March 2024 – Page 2 – My WordPress Site

Numerical simulations of lava planets interior dynamics with no rotation. The dimensionless temperature scale is the maximum super-adiabatic temperature contrast: temperature is 1 at the base of the magma ocean, 0 at the surface on the night-side and 1 at the surface on the day-side. Panel (a) shows equatorial cross-sections from a turbulent model in spherical geometry with no phase change: the upper half is a snapshot and the lower half is a time average over 12 turbulent turnover times with superposed streamlines. Panel (b) shows temperature and panel (c) melt fraction from the 2D Cartesian model that accounts for solid–liquid phase change. See also Supplementary Video 1. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

High-resolution Spectroscopic Reconnaissance Of A Temperate Sub-Neptune

by Keith CowingMarch 29, 2024

The magnification excess maps for planet-satellite configurations with log q = −1.5 and | log s| = 0.3. The color coding indicates fractional magnification differences between the 2L1S and 1L1S models. The maps with wide-separation (log s = 0.3) and close-separation (log s = −0.3) cases are displayed in the upper and lower panels, respectively. The left and right panels correspond to Earthmass and Neptune-class planets. The x-y coordinates denote the source positions in units of θE, with the positive x-axis aligned in the direction pointing from the planet (gold star) to the satellite (cyan star). Magenta circles indicate the source stars’ sizes (ρ = 0.33 for Earth-mass lenses and ρ = 0.08 for Neptune-class). Caustics are depicted in red, with the central caustic located near the planet and the satellite caustics positioned farther away. Each panel includes a lower-right inset offering a zoom-in view of the central caustics. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

The Mystery Of Homochirality On Earth

by Keith CowingMarch 29, 2024March 29, 2024

Astrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Stellar Cartography

Three-year Study Of Young Stars With Hubble Enters A New Chapter

by Keith CowingMarch 29, 2024March 29, 2024

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs

Geological Mars Map Developed For The Rosalind Franklin Rover Mission

by Keith CowingMarch 29, 2024March 29, 2024

The architectures of the systems with both small planets and cold Jupiters considered in this work and ordered according to increasing semi-major axis of the innermost planet (from bottom to top). The cold Jupiters in the left (27 systems) and right (23 systems) panels have masses 0.3 ≤ Mp ≤ 13 MJup and 0.5 ≤ Mp ≤ 20 MJup, respectively, with a large overlap for cold Jupiters with 0.5 ≤ Mp ≤ 13 MJup. The planet circles have sizes proportional to their mass (see legend in the top right corner), and colors depending on the orbital eccentricity (more eccentric planets are shown in yellow). The host stars are color coded as a function of stellar metallicity (metallicity increases from blue to red). -- astro-ph.EP

Exploration Gear & Tech, Microgravity, Missions & Hardware, Space Life Science, Space Stations

Offworld Biology Laboratory Sample Processing

by Keith CowingMarch 29, 2024March 29, 2024

Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Planetary Protection & Biosafety, Tardigrades

Long-Term Survivability of Tardigrade Paramacrobiotus experimentalis (Eutardigrada)at Increased Magnesium Perchlorate Levels: Implications for Astrobiological Research

by Keith CowingMarch 28, 2024March 28, 2024

Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Genomics, Proteomics, Bioinformatics, Origin & Evolution of Life

Model Suggests How Ancient RNA May Have Gained Self-Cutting Ability Essential for Life

by Keith CowingMarch 28, 2024March 28, 2024

AU Mic Lyα, O I, and C II light curves observed by HST/STIS in May 2023 around the transit of AU Mic c. The gray region indicates the white-light transit duration of AU Mic c. Sample fits to the AU Mic c transit are shown in faded yellow with bright gold representing the best-fit light curves. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar

On The Properties Of Free Floating Planets Originating In Circumbinary Planetary Systems

by Keith CowingMarch 28, 2024March 28, 2024

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Stellar Cartography

Principles Of Heliophysics: A Textbook On The Universal Processes Behind Planetary Habitability

by Keith CowingMarch 28, 2024January 22, 2025

Laminations interpreted as microbial mat remains. A. Outcrop image of microbial mat laminations (dark layers) interbedded with medium- to coarse grained sandstone of the 3.22 Ga Moodies Group, South Africa (Small scale bar in image is 3 cm). -- NASA NTRS

SETI & Technosignatures

Andrew Siemion To Receive the SETI Institute’s 2024 Drake Award

by Keith CowingMarch 28, 2024March 28, 2024