Tag Archives: Planetary Sciences

Explaining Mars’ Patchy Aurora

Posted on February 2, 2024 by rberkowitz

The solar wind’s orientation relative to Mars’ magnetic-field lines changes as the planet rotates, creating conditions ripe for magnetic reconnection. Continue reading →

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Martian Impacts Seen and Heard

Posted on October 27, 2022 by rberkowitz

Linking acoustic and seismic signals from meteorite strikes to orbiter images is a step toward mapping the planet’s interior. Continue reading →

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Martian Rocks Produced Bio-Friendly Gas Long Ago

Posted on June 7, 2022 by rberkowitz

Iron-rich rocks in Minnesota give a proxy view into how aqueous interactions with Martian rocks could have shaped that planet’s early environment Continue reading →

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Pluto’s Tilt Explains Ice Sheet’s History

Posted on October 21, 2021 by rberkowitz

Climate models based on changes in Pluto’s orbital tilt suggest that the dwarf planet’s heart-shaped ice sheet continues to undergo cycles of sublimation, condensation, and reorientation. Read more in APS Physics…

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Decoding an asteroid’s magnetic history

Posted on July 28, 2017 by rberkowitz

Meteorite samples show that metal asteroids exhibited dynamo activity while they solidified from the outside in. Continue reading →

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Not Like the Others

Posted on January 15, 2016 by rberkowitz

NASA’s Dawn mission to Ceres has provided an unexpected picture of asteroid formation. Continue reading →

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