[Analytical Chemistry] The chemical characterization of scarce or heterogeneous solid samples remains a significant analytical challenge due to the high material quantities required by conventional techniques.
meteorite
![Plot of the frequency vs. diameter for all asteroids with known or estimated rotation period with quality code 𝑈 ≥ 1. File data from the ALCDB of 1 Oct 2023, the last release (https://alcdef.org/). The two near-Earth asteroids, 2000 RD34 and 2000 DN8 (both with 𝑈 = 1), are shown together with the five LSFR from Rubin observations (red) and the candidate LSFR or almost candidate (due to borderline diameter as for 2015 RG36 and 2024 WB), which we have characterized at the Loiano Astronomical Station, managed by INAF-OAS in Italy (cyan). The curves for the rubble pile model with cohesion strength are from Eq. 12 (Sánchez and Scheeres, 2014). Our candidates LSFR has a cohesive strength between 102–104 Pa. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Photometric.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Photometric Characterization Of Near-Earth Asteroids: Rotation, Taxonomy, And Candidate Evidence For Internal Cohesion
[astro-ph.EP] We present the results of a survey of previously uncharacterized near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) conducted between the second half of 2024 and the first months of 2026 using broadband BVRcIc […]
Posted inPanspermia
Natural Lithopanspermia to Earth: Transport, Shielding, and Survival Limits for Solar-System and Extrasolar Donor Classes
[physics.gen-ph] Natural panspermia is a transport-and-establishment hypothesis, not a theory of abiogenesis. The Earth-specific question is whether any nonterrestrial donor remains competitive with terrestrial origin once launch, planetary-system escape, transit, […]
![HAADF image and quantified EDX map (at%) of a GEMS-like assemblage in UCAMM DC06- 18, which is located at the top of the FIB section, probably close to the external surface of the UCAMM. - [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/STXM-XANES.png?resize=1200%2C711&ssl=1)
Posted inMeteorites & Asteroids
STXM-XANES And TEM Analysis Of UltraCarbonaceous Antarctic MicroMeteorites (UCAMMs)
[astro-ph.EP] The Concordia micrometeorite collection contains UltraCarbonaceous Antarctic MicroMeteorites (UCAMMs) of probable cometary origin. Eight FIB sections of UCAMMs were studied by Scanning Transmission X-ray Microscopy – X-ray Absorption Near […]
![Occam’s razor-based deconvolution result of the subset of signals associated with CnHmN parent and fragment species detected by the DFMS on 3 August 2015. The measured signals (measured) are given in arbitrary units (a. u.) with 30 % error margins. The different contributions of the chosen candidate molecules are colour-coded according to their molecular structure – in shades of red and purple for chain-based molecules and in shades of green and blue for cyclic molecules. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Nitrogen.png?resize=1200%2C707&ssl=1)
Posted inComets and Asteroids
Nitrogen- And Nitrogen-oxygen-bearing Organic Molecules In Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko: An Untargeted Investigation
[astro-ph.EP] Comets provide a unique window into the history of the Solar System as they carry some of the best-preserved material and make it available to in situ exploration.
Posted inMars
Meteorite Helps Bridge The Data Gap In the Geologic History Of Mars
[Boston College] Scientists have determined a newly discovered meteorite from Mars is 1.27-billion years old and derived from a previously unsampled, pristine source on the Red Planet, the team reported […]
Posted inMars
Crustal Water Reservoir On Early Mars
[Geophysical Research Letters]. The next great leap in Martian exploration is the return of samples to Earth. Maximizing their scientific value requires non-destructive analytical techniques for early three-dimensional characterization.
Posted inPhobos
Infrared-to-visible Albedo Ratio Of Phobos: Comparison With Primitive Asteroids
[astro-ph.EP] Aims. The ratio between infrared and visible albedo, pIR/pV, provides a simple proxy for the spectral slope of asteroid surfaces between the visible and near-infrared wavelength ranges. The aim […]
![Ni, Cu and Zn elemental maps of three chondrules from Paris, that show microspherule regions partitioned by zones enriched in siderophile elements (i.e., Fe, Ni, Co, Cu; pink arrows). The color bars reflect μg/g concentrations of the elements. While in BSE mode and lithophile element space, these would appear as single ~300 μm diameter chondrules, they represent aggregates of ~100 μm grape-bunch chondrules (pink spheres), where these microchondrules contained metal-rich rims. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Chondrule.png?resize=1200%2C714&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology
Chondrule Formation In The Outer Disk From The Primary Three-dimensional Chemical Composition Of CM Chondrules
[astro-ph.EP] Chondrules and their associated fine-grained rims record key processes in the early protoplanetary disk, yet the links between chondrule chemistry, morphology, and matrix complementarity remain poorly constrained.
![Inclination vs. semimajor axis for the NEOs. The main asteroid families that have been linked to ordinary chondrites are represented by gray squares. The ν6 secular resonance with Saturn and the 3:1 and 5:2 mean motion resonances with Jupiter are represented with dashed lines. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Size-Constraints.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology
Size Constraints For The Pre-atmospheric Parent Bodies Of Ordinary Chondrites
[astro-ph.EP] The study of S-complex near-Earth objects (NEOs), the parent bodies of ordinary chondrites, has shown that they are dominated by asteroids with LL chondrite-like compositions. This is surprising because […]