China’s Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter successfully imaged the third interstellar object, 3I/ATLAS, during its close encounter with Mars using the onboard HiRIC CMOS camera. This is China’s first deep-space observation of […]
dust
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mars, Status Report
Martian Concretion Sizes Predicted From Two Independently Constrained Inputs: Atmospheric Dust Grain Size And Obliquity-forced Wetting Duration
Diagenetic concretions have been identified at multiple widely separated sites on Mars, including Meridiani Planum (Opportunity), Gale crater (Curiosity), and Jezero crater (Perseverance).
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Direct View of the Chemical Properties of Water from Another Planetary System: Water D/H in 3I/ATLAS
All detected water reservoirs in the solar system exhibit a deuterium enrichment that links back to the physical environment at the time of stellar birth.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Electric Sparks Detected By Perseverance In Mars Dust Devils And Storms
NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover has recorded the sounds of electrical discharges —sparks — and mini-sonic booms in dust devils on Mars. Long theorized, the phenomenon has now been confirmed through […]
Posted inMars, Status Report
Origins Of Streak Features On Mars
This image from the Colour and Stereo Surface Imaging System (CaSSIS) onboard the European orbiter also shows the faint cluster of impact craters in the discoloured region at the base […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Venus
The Effect Of Near-surface Winds On Surface Temperature And Dust Transport On Venus
The knowledge of the Venus near-surface atmosphere is sparse. Few spacecrafts landed on the surface and measured winds with amplitudes below 1 m/s.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report
Orbital View Of A Martian Dust Avalanche
Relatively dark slope streaks are common on steep dust-mantled slopes of Mars. When imaged under high sun illumination they appear to be just a dark stain without topographic relief.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
A Systematic Study On The Properties Of Aromatic And Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Dust In Active Galactic Nuclei With AKARI Near-infrared Spectroscopy
Recent near- and mid-infrared (IR) observations reveal the existence of appreciable amounts of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbon dust in the harsh environments of active galactic nuclei (AGNs), the origins of […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Comparative Analysis of Polarization in Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS with Distant Solar System Comets
We analyze polarimetric measurements of the interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS reported recently by Z. Gray et al. Comparison with distant solar system comets suggests no significant difference in the microphysics of […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Saturn, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Cassini Proves The Existence Of Complex Chemistry Within Enceladus’ Ocean
Scientists digging through data collected by the Cassini spacecraft have found new complex organic molecules spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This is a clear sign that complex chemical reactions are […]