21 papers · ranked by Valyu relevance
David G. Russell
A classification system is presented for characterizing the composition of planetary bodies. From mass-radius and mass-density relationships, planets may be broadly grouped into five composition classes identified as: Gas Giant, Rock-Ice Giant, gas-rich Terrestrial, Rock Terrestrial, and Rock-Ice Terrestrial based upon…
David G. Russell
A planetary mass scale and system of composition codes are presented for describing the geophysical characteristics of exoplanets and Solar System planets, dwarf planets, and spherical moons. The composition classes characterize the rock, ice, and gas properties of planetary bodies. The planetary mass scale includes…
Amaury Thiabaud, U. Marboeuf, Y. Alibert, Nahuel Cabral + 2 more
'Klaus Mezger'] Context. To date calculations of planet formation have mainly focused on dynamics, and only a few have considered the chemical composition of refractory elements and compounds in the planetary bodies. While many studies have been concentrating on the chemical composition of volatile compounds (such as…
Nikku Madhusudhan, Marcelino Agúndez, Julianne I Moses, Yongyun Hu
Characterizing the atmospheres of extrasolar planets is the new frontier in exoplanetary science. The last two decades of exoplanet discoveries have revealed that exoplanets are very common and extremely diverse in their orbital and bulk properties. We now enter a new era as we begin to investigate the chemical…
Tilman Spohn, Aki Roberge, M. J. Way, João C. Duarte + 4 more
This article reviews the emerging field of exo-geoscience, focusing on the geological and geophysical processes thought to influence the evolution and (eu)habitability of rocky exoplanets. We examine the possible roles of planetary interiors, tectonic regimes, continental coverage, volatile cycling, magnetic fields…
Asmaa Boujibar, Denis Andrault, Nathalie Bolfan-Casanova, Mohamed Ali Bouhifd + 1 more
'Mohamed Ali Bouhifd' 'Julien Monteux'] Early in the Solar System's history, energetic collisions of differentiated bodies affected the final composition of the terrestrial planets through partial destruction. Enstatite chondrites (EC) are the best candidates to represent the primordial terrestrial precursors as they…
Philipp Baumeister, Francesca Miozzi, Claire Marie Guimond, Marie-Luise Steinmeyer + 6 more
Most our knowledge about rocky exoplanets is based on their measure of mass and radius. These two parameters are routinely measured and are used to categorise different populations of observed exoplanets. They are also tightly linked to the planet’s properties, in particular those of the interior. As such they offer…
J. Marvin Herndon
I present here a new, indivisible planetary science paradigm, a wholly self-consistent vision of the nature of matter in the Solar System, and dynamics and energy sources of planets. Massive-core planets formed by condensing and raining-out from within giant gaseous protoplanets at high pressures and high temperatures.…
R. B. Firestone
Three major planets, Venus, Earth, and Mercury formed out of the solar nebula. A fourth planetesimal, Theia, also formed near Earth where it collided in a giant impact, rebounding as the planet Mars. During this impact Earth lost ≈4% of its crust and mantle that is now is found on Mars and the Moon. At the antipode of…
Diana Valencia, Amaya Moro-Martin, Johanna Teske
Physics Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M1C 1A4, Canada Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, Boulevard de l'Observatoire, Nice, 06300, France Space Telescope Science Institute, 3700 San Mart´ın Dr., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA William H. Miller III Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University…
Isaac J. Onyett, Martin Schiller, Georgy V. Makhatadze, Zhengbin Deng + 2 more
'Zhengbin Deng' 'Anders Johansen' 'Martin Bizzarro'] Understanding the nature and origin of the precursor material to terrestrial planets is key to deciphering the mechanisms and timescales of planet formation1. Nucleosynthetic variability among rocky Solar System bodies can trace the composition of planetary building…
K.E. Mandt, O. Mousis, B. Marty, T. Cavalié + 3 more
'K. Willacy'] Comets play a dual role in understanding the formation and evolution of the solar system. First, the composition of comets provides information about the origin of the giant planets and their moons because comets formed early and their composition is not expected to have evolved significantly since…
David S. Spiegel, Jonathan J. Fortney, C. Sotin
The hundreds of exoplanets that have been discovered in the past two decades offer a new perspective on planetary structure. Instead of being the archetypal examples of planets, those of our Solar System are merely possible outcomes of planetary system formation and evolution, and conceivably not even terribly common…
Daniel Muratore, Sara I. Walker, Heather Graham, Christopher H. House + 1 more
Recent analysis of data from the Cassini Cosmic Dust Analyzer confirm geochemical modeling work that shows that the ocean of Enceladus contains considerable quantities of inorganic phosphorus as well as ammonium [55]. Technological advancement in flight instrumentation will continue to yield increasingly detailed data…
Sofie M. Castelein, Tom F. Aarts, Juergen Schleppi, Ruud Hendrikx + 8 more
In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is increasingly acknowledged as an essential requirement for the construction of sustainable extra-terrestrial colonies. Even with decreasing launch costs, the ultimate goal of establishing colonies must be the usage of resources found at the destination of interest. Typical…
Authors not listed
In the Earth system, Phosphorus (P) does not form a single phase, but mostly combines into compounds forming multiple minerals. Phosphate (P+5) is the majority P species in the Earth’s crust. Phosphate is the completely oxidized P species, while P similarly contains some other reduced species like hypophosphate (P4+)…
Aoi Murakami, Yu Komatsu, Kenji Takizawa
The vegetation red-edge of terrestrial plants is a key biosignature for detecting Earth-like habitable exoplanets. Although water is essential for plants, an excess of water can limit the distribution of terrestrial vegetation. On planets with extensive water coverage and limited land, floating vegetation on the…
Harrison B. Smith, Alexa Drew, Sara I. Walker
The concept of the origin of life implies that initially, life emerged from a non-living medium. If this medium was Earth’s geochemistry, then that would make life, by definition, a geochemical process. The extent to which life on Earth today could subsist outside of the geochemistry from which it is embedded is poorly…
Miguel Arribas Tiemblo, Alicia Rodríguez-Moreno, Felipe Gómez, Ester Lázaro
Viruses are among the simplest biological entities capable of replication. Their robustness and adaptability make them relevant not only to terrestrial ecosystems but also to astrobiological exploration. As durable entities, they may persist in environments far harsher than those tolerable to cellular life and are…
Authors not listed
Considering the harsh surface conditions on Mars, terrestrial organisms that can survive and remain detectable after exposure to similar conditions provide invaluable models for guiding current and future search-for-life missions. To this end, we evaluated the extremophilic archaeon Acidianus manzaensis grown on…
Holly R. Rucker, Tucker D. Ely, Douglas E. LaRowe, Donato Giovannelli + 1 more
Putative alkaline hydrothermal systems on Noachian Mars were potentially habitable environments for microorganisms. However, the types of reactions that could have fueled microbial life in such systems and the amount of energy available from them have not been quantitatively constrained. In this study, we use…