![[TOP] Marginal posterior probability distribution functions of the Bayesian fit to Eq. 1 when [X/H] is the mean abundance of iron-peak elements (left), volatile elements (middle), and α elements (right). The vertical line indicates the mean of the distribution. [BOTTOM] Same as above but considering only the stars with a spectral type earlier than F5. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Signatures.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] The gas-giant planet-metallicity correlation plays a fundamental role in our understanding of planet formation.
Astrogeology
Posted inMars
A Martian Horizon Last Monday Afternoon
This panel of two images was taken by Mars Perseverance rover at Jezero crater on Sol 1965 using its Left Navigation Camera (Navcam) The camera is located high on the […]
Posted inImaging & Spectroscopy
Analytical Platform (Microsampling, Catapulting, Trapping, and LIBS) for the Characterization of Discrete Domains in Samples of Astrochemical Interest
[Analytical Chemistry] The chemical characterization of scarce or heterogeneous solid samples remains a significant analytical challenge due to the high material quantities required by conventional techniques.
![Map of the (top) phase ratio I(5◦ )/I(15◦ ) at 2.0 µm and (bottom) phase reddening (with spectral slope computed between 2.1 µm and 2.5 µm). The maps were computed using a 10◦ × 10◦ grid at the Ryugu surface. The particularly high phase ratio and low phase reddening values for some grid elements located at latitude above 10◦N are due to a narrower phase angle range (see Appendix F, Fig. 20). All grid elements above this latitude were discarded for the computation of the average east and west properties.-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Updated.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inImaging & Spectroscopy
Updated in-flight Calibration Of The Hayabusa2/NIRS3 Spectrometer: New Global Near-infrared Photometric Properties Of Asteroid (162173) Ryugu
[astro-ph.EP] The Near InfraRed Spectrometer (NIRS3) onboard Hayabusa2 observed asteroid (162173) Ryugu, searching especially for signatures of water-bearing minerals.
![LT solution with 2036 launch. Continuous thick curve: trajectory, Short segments: thrust law, Dashed lines: planet and comet orbits. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Double-Gravity.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Double Gravity-Assist Rendezvous Trajectory to Halley’s Comet Using Deep-Space Low Thrust
[astro-ph.EP] The perihelion of comet 1P/Halley in 2061 is an excellent chance to revisit this object of outstanding scientific and cultural relevance. During its 1986 approach to the Sun, it […]
![Plot of the frequency vs. diameter for all asteroids with known or estimated rotation period with quality code 𝑈 ≥ 1. File data from the ALCDB of 1 Oct 2023, the last release (https://alcdef.org/). The two near-Earth asteroids, 2000 RD34 and 2000 DN8 (both with 𝑈 = 1), are shown together with the five LSFR from Rubin observations (red) and the candidate LSFR or almost candidate (due to borderline diameter as for 2015 RG36 and 2024 WB), which we have characterized at the Loiano Astronomical Station, managed by INAF-OAS in Italy (cyan). The curves for the rubble pile model with cohesion strength are from Eq. 12 (Sánchez and Scheeres, 2014). Our candidates LSFR has a cohesive strength between 102–104 Pa. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Photometric.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Photometric Characterization Of Near-Earth Asteroids: Rotation, Taxonomy, And Candidate Evidence For Internal Cohesion
[astro-ph.EP] We present the results of a survey of previously uncharacterized near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) conducted between the second half of 2024 and the first months of 2026 using broadband BVRcIc […]
Posted inMars
Mass Wasting On Mars
[NASA] Scarps such as this have either active mass wasting (landslides) or the potential for current mass wasting.
![KDE-based mass probability map for the latest solution (0.8 h before impact) of 2023 CX1, corresponding to the smallest positional uncertainty. Colors represent the spatial mass probability density, contours denote the highest posterior density regions, and crosses mark recovered meteorites (size and color proportional to mass). -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Sample-Return-Tech.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inMeteorites & Asteroids
Sample Return Tech: Pre-impact Meteorite Strewn Field Predictions For Imminent Impactors And Meteorite Recovery
[astro-ph.EP] The flux of meteoroids reaching the Earth is continuous, ranging from microscopic grains to occasional metre and decametre scale bodies. The smallest ones fully ablate in the upper atmosphere, […]
Posted inMars
Mars Curiosity Reaches 1-Kilometer Elevation Gain
[NASA]. NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover reached the pinnacle — so far — of its 14-year-old mission on Aug. 26, 2026, when it marked an elevation gain of 1 kilometer in […]
Posted inTitan
Dragonfly Gets Wired Up While Titan Landing Area Is Named
[NASA]. Peeking into the clean room at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, it might be one of the first things you notice about NASA’s Dragonfly: […]