Data from the NASA spacecraft’s journey to Jupiter suggests that Mars may be shedding dust into interplanetary space. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-serendipitous-juno-shatter-ideas-zodiacal.html…
Tag: Planetary Sciences
Rare meteorite recovered in UK after spectacular fireball
In a major event for UK science, the meteorite that fell from the fireball that lit up the sky over the UK and Northern Europe on Sunday 28 February, has been found. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-rare-meteorite-recovered-uk-spectacular.html…
Comet Catalina suggests comets delivered carbon to rocky planets
In early 2016, an icy visitor from the edge of our solar system hurtled past Earth. It briefly became visible to stargazers as Comet Catalina before it slingshotted past the Sun to disappear forevermore out of the solar system. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-comet-catalina-comets-carbon-rocky.html…
Planetary science intern leads study of Martian crust
The planet Mars has no global magnetic field, although scientists believe it did have one at some point in the past. Previous studies suggest that when Mars’ global magnetic field was present, it was approximately the same strength as Earth’s current field. Surprisingly, instruments from past Mars missions, both orbiters and landers, have spotted patches on the planet’s surface that are…
Titan’s atmosphere recreated in an Earth laboratory
Beyond Earth, the general scientific consensus is that the best place to search for evidence of extraterrestrial life is Mars. However, it is by no means the only place. Aside from the many extrasolar planets that have been designated as “potentially-habitable,” there are plenty of other candidates right here in our solar system. These include the many icy satellites that are…
Perseverance rover gives high-definition panoramic view of landing site
NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover got its first high-definition look around its new home in Jezero Crater on Feb. 21, after rotating its mast, or “head,” 360 degrees, allowing the rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument to capture its first panorama after touching down on the Red Planet on Feb 18. It was the rover’s second panorama ever, as the rover’s Navigation Cameras, or…
Scientist captures evidence of dynamic seasonal activity on a Martian sand dune
A Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) scientist examined 11 Mars years of image data to understand the seasonal processes that create linear gullies on the slopes of the megadune in the Russell crater on Mars. In early spring images, captured by two different cameras on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, SwRI’s Dr. Cynthia Dinwiddie noticed airborne plumes of dusty material associated with the…
Scientists image a bright meteoroid explosion in Jupiter’s atmosphere
From aboard the Juno spacecraft, a Southwest Research Institute-led instrument observing auroras serendipitously spotted a bright flash above Jupiter’s clouds last spring. The Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) team studied the data and determined that they had captured a bolide, an extremely bright meteoroid explosion in the gas giant’s upper atmosphere. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-scientists-image-bright-meteoroid-explosion.html…
Moon’s largest crater holds clues about early lunar mantle
Despite our long history with Earth’s closest celestial neighbor, much remains unknown about the moon, including about asymmetries between its near side and far side, for example, in crustal thickness and evidence of volcanic activity. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-moon-largest-crater-clues-early.html…
Melting dusty ice may have carved Martian gullies
By analyzing the occurrences of exposed dusty ice on Mars using data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, ASU planetary scientists Aditya Khuller and Philip Christensen have found the lowest latitude detection of dusty water ice on Mars. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-dusty-ice-martian-gullies.html…