Terrestrial Planet Archives

The GCE-corrected, differential elemental abundance relative to the Sun ([X/Fe]solar - [X/Fe]star). The five solar twins with -0.1 < [Fe/H] < 0.1 dex, ∆ Teff < 100 K, ∆ log g < 0.1 are TOI-1055, TOI-2426, TOI-744, TOI-755, and TOI-818, are shown as gray symbols in the background, while the colored symbols show the average elemental abundance for these stars. Refractory elements are shown in orange, volatile elements are shown in blue symbols. Elements with Tc above 1300 K are considered refractory, with the threshold Tc of 1300 K shown by a dashed orange line. We fit a linear regression to the colored symbols while considering the error bars. The orange line displays the best linear fit to all the colored points, with the shaded blue band indicating the 1-σ confidence interval. The expression for the linear regression is -6.726e-05+2.320e−05 −2.342e−05 × Tc (K) + 0.086+0.030 −0.030. -- astro-ph.SR

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, Stellar Cartography

High Precision Stellar Chemical Abundance for 17 Planet-hosting Stars and the Condensation Temperature Trend

by Keith CowingNovember 24, 2024November 24, 2024

The Sun is depleted in refractory elements compared to nearby solar twins, which may be linked to the formation of giant or terrestrial planets.

Schematic view of the interior of terrestrial planets showing major chemical layers (i.e., the crust, the mantle, and the core subdivided into an outer liquid and an inner solid core). For each terrestrial planet the surface elevation is shown with the same color scale for comparison using orthographic projection. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Status Report, Venus

Terrestrial Planet Surfaces And Interiors

by Keith CowingNovember 19, 2024November 19, 2024

Rocky planets in our Solar System, namely Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the Moon, which is generally added to this group due to its geological complexity, possess a solid surface […]

Snapshots showing the dynamical evolution of the Solar System in the Grand Tack model. The four gas giants are represented by the black filled circles. Jupiter starts fully formed while the other giants planets grow. Terrestrial planetary embryos are represented by open circles. Water-rich and water-poor planetesimals/asteroids are shown by blue and red small dots, respectively. During the inward migration phase Jupiter shepherds planetesimals and planetary embryos, thus creating a confined disk around 1 AU. Saturn encounters Jupiter and both planets start to migrate outwards at about 100 kyr. During the outward migration phase the giant planets scatter planetesimals inward and repopulate the previously depleted belt with a mix of asteroids originated from different regions. Figure reproduced from Walsh et al. (2011Snapshots showing the dynamical evolution of the Solar System in the Grand Tack model. The four gas giants are represented by the black filled circles. Jupiter starts fully formed while the other giants planets grow. Terrestrial planetary embryos are represented by open circles. Water-rich and water-poor planetesimals/asteroids are shown by blue and red small dots, respectively. During the inward migration phase Jupiter shepherds planetesimals and planetary embryos, thus creating a confined disk around 1 AU. Saturn encounters Jupiter and both planets start to migrate outwards at about 100 kyr. During the outward migration phase the giant planets scatter planetesimals inward and repopulate the previously depleted belt with a mix of asteroids originated from different regions. Figure reproduced from Walsh et al. (2011). -- astro-ph.EP). -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Formation Of Terrestrial Planets

by Keith CowingNovember 18, 2024November 18, 2024

Our understanding of the process of terrestrial planet formation has grown markedly over the past 20 years, yet key questions remain. This review begins by first addressing the critical, earliest […]

Planetary formation -- Grok via Astrobiology.com

Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Did The Terrestrial Planets Of The Solar System Form By Pebble Accretion?

by Keith CowingNovember 15, 2024November 15, 2024

The dominant accretion process leading to the formation of the terrestrial planets of the Solar System is a subject of intense scientific debate. Two radically different scenarios have been proposed.

Schematic of the 1D thermal evolution model used in this work. 𝑄𝑅 is the radiated flux, 𝑄𝑀𝑂 is the heat flux from the magma ocean, 𝑄𝑀𝑆 the heat flux from the magma mush, 𝑄𝑆 the flux from solid rock and 𝑄𝑐 the flux from the core. 𝑄𝐻 is the heat removed from the day-side and added to the night-side when we include horizontal heat transport. 𝑄𝑇 is the tidal heating when tidal dissipation is included in the model. The light blue line is the geotherm of the mantle while the line "L" (dark blue line) is the mantle liquidus and "S" (green line) is the mantle solidus. The pressure increases in the downward direction while the temperature increases to the right. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Thermal Evolution Of Lava Planets

by Keith CowingSeptember 20, 2024September 20, 2024

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 […]

Contour plot showing the planetary dayside temperature of Gl 486b as a function of Bond albedo (AB) and heat redistribution factor (ε). The solid line shows a contour of the median planetary temperature inferred for Gl 486b, and the surrounding dotted lines show 1σ, 2σ, and 3σ intervals. The yellow arrow on the colorbar shows the maximum dayside temperature predicted for Gl 486b if it had zero Bond albedo and no heat redistribution. Gray, light blue, red, green, and yellow dots show approximate values for the solar system bodies Moon, Mercury, Mars, Earth, and Venus, respectively. Our observations of Gl 486b are most consistent with airless bodies like the Moon and Mercury that have slight non-zero albedos, and it is highly inconsistent with a thick Earth-like or Venus-like atmosphere. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

No Thick Atmosphere On The Terrestrial Exoplanet Gl 486b

by Keith CowingAugust 29, 2024August 28, 2024

A primary science goal for JWST is to detect and characterize the atmospheres of terrestrial planets orbiting M dwarfs (M-Earths). The existence of atmospheres on M-Earths is highly uncertain because […]

(a) Temporal evolution of the gas surface density. Different lines indicate disks with different αrϕ parameter. (b) Migration map for the disk with αrϕ = 10−4 at t = 1 Myr. The colors indicate the direction of migration, with red indicating outward migration and blue inward migration. The solid line shows the zero migration curve, which separates the regions of inward and outward migration. Note that the map depends on the eccentricity and inclination, which are set to 0.005.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Super-Earth Formation With Slow migration From A Ring In An Evolving Peaked Disk Compatible With Terrestrial Planet Formation

by Keith CowingJuly 25, 2024July 25, 2024

For the origin of the radially concentrated solar system’s terrestrial planets, planet formation from a ring of solids at about 1 au from the Sun with convergent/suppressed type I migration […]

JWST-MIRI/MRS spectrum of Sz28 labelling the detected molecular species and the dust features. The spectrum from Spitzer is depicted in grey. The red question mark (?) symbol depicts the unidentified spectral features and the red horizontal lines show their wavelength range. The Q-branch of the molecules are shown in solid lines along with their identified isotopologues, if any, in dotted lines. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

MINDS. Hydrocarbons Detected By JWST/MIRI In The Inner Disk of Sz28 Consistent With A High C/O Gas-phase chemistry

by Keith CowingJuly 24, 2024

With the advent of JWST, we acquire unprecedented insights into the physical and chemical structure of the inner regions of planet-forming disks where terrestrial planet formation occurs.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Stellar Cartography

NASA ROSES-24 Amendment 29: New Opportunity D.20 Exoplanet Mass Measurement Program

by Keith CowingJuly 13, 2024

D.20 Exoplanet Mass Measurement Program (EMMP) solicits investigations that will identify and mitigate systematics that currently limit the precision of radial velocity or astrometry observations from measuring the masses of temperate […]

Effect of relative luminosity, S/S⊕, on simulated steady-state atmospheres (pCO2 , temperature). A Terrestrial exoplanets in the mobile-lid (ML) interior convection regime. B Terrestrial exoplanets in the stagnant-lid (SL) regime. C,D Distributions of simulations across a discretized range of S/S⊕. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Press Release, Venus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Interior Convection Regime, Host Star Luminosity, And Predicted Atmospheric CO2 Abundance In Terrestrial Exoplanets

by Keith CowingJune 26, 2024June 26, 2024

Terrestrial planets in the Habitable Zone of Sun-like stars are priority targets for detection and observation by the next generation of powerful space telescopes.

Terrestrial Planet

High Precision Stellar Chemical Abundance for 17 Planet-hosting Stars and the Condensation Temperature Trend

Terrestrial Planet Surfaces And Interiors

Formation Of Terrestrial Planets

Did The Terrestrial Planets Of The Solar System Form By Pebble Accretion?

Thermal Evolution Of Lava Planets

No Thick Atmosphere On The Terrestrial Exoplanet Gl 486b

Super-Earth Formation With Slow migration From A Ring In An Evolving Peaked Disk Compatible With Terrestrial Planet Formation

MINDS. Hydrocarbons Detected By JWST/MIRI In The Inner Disk of Sz28 Consistent With A High C/O Gas-phase chemistry

NASA ROSES-24 Amendment 29: New Opportunity D.20 Exoplanet Mass Measurement Program

Interior Convection Regime, Host Star Luminosity, And Predicted Atmospheric CO2 Abundance In Terrestrial Exoplanets

Well-Preserved Polygons In Elysium Planitia on Mars

Long-term Performance Of Thermoacidophilic Methanotrophic Biotrickling Filters

Diversity Of Planetary Origins And Compositions Traced By Stellar Abundance Differences Of Co-natal Star Systems

Coupled Evolution Of Earth’s H2-rich Proto-atmosphere And Oxidized Magma Ocean

Prebiotic Synthesis of L-Homochiral Peptides on Primordial Earth