Habitable planets require life-essential elements, like nitrogen and phosphorus. Understanding how those elements ended up in a planetary body can give insight into the formation of the solar system and […]
asteroids
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
New Method Sharpens The Search For Alien Biology
For decades, the search for life beyond Earth has revolved around a key question: What molecules should scientists be looking for on other planets or moons?
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report
Carbonaceous Chondrites Provide Evidence For Late-stage Planetesimal Formation In A Pressure Bump
Carbonaceous chondrites are samples from planetesimals that formed 2-4 million years after solar system formation began.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
SPHERE’s Debris Disk Gallery: Tell-tale Signs Of Dust And Small Bodies In Distant Solar Systems
Observations with the instrument SPHERE at ESO’s Very Large Telescope have produced an unprecedented gallery of “debris disks” in exoplanetary systems. Gaël Chauvin (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy), project scientist […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Status Report
Debris Disks And Their Properties With The Habitable Worlds Observatory
The study of the last stages of planet formation, also known as debris disks, is fundamental to place constrains on the formation of planetary sized bodies.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Conferences and Meetings, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report
Workshop On Bennu And Ryugu: Samples From The Early Solar System
The Workshop on Bennu and Ryugu: Samples from the Early Solar System is scheduled for October 7–9, 2025, at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston, Texas.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Isotopic Composition Of Cometary Water And The Origin Of Earth’s Oceans
Studies of the water content and isotopic composition of water-rich asteroids and comets are of key interest for understanding the late accretion stage of the Solar System cometary and chondritic […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Comets and Asteroids, Conferences and Meetings, Missions & Hardware, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Sample Return, Status Report
Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG) Meeting (Request for Input and Updated Agenda)
The Extraterrestrial Materials Analysis Group (ExMAG) meeting is scheduled for September 15–19, 2025, at the Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) in Houston, Texas.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Meteorites: A Geologic Map Of The Asteroid Belt
Where do meteorites of different type come from? In a review paper in the journal Meteoritics & Planetary Science, published online this week, astronomers trace the impact orbit of observed […]
Posted inAlpha Centauri, Comets and Asteroids, Interstellar, Meteorites & Asteroids, Panspermia, Press Release
A Case Study of Interstellar Material Delivery: Alpha Centauri
Interstellar material has been discovered in our Solar System, yet its origins and details of its transport are unknown. Here we present α Centauri as a case study of the […]