Radial drift of icy pebbles can have a large impact on the chemistry of the inner regions of protoplanetary disks. Compact dust disks (≲50 au) are suggested to have a […]
dust
Posted inAstrogeology, Desert Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Desert Planet Orbital Recon: MRO Images Mars InSight Lander to Study Dust Movement
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) caught a glimpse of the agency’s retired InSight lander recently, documenting the accumulation of dust on the spacecraft’s solar panels. In the new image taken […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
NASA-Led Team Links Comet Water to Earth’s Oceans
Scientists find that cometary dust affects interpretation of spacecraft measurements, reopening the case for comets like 67P as potential sources of water for early Earth.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Interstellar, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Meteorites & Asteroids, Press Release
Asteroid Grains Shed Light On The Outer Solar System’s Origins
Tiny grains from a distant asteroid are revealing clues to the magnetic forces that shaped the far reaches of the solar system over 4.6 billion years ago.
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report
Orbital Survey Of Water on Mars: Dusty Water Ice in Dao Vallis
The white material seen within this gully is believed to be dusty water ice in a Martian region called Dao Vallis, captured by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Effect of Different Stickiness Between Icy and Silicate Particles on Carbon Depletion in Protoplanetary Disks
Earth and other rocky bodies in the inner Solar System are significantly depleted in carbon compared to the Sun and interstellar medium (ISM) dust.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Ice Origins of OCS and Chemistry of CS2-bearing Ice Mantles
Understanding the formation of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) in interstellar ices is key to constrain the sulfur chemistry in the interstellar medium (ISM), since it is the only ice S-bearing molecule […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
The Resolved Behavior of Dust Mass, Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Fraction, and Radiation Field in ~ 800 Nearby Galaxies
We present resolved 3.6−250 μm dust spectral energy distribution (SED) fitting for ∼800 nearby galaxies. We measure the distribution of radiation field intensities heating the dust, the dust mass surface […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Proposed Importance Of HOCO Chemistry: Inefficient Formation Of CO2 From CO And OH Reactions On Ice Dust
With the advent of JWST ice observations, dedicated studies on the formation reactions of detected molecules are becoming increasingly important. One of the most interesting molecules in interstellar ice is […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Life In The Atlantic Ocean Thrives Due To Windblown Saharan Dust
Iron is a micronutrient indispensable for life, enabling processes such as respiration, photosynthesis, and DNA synthesis. Iron availability is often a limiting resource in today’s oceans, which means that increasing […]