#planetary-science — Public Fediverse posts

This event marks the simultaneous observation of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS by Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) instruments aboard ESA's Juice and NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft. The informally coordinated effort successfully captured the comet's ultraviolet emissions, gas breakdown, and scattered dust from both hemispheres.
#Astronomy #PlanetaryScience #Astrochemistry #Astrophysics #Spacecrafts #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/astr05132601.html

A novel method for detecting #extraterrestrial life that identifies statistical organizational patterns in molecules, rather than relying solely on the presence of specific chemical biosignatures.
#Astrobiology #PlanetaryScience #Biochemistry #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/ps05122601.html

The Planetary Research Cooperative was formed just over one year ago, and we are now looking for input to help us prioritize our activities for the coming year.

If you would like to help us, please consider filling out this survey. And as a thank you, we will offer to reduce your publication costs with us by 100%! #PlanetaryScience

https://forms.solarsystem.tools/planetary-research-cooperative-2026-05

A #Venusian atmospheric hydraulic jump is an abrupt slowing and deepening of a fast-moving atmospheric fluid, which creates a massive 6,000-kilometer-wide wave front in the planet's cloud layer. It forces sulfuric acid vapor upward, condensing it into a distinctly visible, planetary-scale line of cloud.
#PlanetaryScience #AtmosphericScience #Meteorology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/05/ps05102601.html

Saturday #NoeticSpectrum : We have a similar scenario now wrt
#PlanetaryScience that we’ve had with #UAP / #NHI presence.
The mostly science illiterate buffoons of the current administration are unlikely to be capable of rationally weighting where the most immediate threat to national security is ( it’s actually them, but never mind that). #ClimateChange is an active destroyer, while #UAP / #NHI impact mostly our imaginations. I’m using them as comparatives, not suggesting they are linked

PPOD: Captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission on 21 April 2026, this image shows a double bloom in the Netherlands: an array of vibrant colors in the tulip fields and the blue-greenish swirls of phytoplankton in the North Sea. Credit: contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2026), processed by ESA

#planetaryscience #space #science

🎉 Announcing a new LiberaForms server for #PlanetaryScience! 🎉

@liberaforms does everything that Google forms does, and more. You can share ownership of forms, you can download responses, there are no usage limits, and you can even set up end-to-end encryption. And no AI!

https://forms.solarsystem.tools

"@nasaadmin's initiative could catalyze fresh research and discussion within the astronomical community, potentially leading to proposals that challenge or refine the @iau_org criteria. At the same time, it risks being seen as a distraction during a period when many fear for the future of space science funding."

https://dailygalaxy.com/2026/04/nasa-chief-calls-make-pluto-planet-again/

#IAU #NASA #Astronomy #PlanetaryScience

#PPOD: First Photo from the Surface of the Moon

Close-up image of the Oceanus Procellarum region of the Moon from the Soviet Luna 9 lander in February 1966.

Luna 9 made the first survivable landing on the moon and snapped the first photos from its surface.

Credit: National Space Science Data Center

#planetaryscience #space #science

Recreating Atmospheres

In planetary atmospheres, energy and vorticity can cascade from large scales to smaller ones, but the mechanics of this transfer remain somewhat elusive. In a recent experiment, researchers built a lab-scale representation of an atmosphere using a meter-scale rotating annular tank. The outer bottom edge of the tank gets heated–representing the sun’s warming at the equator–while a pipe in the center of the tank gets cooled near the tank surface, which mimics the chilling effect of the poles. Researchers filled the tank with a water-glycerol mixture and recorded how their artificial atmosphere responded at different rotation rates.

The results show an energy spectrum that’s consistent with atmospheric observations–with a steep drop at large length scales and a flatter one at smaller scales. But interestingly, they also found that the cascade was temperature-dependent in ways that current models don’t predict. Untangling that effect could help us understand not only our atmosphere but those of other planets. (Image credit: tank – H. Scolan, animation – S. Ding et al.; research credit: S. Ding et al.; via APS)

RE: https://wisskomm.social/@GermanAstroSoc/116210846409366882

Congratulations to Heike Rauer! 🎉

I had the pleasure of experiencing her work firsthand in a colloquium at my former institute while I was still a student, and I remember her as an outstanding #planetary scientist. A very well-deserved recognition!

#PlanetaryScience #exoplanets #SpacePhysics

#PPOD: This image, released in celebration of Earth Day, shows the terminator – the line between night and day – on Earth. The Artemis II astronauts captured this view on April 2, 2026, during their journey to the Moon. Credit: NASA

#planetaryscience #space #science

#PPOD: This image of Neptune and Triton was captured by Voyager 2 as it departed the Neptune system on 31 August 1989. Voyager 2's flyby over Neptune's northern hemisphere bent the spacecraft's trajectory downwards out of our solar system's orbital plane. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Justin Cowart

#space #science #planetaryscience

#PPOD: NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover sees its tracks receding into the distance at a site nicknamed “Ubajara” on April 30, 2023. This site is where Curiosity made the discovery of siderite, a mineral that may help explain the fate of the planet’s thicker ancient atmosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

#planetaryscience #space #science

#PPOD: Noticeable change on Mars can take millions of years – but ESA’s Mars Express has captured a blanket of dark ash creeping across the planet in just decades. The image shows a scene of two halves, with Mars’s typical bright tan-colored sands butting up against dark volcanic ash deposits. When this part of Mars was viewed by NASA’s Viking orbiters in 1976, the ash was noticeably less widespread than it is today. Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin

#planetaryscience #space #science

#PlanetaryScience

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4typ2iwzta3xqerzzhw26cvo/post/3mkaqihbcxz2a

And I should say, there's more to come! I am working on a follow-up model incorporating dust transport into #comet thermal models. Stay tuned! #PlanetaryScience

#PPOD: No, this photo, taken from the International Space Station, does not reveal a massive fire. Instead, the clouds reflect the sunset light, creating the illusion of flame. ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot captured this stunning view on April 9, 2026. Credit: NASA/ESA – S. Adenot

#space #science #planetaryscience

Mars überrascht wieder: Curiosity findet organische Vielfalt wie nie zuvor – und warum das für ExoMars jetzt noch wichtiger wird
https://dauckchristian.home.blog/2026/04/22/mars-uberrascht-wieder-curiosity-findet-organische-vielfalt-wie-nie-zuvor-und-warum-das-fur-exomars-jetzt-noch-wichtiger-wird/ #Mars #Curiosity #MarsScience #OrganicMolecules #Astrobiology #MarsExploration #RedPlanet #LifeOnMars #Biosignatures
#PlanetaryScience #SpaceScience #NASA #ESA #ExoMars #RosalindFranklinRover #MOMA #SAMInstrument #MarsGeology #AncientMars #MarsResearch #Perseverance #MarsSampleReturn #MSR #MarsSamples #SampleReturn #Mars2020 #MarsMission

#PPOD: Taken on April 6, 2026, a portion of the #Moon’s far side is seen along the terminator where low-angle sunlight casts long shadows across the surface. A section of the Orientale Basin is visible in the upper-right portion of the lunar disk, its structure subtly revealed under grazing illumination. This lighting enhances contrast across the cratered terrain, highlighting variations in surface features and providing insight into the Moon’s geologic history. Credit: NASA

#planetaryscience

Dr. Mia Mace’s scientific research interests lie in numerical modeling of planetary ring systems, and her doctoral work focused on developing code to simulate and analyze the dynamics of charged dust grains in Saturn’s rings in response to questions about ring rain and spokes.

#PlanetaryScience #Space #Science #SETI #NotJustAliens

3/ Rosalind Franklin is unique: drilling up to 2 meters below the Martian surface to access better-preserved material and search for organics and possible biosignatures at Oxia Planum. #Biosignatures #OxiaPlanum #PlanetaryScience

Earth-sized #exoplanets must possess at least 20% to 50% of the water volume found in Earth's oceans to maintain the critical natural climate cycles required to sustain surface water and support life. Planets with limited surface water—often classified as desert worlds—are highly unlikely to remain habitable, regardless of their position within a star's habitable zone.
#Astrobiology #PlanetaryScience #EarthScience #SpaceSciences #Exoclimatology #sflorg
https://www.sflorg.com/2026/04/ps04152601.html

#PPOD: The #ArtemisII crew captured this view of Earth setting on April 6, 2026. As the astronauts flew over the Moon’s far side, the crew photographed and described terrain features, including impact craters, ancient lava flows, and surface cracks and ridges formed as the Moon slowly evolved. They also noted differences in color, brightness, and texture, which provide clues that help scientists understand the composition and history of the lunar surface. Credit: NASA

#planetaryscience #space