geology – planetaria

Mercury’s strange chemistry revealed

October 4, 2018 by Paul Scott Anderson

Mercury, the smallest terrestrial (rocky) planet and closest to the Sun, is relatively close to Earth, yet there is much that we still don’t know about it. Next month, the joint ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission will be launched to this enigmatic world – but in the …

Wow! New volcano on Jupiter’s moon Io

July 29, 2018 by Paul Scott Anderson

When it comes to volcanoes, we naturally tend to think of big eruptions like the recent ones in Hawaii or Mount St. Helens in Washington state, best known for its major 1980 eruption. Earth is a volcanically active planet, but there is another place in …

Astronomers find ‘ghost dunes’ on Mars

July 17, 2018 by Paul Scott Anderson

Mars is a desert planet, a lot like some deserts on Earth, but much colder. Also just like Earth, the Martian deserts have vast dunes, ranging from small sand ripples (technically not dunes) to towering, cliff-like true dunes of fine sand. But – while various …

Curiosity rover finds seasonal clues about Martian methane and investigates unusual ‘stick’ formations

February 26, 2018January 8, 2018 by Paul Scott Anderson

As we enter 2018, NASA’s Curiosity rover continues to be busy exploring on top of Vera Rubin Ridge, on the lower flanks of Mount Sharp. The rover is gradually making its way farther up the flanks, closing in the picturesque foothills in front of it. …

Hotsprings in Gale crater? Curiosity rover finds new evidence for ancient hydrothermal activity

August 28, 2017 by Paul Scott Anderson

NASA’s Curiosity rover has found even more evidence for a previously habitable environment in Gale crater on Mars, according to a new study just published. The findings point to a history of hydrothermal activity in the region, which combined with other evidence for a past …

Curiosity continues journey after drill problems, finishes another year of scientific discovery

December 27, 2016 by Paul Scott Anderson

A “self-portrait” of Curiosity beside one of the dunes in the Bagnold Dunes. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

The Curiosity rover has now resumed its journey toward Mount Sharp after experiencing some delays due to a faulty drill mechanism. The rover conducted a short drive over the past weekend toward a new location with “plenty of science targets to choose from.” Being on the road again is of course a relief to mission engineers and scientists, although the problems with the drill are still being diagnosed. As has come to be expected, Curiosity again made some exciting science observations in 2016, which continue to show that this region on Mars was once a lot more habitable in the ancient past, and perhaps bringing us closer to answering the question of whether life ever actually did exist there.

More evidence from Curiosity rover for ancient habitability and widespread organics on Mars

December 16, 2016 by Paul Scott Anderson

View of the path ahead for the Curiosity rover, looking toward the foothills of Mount Sharp. The various sedimentary layers on the mountain are a geological record of different environmental conditions in the past. Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

NASA held another press briefing this week about the latest findings from the Curiosity rover on Mars, detailing new evidence that this former lake environment was once quite hospitable for possible life. The findings were announced from the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco. In a related development, there is also new evidence from Curiosity that organics have not only been definitively found by the rover, but that they may be more widespread on Mars than previously thought.

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