Mars wasn’t always the cold desert we see today. There’s increasing evidence that water once flowed on the Red Planet’s surface, billions of years ago. And if there was water, […]
geology
Posted inIcy Worlds, Neptune, Status Report, Triton, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Trans- And Post-Capture Orbital Evolution Of Triton
Triton is a unique moon in our Solar System, being the only large moon to orbit on a retrograde and highly inclined orbit. As a result, it is thought that […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report
Extreme Weather Variability on Hot Rocky Exoplanet 55 Cancri e Explained by Magma Temperature-Cloud Feedback
Observations of the ultra-short period rocky exoplanet 55 Cancri e (55 Cnc e) indicate that the planet’s dayside infrared radiation fluctuates by a factor of at least six on sub-weekly […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Thermal Evolution Of Lava Planets
Rocky planets are thought to form with a magma ocean that quickly solidifies. The horizontal and vertical extent of this magma ocean depends on the interior thermal evolution of the […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Substantial Extension of the Lifetime of the Terrestrial Biosphere
Approximately one billion years (Gyr) in the future, as the Sun brightens, Earth’s carbonate-silicate cycle is expected to drive CO2 below the minimum level required by vascular land plants, eliminating […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Mars, Status Report
NASA Scientists Re-Create Mars ‘Spiders’ in a Lab for First Time
This image shows an experiment conducted at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory re-creating the processes that form spider-like features on Mars called araneiform terrain. The experiment involves carbon dioxide gas settling […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Away Teams & Field Reports, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, People Of Astrobiology, Status Report, Tricorders & Sensors
Away Team Training With ESA PANGAEA 2024
ESA PANGAEA course instructor Nicolas Mangold describes the formation process of gypsum veins to JAXA astronaut Norishige Kanai, ESA astronaut Rosemary Coogan and member of the European astronaut reserve Arnaud […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Mars, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Tricorders & Sensors
Mars Curiosity Astrobiology Rover ChemCam Instrument Has Fired 1 Million Times
The ChemCam instrument, developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, recently zapped its laser for the 1 millionth time on Mars. Sitting on top of NASA’s Curiosity rover, ChemCam has been […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics
Discovery Of A Long-sought Global Electric Field On Earth
Using observations from a NASA suborbital rocket, an international team of scientists has, for the first time, successfully measured a planet-wide electric field thought to be as fundamental to Earth […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Uncovering The Role Of Oxygen Concentration In The Formation Of Early Earth Magma Ocean
It is widely accepted that the early Earth largely consisted of molten magma, forming a global ocean of magma. This extreme state of Earth was likely caused by the intense […]