Results 1 to 10 of about 8,276 (261)
Large planets may not form fractionally large moons [PDF]
Nature Communications 13, 568 (2022), 2023 One of the unique aspects of Earth is that it has a fractionally large Moon, which is thought to have formed from a Moon-forming disk generated by a giant impact. The Moon stabilizes the Earth's spin axis at least by several degrees and contributes to Earth's stable climate.
Miki Nakajima +3 more
arxiv +3 more sources
Icy Moon Surface Simulation and Stereo Depth Estimation for Sampling Autonomy [PDF]
Sampling autonomy for icy moon lander missions requires understanding of topographic and photometric properties of the sampling terrain. Unavailability of high resolution visual datasets (either bird-eye view or point-of-view from a lander) is an obstacle for selection, verification or development of perception systems.
Ramchander Rao Bhaskara +7 more
arxiv +3 more sources
Modifications of SPH towards three-dimensional simulations of an icy moon with internal ocean [PDF]
arXivThere are some traces of the existence of internal ocean in some icy moons, such as the vapor plumes of Europa and Enceladus. This implies a region of liquid water beneath the surface ice shell. Since liquid water would be essential for the origin of life, it is important to understand the development of these internal oceans, particularly their ...
Keiya Murashima +3 more
arxiv +3 more sources
AUV trajectory optimization with hydrodynamic forces for Icy Moon Exploration [PDF]
In 17th Symposium on Advanced Space Technologies in Robotics and
Automation, 18-20 October 2023. 2023To explore oceans on ice-covered moons in the solar system, energy-efficient Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) with long ranges must cover enough distance to record and collect enough data. These usually underactuated vehicles are hard to control when performing tasks such as vertical docking or the inspection of vertical walls.
Lukas Rust, Shubham Vyas, Bilal Wehbe
arxiv +3 more sources
Icy Exomoons Evidenced by Spallogenic Nuclides in Polluted White Dwarfs [PDF]
ApJL 907 L35 (2021), 2021 We present evidence that excesses in Be in polluted white dwarfs (WDs) are the result of accretion of icy exomoons that formed in the radiation belts of giant exoplanets. Here we use excess Be in the white dwarf GALEX J2339-0424 as an example. We constrain the parent body abundances of rock-forming elements in GALEX J2339-0424 and show that the ...
arxiv +1 more source
The subsurface habitability of small, icy exomoons [PDF]
A&A 636, A50 (2020), 2020 Assuming our Solar System as typical, exomoons may outnumber exoplanets. If their habitability fraction is similar, they would thus constitute the largest portion of habitable real estate in the Universe. Icy moons in our Solar System, such as Europa and Enceladus, have already been shown to possess liquid water, a prerequisite for life on Earth.
arxiv +1 more source
Polymerization of building blocks of life on Europa and other icy moons [PDF]
Astrobiology, 2015, 15(6): 430-441, 2015 The outer solar system may provide a potential habitat for extraterrestrial life. Remote sensing data from the Galileo spacecraft suggest that the jovian icy moons, Europa, Ganymede, and possibly Callisto, may harbor liquid water oceans underneath their icy crusts.
arxiv +1 more source
Near-Infrared reflectance spectroscopy of sublimating salty ice analogues. Implications for icy moons [PDF]
, 2021 The composition of the surface of the Galilean icy moons has been debated since the Galileo mission. Several chemistries have been proposed to explain the composition of the non-icy component of the moon's surfaces, notably, sulphuric acid hydrates and magnesium and sodium sulphates.
arxiv +1 more source
Abrupt climate transition of icy worlds from snowball to moist or runaway greenhouse [PDF]
Nature Geoscience, 10, 556-560, Aug. 2017, 2018 Ongoing and future space missions aim to identify potentially habitable planets in our Solar System and beyond. Planetary habitability is determined not only by a planet's current stellar insolation and atmospheric properties, but also by the evolutionary history of its climate.
arxiv +1 more source
The potential for tidally heated icy and temperate moons around exoplanets [PDF]
Astrophys.J.648:1196-1205,2006, 2006 Moons of giant planets may represent an alternative to the classical picture of habitable worlds. They may exist within the circumstellar habitable zone of a parent star, and through tidal energy dissipation they may also offer alternative habitable zones, where stellar insolation plays a secondary, or complementary, role.
arxiv +1 more source