We carried out wind tunnel experiments on parabolic flights with 100 μm Mojave Mars simulant sand. The experiments result in shear stress thresholds and erosion rates for varying g-levels at […]
astrogeology
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Oxygen Fugacities Of Extrasolar Rocks: Evidence for an Earth-like Geochemistry of Exoplanets
Oxygen fugacity is a measure of rock oxidation that influences planetary structure and evolution. Most rocky bodies in the Solar System formed at oxygen fugacities approximately five orders of magnitude […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Measuring The Atomic Composition Of Planetary Building Blocks
Volatile molecules are critical to habitability, yet difficult to observe directly at the optically thick midplanes of protoplanetary disks, where planets form. We present a new technique to measure indirectly […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Planet Formation and Migration Near the Silicate Sublimation Front in Protoplanetary Disks
The increasing number of newly detected exoplanets at short orbital periods raises questions about their formation and migration histories. A particular puzzle that requires explanation arises from one of the […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Hydrogen Isotopic Evidence For Early Oxidation Of Silicate Earth
The Moon-forming giant impact extensively melts and partially vaporizes the silicate Earth and delivers a substantial mass of metal to Earth’s core. Subsequent evolution of the magma ocean and overlying […]
Posted inAstrogeology
Earth's Building Blocks – Distribution Of Volatile Elements
Chemical analyses of meteorites allow for a better estimation of the chemical composition of the Earth and its potential building blocks. That is the result of a study conducted by […]
Posted inAstrogeology
New Mineral Classification System Captures Earth's Complex Past
The first minerals to form in the universe were nanocrystalline diamonds, which condensed from gases ejected when the first generation of stars exploded. Diamonds that crystallize under the extreme pressure […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Radio Search For Artificial Emissions From ‘Oumuamua
It’s the first time a visitor from another star system has been seen nearby. But what is it? An asteroid, a comet … or an alien artifact? Scientists at the […]
Posted inPress Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Outback Radio Telescope Listens in on Interstellar Visitor
A telescope in outback Western Australia has been used to listen to a mysterious cigar-shaped object that entered our Solar System late last year. The unusual object–known as ‘Oumuamua–came from […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures
Breakthrough Listen Releases Initial Results and Data from Observations of ‘Oumuamua
No evidence of artificial signals emanating from the object so far detected by the Green Bank Telescope, but monitoring and analysis continue. Initial data are available for public inspection in […]