Four-and-a-half billion years ago, a massive world, possibly as big as the moon or even Mars, orbited our sun before crashing into another celestial body and shattering into rubble.
University of Colorado at Boulder
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release
Study Suggests Ancient Earth Skies Rained Down The Ingredients For Life
Earth’s atmosphere might have contributed to the origin of life more than previously thought.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Extinction events, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
Close Brush With Two Hot Stars Left A Mark Just Beyond Our Solar System
Nearly 4.5 million years ago, two large, hot stars brushed tantalizingly close to Earth’s sun. They left behind a trace in the clouds of gas and dust that swirl just […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A Next-Generation Exoplanet Atmospheric Retrieval Framework NEXOTRANS for Emission Spectroscopy: New Constraints and Atmospheric Characterization of WASP-69b Using JWST NIRCam and MIRI Observations
Thermal emission spectra provide key insights into the atmospheric composition and especially the temperature structure of an exoplanet.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Press Release
Ice Planet Research: Antarctic Glacier Retreated Faster Than Any Other In Modern Earth History
A glacier on Antarctica’s Eastern Peninsula experienced the fastest retreat recorded in modern history—in just two months, nearly 50 percent of the glacier disintegrated.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Press Release, Sample Return
Waking Up Microbes Trapped In Permafrost For Up To 40,000 Years
In a new study, a team of geologists and biologists led by CU Boulder resurrected ancient microbes that had been trapped in ice—in some cases for around 40,000 years.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Icy Worlds, Press Release
Melting Glaciers May Have Sped Up Continental Drift and Fueled Volcanic Eruptions
Around 10,000 years ago as the last Ice Age drew to a close, the drifting of the continent of North America, and spreading in the Atlantic Ocean, may have temporarily […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Rain And Snow Fell On Ancient Mars
Visit ancient Mars—a surprisingly temperate planet where snow or rain falls from the sky, and rivers rush down valleys to feed hundreds of lakes.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Sample Return, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Ice Planet Recon: Drone Experiment Reveals How Greenland’s Ice Sheet Is Changing
For the first time, researchers have collected detailed measurements of water vapor high above the surface of the Greenland ice sheet. Their research, aided by a custom-designed drone, could help […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mars, Press Release
Mars Dust Storms Can Engulf The Entire Planet. A New Study Examines How
Today’s weather report on Mars: Windy with a chance of catastrophic dust storms blotting out the sky.