impact. These clouds reside in the stratosphere, where they absorb visible light that would ordinarily…

Recent observations made by the Rosetta/ROSINA instrument have detected molecular oxygen in the coma of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with abundances at the 1-10% level relative to H2O. Previous studies have indicated that the likely…

The Rosetta spacecraft accompanied the comet 67P/C-G for nearly 2 years, collecting valuable data on the neutral and ion composition of the coma. The Rosetta Plasma Consortium (RPC) provided continuous measurements of the in situ plasma…

ESA's Rosetta spacecraft at comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (67P) was the first mission that accompanied a comet over a substantial fraction of its orbit. On board was the ROSINA mass spectrometer suite to measure the local densities of the…

The Odin satellite, launched in Feb. 2001, is equipped with a 1.1-m submillimetre telescope. Odin was used to observe the 557 GHz line of water with high spectral resolution in 12 comets between 2001 and 2005. Line shapes and spatial…

Despite its biogeneic and astrochemical importance, sulfur (S), the 10th most abundant element in the interstellar medium (ISM) with a total abundance of S/H~2.2E-5, largely remains undetected in molecular clouds. Even in the diffuse ISM…

The formation of planets occurs within protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars, resulting in perturbation of the gas and dust surface densities. Here, we report the first evidence of spatially resolved gas surface density…

Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) was observed with the Japanese infrared satellite AKARI in the near-infrared at a post-perihelion heliocentric distance of 1.7 AU. Observations were performed with the spectroscopic (2.5--5.0 micron) and imaging…

Comets are a rich reservoir of complex organic molecules. Ground and space-based observatories have recently greatly enhanced the cometary molecular inventory. Although these molecules' origin is believed to be the cometary nucleus, they…

In the Jovian atmosphere, the trace species are detected for the first time after the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 near 44$^\circ$S in July 1994. Most of these trace species are detected with spectroscopic millimeter/submillimeter…