One of the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) mission goals of the European Space Agency, launched in 2023 April, is the detailed characterization of Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon and a […]
cryovolcanism
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Interior-Atmosphere Coupling on TRAPPIST-1 f, g, and h: Cryovolcanic Water Exospheres and Infrared Detectability
We investigate the interior structures and cryovolcanic observability of the exoplanets TRAPPIST-1f, g, and h. Our aim is to determine which interior configurations can sustain subsurface liquid water oceans in […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Science Goals and Objectives for the Dragonfly Titan Rotorcraft Relocatable Lander
NASA’s Dragonfly mission will send a rotorcraft lander to the surface of Titan in the mid-2030s. Dragonfly’s science themes include investigation of Titan’s prebiotic chemistry, habitability, and potential chemical biosignatures […]
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 inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Ceres, Enceladus, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Microstructure Controls Sublimation Timescales of Exposed Salt-Rich Ices on Icy Worlds
Salt-rich water ice at the surfaces of icy worlds, for example, Europa, Enceladus, and Ceres, is of particular interest for Solar System exploration as it can represent a record of […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Simulating The Solar System’s Ice Volcanoes In The Lab
Scientists have been able to recreate the extreme conditions found on icy moons in deep space – and revealed the unstable behaviour of water.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Identifying Signatures Of Past And Present Cryovolcanism On Europa
Europa, the most visibly active icy moon of Jupiter, is a prime target for the search for life in the outer solar system.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Callisto, Comets and Asteroids, Enceladus, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
SwRI Scientists Find Evidence Of Geothermal Activity Within Icy Dwarf Planets
A team co-led by Southwest Research Institute found evidence for hydrothermal or metamorphic activity within the icy dwarf planets Eris and Makemake, located in the Kuiper Belt. Methane detected on […]
Posted inEnceladus, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Press Release, Titan
Particle Deposition On The Saturnian Satellites From Ephemeral Cryovolcanism On Enceladus
The geologically active south pole of Enceladus generates a plume of micron-sized particles, which likely form Saturn’s tenuous E-ring extending from the orbit of Mimas to Titan. Interactions between these […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Press Release
Active Cryovolcanism on Europa?
Evidence for plumes of water on Europa has previously been found using the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) using two different observing techniques. Roth et al. (2014) found line emission from […]