Atmospheric circulation on hot exoplanets: What about magnets?
Astronomers love to ignore magnetic fields. But they may strongly affect the pattern of atmospheric circulation in hot Jupiters.
Dust in SPACE: Studying the growth of planetesimals with a suborbital rocket experiment
By sending a chamber of dust on a suborbital ballistic rocket, the authors of this paper hope to find out how planetesimals form.
New Insight Into A Potentially Evaporating Planet
There is a small planet candidate, likely rocky, that looks like it’s being vaporized. The authors of this paper show evidence that this evaporation might be related to stellar activity, not just the planet’s proximity to its star.
How to Drag an Asteroid to Earth
With some assistance from gravity, it is possible with currently-available technologies to bring small asteroids into orbit next to Earth to be studied and mined.
The Influence of Ice and Snow on Habitability (or, On the Habitability of Hoth)
This article uses theoretical modeling to estimate the influence of ice and snow on the habitability of extrasolar planets. This work differentiates itself from past efforts by including the influence of the atmosphere, and by considering planets orbiting M-dwarfs in addition to Sun-like stars.
The (not so) Sordid History of the Small Magellanic Cloud
The authors of today’s paper find out just what kind of star formation history lies in the Milky Way’s next meal: The Small Magellanic Cloud. After all, they say you are what you eat.