![Top view schematic of the experimental geometry at the PWK1 plasma wind tunnel facility. The geometrical thickness đť‘ denotes the extent of the radiating plasma along the line of sight as observed by the Echelle spectrometer. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Determining.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Laboratory simulations of meteor ablation provide a critical quantitative link between the chemical composition of meteoroids and their observed spectral features.
astrogeology
First Landing Site Workshop: SkyFall Mission To Mars
February 9-10, 2027, Virtual You are invited to participate in the First Landing Site Workshop (LSW) for the SkyFall mission to Mars. The virtual workshop will be held February 9-10, […]
Posted inReports, Roadmaps, & Plans
NASA Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI ) CAN Frequently Asked Questions
[NASA]. Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN)-5 solicits multi-institutional team-based proposals for research as participating members of the Institute.
![Radius valley plot showing the sub-populations of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes as circles and triangles, respectively. The black line and grey shaded region denote an average radius valley (Ho & Van Eylen 2023) for the population and its 1𝜎 uncertainty region, respectively. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/No-Statistically-.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inStellar Cartography
No Statistically Significant Evidence For A Correlation Between Stellar And planetary Composition
[astro-ph.EP] The chemical compositions of planets and their hosts stars are intrinsically linked, having formed from the same protostellar material.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
What The Solar System Can Teach Us About Rocky Exoplanets
[astro-ph.EP] The number of rocky extrasolar planets being discovered continues to increase, but so too does the apparent diversity of such worlds.
Posted inCeres
Spectral Evolution Of Ceres’ Surface and Implications For Space Weathering
[astro-ph.EP] The surface of Ceres exposed to the space environment will be gradually altered, but the evolution of its spectral properties remains poorly understood. Here we analyze visible and infrared […]
![Temporal evolution of selected species and D/H ratios during the cloud (top panels) and core stages (lower panels). Panels (a) and (e) show the abundances of selected species during the cloud and core stages, respectively. Solid, dashed, and dotted lines denote models with Z = 1, 0.5, and 0.2, respectively. The remaining panels show the temporal evolution of the D/H ratios and the H2 OPR for Z = 1 (b, f), Z = 0.5 (c, g), and Z = 0.2 (d, h). In all panels, time is normalized by Ď„freeze for the corresponding density and metallicity. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/High-water.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry
High Water D/H Ratio of the Interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is Consistent With a Low-metallicity Origin
[astro-ph.EP] Recent JWST observations have revealed unusually high 12C/13C ratios in carbon-bearing molecules of the interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, consistent with formation in a lower-metallicity environment than the present-day local interstellar […]
Posted inMars
Hints of Clay On Mars
CRISM multispectral mapping data show strong clay (phyllosilicate) and pyroxene spectral signatures in different locations in and around this impact crater. Enhanced color can also help us to distinguish compositional […]
Posted inVenus
Venus (Probably) Ate Its Moon
[UC Riverside] Scientists have long speculated why Venus, with a similar size, mass, and structure to Earth, doesn’t have a moon. New UC Riverside research shows it’s because our hungry […]
![Low-angle backscatter electron (LABE) imaging (Supplement 9) of sample OREX-220001-1 consisting of particles obtained from inside the SRC but exterior to the sample canister — including fragments of Bennu, SRC char, and metal. FG, fine-grained. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/OSIRIS-REx.png?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1)
Posted inSample Return
OSIRIS-REx Returned a Pristine Sample of Asteroid Bennu: Takeaways from the Mission’s Contamination Control and Knowledge Program
[astro-ph.EP] NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission had the objective of delivering a pristine sample from asteroid (101955) Bennu to Earth for scientific analysis–where “pristine” signifies the absence of foreign materials that could […]