Planetary Science - Science topic

Indian journals in Earth and Planetary Sciences indexed in Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) are examined using various journal-level metrics provided by both databases. These metrics include CiteScore, Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP), SCImago Journal Rank (SJR), SCImago Journal Quartiles, Journal Impact Factor, and their respective Quartil...

Hyperspectral image cubes are information rich, typically containing hundreds of wavelengths and millions of spatial pixels. To condense this information into a more interpretable form, it is common to parameterize certain aspects of the spectra that are known to represent compositions of interest. Parameterizations of spectral features are called...

Understanding the electrical conductivity of warm dense hydrogen is critical for both fundamental physics and applications in planetary science and inertial confinement fusion. We demonstrate how to calculate the electrical conductivity using the continuum form of Ohm’s law, with the current density obtained from real-time time-dependent density fu...

Understanding of the formation and evolution of the Solar System requires understanding key and common materials found on and in planetary bodies. Mineral mixing and its implications on planetary body formation is a topic of high interest to the planetary science community. Previous work establishes a case for the use of Optical PhotoThermal InfraR...

The radiation chemistry and physics of solid N2O have been increasingly studied due to its potential presence on the surfaces of cold, outer Solar System bodies. However, to date, no study has investigated systematically the influence of temperature on this chemistry and physics. In this present study, crystalline N2O ices were irradiated using 2 k...

Following the discovery of several ocean worlds in the solar system, and the selection of Uranus as the highest priority objective by the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, the five largest moons of Uranus (Miranda, Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon) have been receiving renewed attention as they may also harbor a subsurfa...

Wide-Field Small Aperture Telescopes (WFSAT) are widely used for surveilling space objects. Due to their wide-field of view (FOV) characteristics, these telescopes can cover a large areas of the sky at once, improving observation efficiency. However, a wide-field optical telescope is highly sensitive to external stray light (such as moonlight and t...

Understanding the properties of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) is key for many aspects of planetary science, particularly planetary defense. Our current knowledge of NEA sizes and regolith properties is heavily dependent on simple thermal models. These models are often used to analyze data from missions such as NEOWISE because they are well suited to...

We derive new models of stochastic Hall magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) by applying Lie group symmetry reduction in a stochastic Euler–Poincaré variational principle. The resulting new theory of stochastic Hall MHD has potential applications for uncertainty quantification and data assimilation in space plasma (space weather), planetary science and solar...

Plain Language Summary To interpret spacecraft data sets of planetary surfaces, it is important to have similar data sets of rocks and minerals from Earth for comparison. Reflectance spectroscopy is a common technique in planetary science, and spacecraft make spectral reflectance measurements at multiple viewing geometries (with different positions...

The origin of water and volatile compounds on planets including Earth is a hotly debated topic in planetary science. For example, many dynamic models suggest that the majority of Earth’s water and volatile elements were added from an external source. The stellar wind irradiation of rocky oxygen-containing minerals results in a reaction between H ⁺...

One of the outstanding goals of the planetary science community is to measure the present-day atmospheric composition of planets and link this back to formation. As giant planets are formed by accreting gas, ices, and rocks, constraining the relative amounts of these components is critical to understand their formation and evolution. For most known...

Crustal plateaux include some of the largest and most enigmatic tectonic features on Venus, formed in a relatively short geological time window during the early stratigraphic Global Tectonic Regime, at <1 Ga, perhaps <300 Ma. They represent the oldest exposed venusian crust, surrounded by younger volcanic plains that resurfaced 80% the planet durin...

A multiphysics simulation model incorporating a sintering model coupled with the MultIHeaTS thermal solver was developed to study the evolution of icy moons' microstructure. The sintering process is highly dependent on temperature, and this study represents the first attempt in planetary science to examine the coupled interaction between heat trans...

We present an approach to calculate potential fields on a planet’s surface from regionally confined gradient data at spacecraft altitude, such as measurements of magnetic fields or gravitational acceleration. Our method uses altitude cognizant Slepian functions with a reference radial position that varies as a function of longitude and latitude. Th...

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a mature geophysical method that has gained increasing popularity in planetary science over the past decade. GPR has been utilised both for Lunar and Martian missions providing pivotal information regarding the near surface geology of Terrestrial planets. Within that context, numerous processing pipelines have been...

Space-based astronomical telescopes are in great demand typically observing objects beyond the solar system. Therefore, synaptic observations of solar system bodies are limited by the availability of telescope time and resolution. The need for a high-resolution, multi-wavelength space telescope for dedicated planetary science is especially acute wi...

In this work the mission concept Astrophysical Research Initiative for Space Telescopic Observations of Transiting Large Exoplanets (ARISTOTLE) is presented, it is a result of the collaborative efforts of the 45th Summer School Alpbach. The school focused on the topic of "Exoplanets: Understanding Alien Worlds in Diverse Environments" and brought t...

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) journey into the cosmos is a captivating tapestry of milestones that have revolutionised our understanding of space. The intense competition in the early part of the Space Race between the US and Soviet space programmes fuelled rapid advancements in spacecraft technology, space science and...

Helium, with a full-shell electronic structure, is the most inert element in the periodic table at atmospheric pressure. The study of the reaction between helium and other non-noble-gas elements as well as relevant compounds has attracted great attention in the fields of chemistry, physics, materials and planetary science. In this study, we found a...

A multiphysics simulation model incorporating a sintering model coupled with the MultIHeaTS thermal solver was developed to study the evolution of icy moons’ microstructure. The sintering process is highly dependent on temperature, and this study represents the first attempt in planetary science to examine the coupled interaction between heat trans...

High-energy-density laser facilities and advances in dynamic compression techniques have expanded access to material states in the Terapascal regime relevant to inertial confinement fusion, planetary science, and geophysics. However, experimentally determining the material temperature in these extreme conditions has remained a difficult challenge....

The constant search for extraterrestrial life drives this interdisciplinary research endeavour to dive into the mysteries of celestial bodies that may harbour life beyond Earth. We want to uncover exoplanets, moons, and planets with the potential to sustain life's complicated processes by methodically analysing data collected from cutting-edge grou...

High-pressure aqueous saline solutions are pivotal in earth science, planetary modeling, and environmental science. Despite extensive research on the solution structure, the structure modification for solvent water induced by pressure and salt effects still need to be debated. In the present work, we adoped neutron scattering (NS), quasielastic neu...

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies has revolutionized multiple domains, including the exploration of extraterrestrial environments. This book delves into the convergence of space archaeology and AI-driven generative models for the study of the Moon, Mars, and beyond. By integrating morphometric anal...

Understanding the electrical conductivity of warm dense hydrogen is critical for both fundamental physics and applications in planetary science and inertial confinement fusion. We demonstrate how to calculate the electrical conductivity using the continuum form of Ohm's law, with the current density obtained from real-time time-dependent density fu...

Discipline-based education research (DBER) takes the theories and methodologies of education research and applies them in the context of a specific discipline, in this example, astronomy. Research in the teaching and learning of astronomy has an extensive history; astronomy education research (AER), as its own separately defined field, is relativel...

The understanding of the formation and evolution of the solar system still has many unanswered questions. Formation of solids in the solar system, mineral and organic mixing, and planetary body creation are all topics of interest to the community. Studying these phenomena is often performed through observations, remote sensing, and in-situ analysis...

The current review uses bibliometric analysis to look into the global research trend and the chronological exploration record on the valorization/recycling of mining wastes. Up to 1841 publications were extracted from Scopus database. Their analyses of the chronology of scientific output since 1973 revealed a clear upward trend. Environmental Scien...

This study presents a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on bank erosion and control measures, utilizing the Scopus database and VOSviewer software. Key terms such as “bank”, “erosion”, “control”, and “protection” frequently appear in the literature, underscoring their importance in studies on riverbank erosion. Since 2000, scientific...

### Description of the Article This article provides a comprehensive technical review of Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS), one of the most studied and intriguing features in our solar system. Authored by Sureel Dohare and ChatGPT, the review delves into the GRS's physical characteristics, historical observations, and the scientific theories behind i...

In this study, we report the discovery of a novel high-pressure phase within the Suizhou shocked meteorite, shedding light on the extreme conditions encountered during meteorite impacts. Utilizing advanced analytical techniques including electron microprobe and single-crystal X-ray diffraction, we identified a previously unknown crystalline structu...

𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐌𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐋𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 is an open-access journal published by Vance Press, dedicated to the rapid communication of significant advances in rock mechanics and its applications. Serving researchers, engineers, and practitioners in geotechnical engineering, mining, civil engineering, engineering geology, and geosciences, the journal covers a wide rang...

The JUpiter Icy Moon Explorer mission (JUICE) was designed to investigate Jupiter, its environment and its icy moons with at least one Europa flyby, a high inclination phase around Jupiter and a 280 days long near polar orbital phase around Ganymede, with 130 days on a low circular orbit. The goal of the JUICE mission analysis consisted in implemen...

During the evolution of back-arc extensional systems, crustal-scale extensional detachments accommodate and aid the exhumation of even deeply subducted crustal slivers, promoting the formation of metamorphic core complexes. Such an evolution is often accompanied by the development of thick mylonitic shear zones that accommodate deformation at mid-t...

Over the past two decades, mass–radius relations have become a crucial tool for inferring the bulk composition of exoplanets using only their measured masses and radii. These relations, often referred to as isocomposition curves, are derived from interior structure models by calculating the theoretical radius as a function of mass for a given fixed...

The role of agricultural machinery interacting with the main soil is performed by its wheels, which either amplify or mitigate adverse effects. Faced with climate change and population pressure, urgent research is needed in sectors like agriculture to enhance productivity, assess land suitability, optimize crop yields, and support sustainable devel...

The exploration of small bodies in our solar system is of great interest for the planetary science community due to their high scientific value. However, their generally weak and irregular gravity fields increase the difficulty associated with close proximity operations. Moreover, solar radiation pressure (SRP) can significantly perturb the motion...

Magnetic hysteresis measurements are routinely made in the Earth and planetary sciences to identify geologically meaningful magnetic recorders, and to study variations in present and past environments. Interpreting magnetic hysteresis data in terms of domain state and paleomagnetic stability are major motivations behind undertaking these measuremen...

PermaChile is an international long-term research program, focusing on the effect of climate change in the Chilean Andes Mountains. The aim of the multidisciplinary data collection is the monitoring of changes in permafrost and their effect on soil properties. Previous research • Cartography/Remote Sensing • Geomorphology • Glaciology • Microbiolog...

The planetary defense community should consider the development of a Responsibility to Defend Earth (R2DE) as a foundational normative principle for a future planetary defense security regime. This requires thorough deliberation and consensus-building to definitively answer the question: “What is the value we secure?”

We devise and exploit a data-driven, semi-empirical framework of galaxy formation and evolution, coupling it to recipes for planet formation from stellar and planetary science, to compute the cosmic planet formation rate, and the properties of the planets’ preferred host stellar and galactic environments. We also discuss how the rates and formation...

The Compact Lunar Neutron and Gamma-ray Spectrometer (CLUNGAS) is targeting planetary science and in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) such as mapping sub-surface water on celestial bodies. CLUNGAS is the primary payload in the small lunar mission proposal for Selene's Explorer for Roughness, Regolith, Resources, Neutrons and Elements (SER3NE). SER3...

Deployment of ultracold atom interferometers (AI) into space will capitalize on quantum advantages and the extended freefall of persistent microgravity to provide high-precision measurement capabilities for gravitational, Earth, and planetary sciences, and to enable searches for subtle forces signifying physics beyond General Relativity and the Sta...

The Great Kobuk Sand Dunes (GKSD) of Kobuk Valley National Park, interior arctic Alaska, offer astrobiological and biogeophysical targets for planetary analog science and technology studies. Through a 2024–2027 NASA Planetary Science and Technology through Analog Research (PSTAR) grant, we are seeking to understand if life thrives within the GKSD a...

Understanding the longevity of Mars’s dynamo is key to interpreting the planet’s atmospheric loss history and the properties of its deep interior. Satellite data showing magnetic lows above many large impact basins formed 4.1-3.7 billion years ago (Ga) have been interpreted as evidence that Mars’s dynamo terminated before 4.1 Ga—at least 0.4 Gy bef...

Reconstruction of 3D scenes from 2D images is a technical challenge that impacts domains from Earth and planetary sciences and space exploration to augmented and virtual reality. Typically, reconstruction algorithms first identify common features across images and then minimize reconstruction errors after estimating the shape of the terrain. This b...

Spectral features of olivine across the intermediate infrared region (IMIR, 4–8 μm) shift systematically with iron‐magnesium content, enabling determination of olivine composition. Previous IMIR studies have used laboratory data with signal‐to‐noise ratios (SNRs) and spectral resolutions potentially greater than those of data derived from planetary...

This paper explores the capability of the NASA Space Launch System (SLS) to deliver a lander with a space telescope to the north pole of Phobos. Space-based astronomical telescopes are in great demand typically observing objects beyond the solar system. Therefore, synaptic observations of solar system bodies are limited by the availability of teles...

Warm dense matter is at the boundary between a plasma and a condensed phase and plays a role in astrophysics, planetary science and inertial confinement fusion research. However, its electronic structure and ionic structure upon irradiation with strong laser pulses remain poorly understood. Here, we use an intense and ultrafast X-ray free-electron...

A mission to Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system, was suggested as a priority for the New Frontiers program in the 2013 Planetary Science Decadal Survey. We present a New Frontiers–class mission concept, Vulcan, that was designed as an educational exercise through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s 2022 Planetary S...

Designing museum exhibitions is a hot topic for architects, designers, museologists, and scholars since museography represents a powerful tool for valorizing collections, promoting education, communicating cultural values, and ensuring suitable conservation conditions for the exhibited specimens. This is especially true for museums displaying authe...

In this paper, we investigate the time evolution of the rank correlation coefficients of the prestige indicators of the journals (such as Scimago Journal Rank) over 21 years, for 9856 journals in various disciplines. The observed dependencies do not differ qualitatively from those observed for the time evolution of the ranking correlations in wealt...

The exploration and understanding of Mars have captivated the scientific community and the public alike. Terrestrial analogues are places on Earth that have one or more geological or paleoenvironmental characteristics that are similar to those found on extra-terrestrial planets, therefore identifying and studying such sites resembling Martian geolo...

In planetary science, visible (Vis) and near-infrared (NIR) reflectance spectra allow deciphering the chemical/mineralogical composition of celestial bodies’ surfaces by comparison between remotely acquired data and laboratory references. This paper presents the design of an automated test rig named Exoland Simulator equipped with two reflectance s...

1I/`Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov are the first macroscopic interstellar objects to be detected in the solar system. Their discovery has triggered a tsunami of scientific interest regarding the physical properties, dynamics and origin of the so-called interstellar interloper population. While it is clear that a deep understanding of these issues cannot b...

After its long reputation as an extremely polluted water river and anthropogenic mining waste dump, studies support Rio Tinto (southern Spain, Iberian Pyrite Belt) to be an extremely acidic environment where life relentlessly thrived long before human history. It has become clear that in this extreme environment, there are strong relationships betw...

Among different human activities having the goal to increase humanity’s quality of life as industrial, agricultural, commercial, transport, touristic ones, also activities connected to Earth and Planetary Insights must be mentioned. In this regard Earth and Planetary Insights especially by exploration, analysis and assessment encompass several scie...

Modern Mars is bipolar, cold, and oxidizing, while early Mars was characterized by icy highlands, episodic warmth and reducing atmosphere. The timing and association of the climate and redox transitions remain inadequately understood. Here we examine the spatiotemporal distribution of the low surface iron abundance in the ancient Martian terrains,...

The science of volcanology advances disproportionately during exceptionally large or well-observed eruptions. The 2018 eruption of Kīlauea Volcano (Hawai‘i) was its most impactful in centuries, involving an outpouring of more than one cubic kilometer of basalt, a magnitude 7 flank earthquake, and the volcano's largest summit collapse since at least...

The 16th edition of the European Workshop on Laser Ablation (EWLA2024) was organized in Ghent, Belgium and hosted 190 participants from from universities, research institutes and companies, located in 26 different countries. In total, 7 invited lectures, 2 upcoming talent award presentations, 40 contributed lectures and 65 posters were presented....

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and its Context Camera (CTX) have acquired more than 100,000 separate panchromatic images that capture nearly the entire surface of Mars at ∼5–6 m/pixel. This paper describes a data processing workflow used to generate the first contiguous global mosaic of CTX data, which represents a large improvement in spatial res...

Astrophysics concentrates on the physical processes associated with the entities that comprise the universe. If astronomy maps the positions and movements of astronomical objects, astrophysics uses the laws of physics to describe and to explain their nature. Astrophysics involves principles of all sub-classes of physics importantly, Newton law of g...

Recent observations of Jupiter’s atmosphere showing unexpected depletion of ammonia below the ammonia cloud-forming region has brought up the question of whether a single point measurement below the cloud decks in a giant planet atmosphere can provide sufficient information to answer fundamental science questions. We outline here the science questi...

Surface observations suggest that carbon may exist in Mercury’s interior. Under planetary mantle pressures and temperatures, carbon may be present as a stable diamond layer which may have important implications for the physical and chemical properties of Mercury.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) represents an emerging field that promises the creation of synthetic data and outputs in different modalities. GAI has recently shown impressive results across a large spectrum of applications ranging from biology, medicine, education, legislation, computer science, and finance. As one strives for enhanced s...

As oil and gas exploration has evolved, the industry has been forced to develop new techniques and practices for modeling and prospect evaluation. Even with 100+ years of advances in exploration technology, the global success rate for offshore exploration wells ranges from 25 to 40%. The unforgiving nature of oil and gas exploration means data bes...

With the recent announcement by NASA's Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, a priority flagship mission to the planet Uranus is anticipated. Here, we explore the prospects of using the mission's radio Doppler tracking equipment to detect gravitational waves (GWs) and other analogous signals related to dark matter (DM) over t...