One of the biggest recent surprises in astronomy is the discovery that most stars like the Sun harbor a planet between the size of Earth and Neptune within the orbit […]
Ice Giant
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Uncertainty In Water Mass Fraction Of Wet Planets
Planets with masses between Earth and Neptune often have radii that imply the presence of volatiles, suggesting that water may be abundant in their interiors. However, directly observing the precise […]
Posted inConferences and Meetings, Ice Giant, Neptune, Status Report, Uranus
OPAG Town Hall at AGU Fall Meeting 2025: December 18
The Outer Planets Assessment Group (OPAG) will hold a Town Hall at the AGU meeting in New Orleans, LA. Please join us for a community discussion! The steering committee will […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Ice Giant, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Neptune, Press Release, Uranus
Uranus And Neptune Might Be Rock Giants
The planets in the Solar System are typically divided into three categories based on their composition: the four terrestrial rocky planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars), followed by the two […]
Posted inAriel, Astrogeology, Callisto, Ceres, Charon, Dione, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Iapetus, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Mimas, Miranda, Missions & Hardware, Moon, Oberon, Phoebe, Pluto, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Rhea, Status Report, Tethys, Titan, Titania, Triton, Umbriel, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Icy Worlds: Moons And Dwarf Planets
In the outer solar system beyond Jupiter, water ice is a dominant component of planetary bodies, and most solid objects in this region are classified as icy bodies.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Ice Giant, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A JWST Transit Of A Jupiter Analog: II. A Search For Exomoons
We present a search for exomoons around the Jupiter-like exoplanet Kepler-167e using a NIRSpec JWST transit.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Missions & Hardware, Neptune, Status Report, Uranus
Ice Giants Pre-Decadal Survey Mission Study Report
The Ice Giants Study was commissioned by NASA to take a fresh look (as of 2017) at science priorities and concepts for missions to the Uranus and Neptune systems in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Dust Recycling and Icy Volatile Delivery (DRIVE): A Novel Method of Volatile Enrichment in Cold Giant Planets
Giant planet atmospheres are thought to reflect the gas phase composition of the disk when and where they formed.
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Ice Giant, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
The Coupled Tidal Evolution of the Moons and Spins of Warm Exoplanets
Context: The Solar System giant planets harbour a wide variety of moons. Moons around exoplanets are plausibly similarly abundant, even though most of them are likely too small to be […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Neptune, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Fate of Hydrogen and Helium: From Planetary Embryos to Earth- and Neptune-like Worlds
Hydrogen, helium, silicates, and iron are key building blocks of rocky and gas-rich planets, yet their chemical interactions remain poorly constrained.