Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Researchers complete first real-world study of Martian helicopter dust dynamics      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have completed the first real-world study of Martian dust dynamics based on Ingenuity's historic first flights on the Red Planet, paving the way for future extraterrestrial rotorcraft missions. The work could support NASA's Mars Sample Return Program, which will retrieve samples collected by Perseverance, or the Dragonfly mission that will set course for Titan, Saturn's largest moon, in 2027.

Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: The Solar System
Published

Evidence that Saturn's moon Mimas is a stealth ocean world      (via sciencedaily.com) 

When a scientist discovered surprising evidence that Saturn's smallest, innermost moon could generate the right amount of heat to support a liquid internal ocean, colleagues began studying Mimas' surface to understand how its interior may have evolved. Numerical simulations of the moon's Herschel impact basin, the most striking feature on its heavily cratered surface, determined that the basin's structure and the lack of tectonics on Mimas are compatible with a thinning ice shell and geologically young ocean.

Computer Science: General Offbeat: Computers and Math Offbeat: Space Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Will machine learning help us find extraterrestrial life?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers have applied a deep learning technique to a previously studied dataset of nearby stars and uncovered eight previously unidentified signals of interest.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Geoscience: Geology Space: Astronomy Space: The Solar System
Published

Meteorites reveal likely origin of Earth's volatile chemicals      (via sciencedaily.com) 

By analyzing meteorites, researchers have uncovered the likely far-flung origin of Earth's volatile chemicals, some of which form the building blocks of life.

Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Solar System formed from 'poorly mixed cake batter,' isotope research shows      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Earth's potassium arrived by meteoritic delivery service finds new research led by Earth and planetary scientists. Their work shows that some primitive meteorites contain a different mix of potassium isotopes than those found in other, more-chemically processed meteorites. These results can help elucidate the processes that shaped our Solar System and determined the composition of its planets.

Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Webb spies Chariklo ring system with high-precision technique      (via sciencedaily.com) 

In an observational feat of high precision, scientists used a new technique with NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to capture the shadows of starlight cast by the thin rings of Chariklo. Chariklo is an icy, small body, but the largest of the known Centaur population, located more than 2 billion miles away beyond the orbit of Saturn.

Offbeat: Space Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

How a 3 cm glass sphere could help scientists understand space weather      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Space weather can interfere with spaceflight and the operation of satellites, but the phenomenon is very difficult to study on Earth because of the difference in gravity. Researchers effectively reproduced the type of gravity that exists on or near stars and other planets inside of a glass sphere measuring 3 centimeters in diameter, or about 1.2 inches. The achievement could help scientists overcome the limiting role of gravity in experiments that are intended to model conditions in stars and other planets.

Geoscience: Geology Space: The Solar System
Published

Asteroid findings from specks of space dust could save the planet      (via sciencedaily.com) 

New research into the durability and age of an ancient asteroid made of rocky rubble and dust, revealed significant findings that could contribute to potentially saving the planet if one ever hurtled toward Earth.

Space: Astronomy Space: Astrophysics Space: Cosmology Space: Exploration Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Darkest view ever of interstellar ice      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Astronomers used observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to achieve the darkest ever view of a dense interstellar cloud. These observations have revealed the composition of a virtual treasure chest of ices from the early universe, providing new insights into the chemical processes of one of the coldest, darkest places in the universe as well as the origins of the molecules that make up planetary atmospheres.

Space: Astrophysics Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

How was the solar system formed? The Ryugu asteroid is helping us learn      (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Our solar system is estimated to be about 4.57 billion years old. Previous analyses of ancient meteorites have shown that minerals were created through chemical reactions with water as far back as 4.5 billion years ago. New findings from the Ryugu asteroid samples indicate that carbonates were forming from water-rock reactions several million years earlier, even closer to the solar system's beginnings.

Space: Exploration Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

Tumultuous migration on the edge of the Hot Neptune Desert      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A team reveals the eventful migration history of planets bordering the Hot Neptune Desert, these extrasolar planets that orbit very close to their star.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

The rich meteorology of Mars studied in detail from the Perseverance rover      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Perseverance has now completed its investigation of the atmosphere throughout the first Martian year (which lasts approximately two Earth years). Specifically, astronomers have studied seasonal and daily cycles of temperature and pressure, as well as their significant variations on other time scales resulting from very different processes.

Geoscience: Environmental Issues Offbeat: Earth and Climate Space: The Solar System
Published

17-pound meteorite discovered in Antarctica      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Antarctica is a tough place to work, for obvious reasons -- it's bitterly cold, remote, and wild. However, it's one of the best places in the world to hunt for meteorites. That's partly because Antarctica is a desert, and its dry climate limits the degree of weathering the meteorites experience. On top of the dry conditions, the landscape is ideal for meteorite hunting: the black space rocks stand out clearly against snowy fields.

Offbeat: Computers and Math Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

New small laser device can help detect signs of life on other planets      (via sciencedaily.com) 

As space missions delve deeper into the outer solar system, the need for more compact, resource-conserving and accurate analytical tools has become increasingly critical -- especially as the hunt for extraterrestrial life and habitable planets or moons continues. A University of Maryland-led team developed a new instrument specifically tailored to the needs of NASA space missions. Their mini laser-sourced analyzer is significantly smaller and more resource efficient than its predecessors--all without compromising the quality of its ability to analyze planetary material samples and potential biological activity onsite.

Geoscience: Geomagnetic Storms Geoscience: Severe Weather Offbeat: Earth and Climate
Published

When migrating birds go astray, disturbances in magnetic field may be partly to blame      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Disturbances to Earth's magnetic field can lead birds astray -- a phenomenon scientists call 'vagrancy' -- even in perfect weather, and especially during fall migration. While other factors such as weather likely play bigger roles in causing vagrancy, researchers found a strong correlation between birds that were captured far outside of their expected range and the geomagnetic disturbances that occurred during both fall and spring migrations.

Energy: Alternative Fuels Engineering: Nanotechnology Space: Astrophysics Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

The world in grains of interstellar dust      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Understanding how dust grains form in interstellar gas could offer significant insights to astronomers and help materials scientists develop useful nanoparticles.

Space: Astrophysics Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

How do rocky planets really form?      (via sciencedaily.com) 

A new theory could explain the origin and properties of systems of rocky super-Earths and their relationship with the terrestrial planets of the solar system.

Space: Exploration Space: The Solar System
Published

Martian meteorite contains large diversity of organic compounds      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Unraveling the origin stories of the Tissint meteorite's organic compounds can help scientists understand whether the Red Planet ever hosted life, as well as Earth's geologic history.

Space: Exploration Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

New Webb image reveals dusty disk like never seen before      (via sciencedaily.com) 

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has imaged the inner workings of a dusty disk surrounding a nearby red dwarf star. These observations represent the first time the previously known disk has been imaged at these infrared wavelengths of light. They also provide clues to the composition of the disk.

Space: Exploration Space: Structures and Features Space: The Solar System
Published

NASA's Webb confirms its first exoplanet      (via sciencedaily.com) 

Researchers confirmed an exoplanet, a planet that orbits another star, using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope for the first time. Formally classified as LHS 475 b, the planet is almost exactly the same size as our own, clocking in at 99% of Earth's diameter.