![(Top) Measured OC albedo values from Goldstone (from Table 4) and (bottom) measured OC albedo values from the GBT (from Table 5). The horizontal dashed lines indicate the weighted means of the albedos, which is 0.90 for Goldstone and 0.80 for GBT. The error bars on our albedo values are taken to be the total uncertainty calculated in Section 4. The color bar on the right shows the dates of our observations in YYMMDD. The x-axis is the subradar point west longitude. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Radar-observations.png?resize=1200%2C751&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Three of Jupiter’s Galilean satellites – Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto – are of particular scientific interest due to their icy shells and suspected subsurface oceans. However, the radar properties […]
radar
Posted inCallisto, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Journal articles, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Radar Echoes From Europa Reveal Secrets Beneath the Ice
A team of scientists has used NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar and the U.S. National Science Foundation Green Bank Telescope (NSF GBT) to carry out the most extensive radar study […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release
Ice Planet Orbital Recon: Greenland’s Changing Ice
Greenland is the world’s largest island and about 80% of its surface is covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet, the second largest ice mass on Earth after the Antarctic Ice […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Desert Worlds, Icy Worlds, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Mars South Pole: Suspected Underground Lake Is Probably A Layer Of Rock And Dust
NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has revisited and raised new questions about a mysterious feature buried beneath thousands of feet of ice at the Red Planet’s south pole. In a […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Press Release
Europa Clipper Radar Instrument Proves Itself at Mars
The agency’s largest interplanetary probe tested its radar during a Mars flyby. The results include a detailed image and bode well for the mission at Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Barnard's Star, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Press Release, Proxima Centauri, SETI & Technosignatures
How Airports Could Help Aliens Spot Earth
Radar systems used by civilian airports and military operations are inadvertently revealing our existence to potential advanced alien civilisations, new research shows.
Posted inAstrogeology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Status Report
SHARAD Illuminates Deeper Martian Subsurface Structures with a Boost from Very Large Rolls of the MRO Spacecraft
Throughout its mission, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has often rolled about its along-track axis by up to 28° to partially compensate for the suboptimal location of the Shallow Radar […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
How REASON Will Penetrate Europa’s Surface
This artist’s concept illustrates how NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will use radar to peer beneath Europa’s ice crust to reveal the structure underneath.
Posted inAstrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Europa, Exploration Gear & Tech, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
Europa Clipper Astrobiology Mission: How REASON Will Penetrate Europa’s Surface
Europa Clipper will carry an instrument called the Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) that can penetrate beneath the Jovian moon’s surface layer, revealing potential pockets […]
Posted inArctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Europa, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, ROVs/Submersibles/Diving, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Europa Clipper: Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-Surface (REASON)
The Radar for Europa Assessment and Sounding: Ocean to Near-surface (REASON) is a dual-frequency ice-penetrating radar (9 and 60 MHz) onboard the Europa Clipper mission. REASON is designed to probe […]