The detection of biosignatures on a planetary surface is of high scientific interest, and enantiomeric excesses of organic molecules are one such signature. Enantiomeric excesses can be detected by their polarizing effects on transmitted light. As part of instrument development work for a microscopic imager, the Cold Lightweight Imager for Europa (C-LIFE), we assess the potential of polarization measurements

Giant planet migration is an important phenomenon in the evolution of planetary systems. Recent works have shown that giant planet growth and migration can shape the asteroid belt, but these works have not considered interactions between planetesimals. We have calculated the evolution of planetesimal disks, including planetesimal–planetesimal collisions, during gas giant growth and migration. The numbers

A stable population of objects co-orbiting with Venus was recently hypothesized in order to explain the existence of Venus’s co-orbital dust ring. We conducted a five days twilight survey for these objects with the Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory 4 m telescope covering about 35 unique square degrees to 21 mag in the r band. Our survey provides the most stringent limit so far on the number of

In the study of planetary habitability and terrestrial atmospheric evolution, the divergence of surface conditions for Venus and Earth remains an area of active research. Among the intrinsic and external influences on the Venusian climate history are orbital changes due to giant planet migration that have both variable incident flux and tidal heating consequences. Here, we present the results of a

We describe the discovery of a satellite of the Trojan asteroid (3548) Eurybates in images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. The satellite was detected on three separate epochs, two in 2018 September and one in 2020 January. The satellite has a brightness in all three epochs consistent with an effective diameter of d 2 = 1.2 ± 0.4 km. The projected separation from Eurybates was s ∼ 1700–2300

A dusty ringlet designated R/2006 S3, also known as the “Charming Ringlet,” is located around 119,940 km from the center of Saturn within the Laplace Gap in the Cassini Division. Prior to 2010, the ringlet had a simple radial profile and a predictable eccentric shape with two components, one forced by solar radiation pressure and the other freely precessing around the planet. However, observations

We provide formulae for the calculation of precise Doppler velocities of sunlight, in both the case of direct observations of the Sun and in reflection from the surfaces of solar system objects such as the Moon or asteroids. We discuss the meaning of a "barycentric correction" of measurements of these Doppler velocities, which is a different procedure from the analogous correction for starlight, and

The Cumberland drill sample from the Sheepbed mudstone in Gale Crater, Mars, revealed the first evidence of an indigenous Martian organic molecule, chlorobenzene, with the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument on Curiosity. We created in the laboratory a mineralogical analog of the Cumberland sample (CBA) to aid in the understanding of the precursor organic molecule(s) that led to the detection

We consider whether equilibrium size distributions from collisional cascades match the frequency of impactors derived from New Horizons crater counts on Charon. Using an analytic model and a suite of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that collisional cascades generate wavy size distributions; the morphology of the waves depends on the binding energy of solids ##IMG## [http://ej.iop.org/images/

Astrophysical measurements have shown that some stars have sufficiently high carbon-to-oxygen ratios such that the planets they host would be mainly composed of carbides instead of silicates. We studied the behavior of silicon carbide in the presence of water under the high pressure–temperature conditions relevant to planetary interiors in the laser-heated diamond-anvil cell. When reacting with water

Exoplanet discoveries have reached into the realm of terrestrial planets that are becoming the subject of atmospheric studies. One such discovery is LHS 3844b, a 1.3 Earth radius planet in a 0.46 day orbit around an M4.5-5 dwarf star. Follow-up observations indicate that the planet is largely devoid of substantial atmosphere. This lack of significant atmosphere places astrophysical and geophysical

space-weathering as well as shock effects can darken meteorite and asteroid reflectance spectra. We present a detailed comparative study on shock-darkening and space-weathering using different lithologies of the Chelyabinsk LL5 chondrite. Compared to space-weathering, the shock processes do not cause significant spectral slope changes and are more efficient in attenuating the orthopyroxene 2 μ m absorption

We present the first optical observations taken to characterize the near-Earth object 138175 (2000 EE104). This body is associated with interplanetary field enhancements (IFEs), thought to be caused by interactions between the solar wind magnetic field and solid material trailing in the orbit of the parent body. Based on optical photometry, the radius (in meters) and mass (in kilograms) of an equal-area

We present Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) observations of sun glitter—wave-induced reflections from a liquid surface offset from a specular point—on Kraken Mare. sun glitter reveals rough sea surfaces around Kraken Mare, namely the coasts and narrow straits. The sun glitter observations indicate wave activity driven by the winds and tidal currents in Kraken Mare during northern

We present Citlalmitl (the word for meteorite in the Nahuatl language), a new experimental device designed and built to simulate high-temperature processes relevant for meteoritics, including chondrule formation and the atmospheric entry of micrometeorites (MMs). The main component of Citlalmitl is a 50 W CO 2 laser, used to melt samples that simulate the precursors of meteoritical materials. As examples

We identify and document the instances of bright ephemeral features (BEF)—bright areas that appear, disappear, and shift from flyby to flyby on Titan's north pole, using the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer data set, thereby developing a sense of their spatial distribution and temporal frequency. We find that BEFs have differing geographic location and spatial extents. However, they