A key discovery from NASA’s Cassini mission in 2008 was that Saturn’s largest moon Titan may have a vast water ocean below its hydrocarbon-rich surface. But reanalysis of mission data […]
Titan
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Titan, TRAPPIST-1
A New Look At TRAPPIST-1e, An Earth-sized, Habitable-zone Exoplanet
Of the seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, one planet in particular has attracted the attention of scientists, because it orbits the star within the “Goldilocks zone” […]
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, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Pluto, Status Report, Titan
Refractive Indices Of Photochemical Haze Analogs For Solar System And Exoplanet Applications: A Cross-laboratory Comparative Study Between The PAMPRE And COSmIC Experimental Set-ups
Previous observations of Titan, Pluto and Solar System gas giants along with recent observations of exoplanet atmospheres with the James Webb Space Telescope taught us that photochemical hazes are ubiquitous […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Titan
Prebiotic Chemistry Insights for Dragonfly: Thermodynamics of Amino Acid Synthesis in Selk Crater on Titan
Saturnian moon Titan presents a compelling testbed for probing prebiotic chemistry beyond early Earth. Impact-generated melt pools provide transient aqueous habitats in an otherwise cryogenic environment.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Saturn, Status Report, Titan
Flower-like Satellite Constellations To Guide Future Missions Around TitanSatellite Navigation
Exploring Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, presents unique orbital challenges due to its dense atmosphere, gravitational perturbations, and limited sunlight. A new study proposes an innovative satellite constellation architecture based on […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How Does Ice Shell Geometry Shape Ocean Dynamics On Icy Moons?
A poleward-thinning ice shell can drive circulation in the subsurface oceans of icy moons by imposing a meridional temperature gradient–colder at the equator than the pole–through the freezing point suppression […]
Posted inEuropa, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Status Report, Titan
Growth, Physiology, And Metabolism Of Halomonas Meridiana In Aqueous Ammonium Sulfate With Implications For Icy Moon Astrobiology
The discovery of extraterrestrial reservoirs of liquid water has motivated missions to icy moons Europa and Titan.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Titan
Unexpected Discovery On Titan Challenges Our View On Chemistry Before Life Emerged
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and the US space agency NASA have made an unexpected discovery that challenges one of the basic rules of chemistry and provides […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Enceladus, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Enceladus’ Tidal Heating: A Simple Approach
Saturn’s moon Enceladus has a global ocean that is covered by an ice shell. The moon’s eccentric orbit forces the shell to librate, which distorts the shell and thereby generates […]