Asteroids are the remnants of the planetary formation in the Solar System and so, their study helps us to understand the conditions during the early stages of the formation of our planetary system. Among asteroids, those classified as primitives present similar spectra to that of carbonaceous chondrites, i.e., they are rich in carbon and organic compounds and silicates altered by the presence of liquid water (phyllosilicates). Primitive asteroids are well characterized in various wavelength regions, showing their most diagnostic feature at 3μm. However, there is a lack of information in the

Massive stars, those over ten times heavier than our Sun, are the conduits of most elements of the periodic table and drive the morphological and chemical makeup of their host galaxies. Yet the origin of the most luminous and hottest stars among them, called 'blue supergiants', has been debated for many decades. Blue supergiants are strange stars. First, they are observed in large numbers, despite conventional stellar physics expecting them to live only briefly. Second, they are typically found alone, despite most massive stars being born with companions. Third, the majority of them harbour

It is well known that fullerenes – big, complex, and highly resistant carbon molecules with potential applications in nanotechnology – are mostly seen in planetary nebulae (PNe); old dying stars with progenitor masses similar to our Sun. Fullerenes, like C60 and C70, have been detected in PNe whose infrared (IR) spectra are dominated by broad unidentified IR (UIR) plateau emissions. The identification of the chemical species (structure and composition) responsible for such UIR emission widely present in the Universe is a mystery in astrochemistry; although they are believed to be carbon-rich