We use 1.4-4.6 micron multi-band photometry of the small inner Uranian and Neptunian satellites obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope’s near-infrared imager NIRCam to characterize their surface compositions.
Neptune
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Neptune, Status Report, Triton
Constraints On Triton’s Atmospheric Evolution From Occultations: 1989-2022
Context – Around the year 2000, Triton’s south pole experienced an extreme summer solstice that occurs every about 650 years, when the subsolar latitude reached about 50°. Bracketing this epoch, […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune, Press Release, Uranus
Neptune-like Exoplanets Can Be Cloudy Or Clear — New Findings Suggest The Reason Why
The study of “exoplanets,” the sci-fi-sounding name for all planets in the cosmos beyond our own solar system, is a pretty new field. Mainly, exoplanet researchers like those in the […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Neptune, Press Release, Uranus
Calibrating Instruments For Exoplanets: What Neptune And Uranus Really Look Like
Neptune is fondly known for being a rich blue and Uranus green – but a new study has revealed that the two ice giants are actually far closer in colour […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune, Press Release
Exoplanet Practice: Webb Space Telescope Studies Uranus
Editor’s note: As we look outward at other worlds in other star systems we some major differences – and similarities with regard ot the variety of worlds and how they […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Missions & Hardware, Neptune, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors, Uranus
Chemical and Isotopic Composition Measurements on Atmospheric Probes Exploring Uranus and Neptune
So far no designated mission to either of the two ice giants, Uranus and Neptune, exists. Almost all of our gathered information on these planets comes from remote sensing.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune, Status Report
TOI-908: A Planet At The Edge Of The Neptune Desert Transiting A G-type Star
We present the discovery of an exoplanet transiting TOI-908 (TIC-350153977) using data from TESS sectors 1, 12, 13, 27, 28 and 39. TOI-908 is a T = 10.7 mag G-dwarf […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune, Press Release
Cheops Explores Mysterious Warm Mini-Neptunes
ESA’s exoplanet mission Cheops confirmed the existence of four warm exoplanets orbiting four stars in our Milky Way. These exoplanets have sizes between Earth and Neptune and orbit their stars […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune, Status Report
Terrestrial And Neptune Mass Free-floating Planet Candidates From The MOA-II 9-year Galactic Bulge Survey
We report the discoveries of low-mass free-floating planet (FFP) candidates from the analysis of 2006-2014 MOA-II Galactic bulge survey data.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune, Status Report
Atmospheres As Windows Into Sub-Neptune Interiors: Coupled Chemistry And Structure Of Hydrogen-Silane-Water Envelopes
Sub-Neptune exoplanets are commonly hypothesized to consist of a silicate-rich magma ocean topped by a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. Previous work studying the outgassing of silicate material has demonstrated that such atmosphere-interior […]