Atmosphere Archives - Page 3 of 3

Saturn’s Rings are Heating Gas Giant’s Upper Atmosphere, Astronomers Say

By News Staff March 30, 2023

The most feasible explanation is that icy ring particles raining down onto Saturn’s atmosphere cause this heating, according to a team of astronomers who analyzed several datasets obtained by the…

Curiosity Rover Images Sun Rays and Feather-Shaped Clouds on Mars

By News Staff March 6, 2023

‘Sun rays’ are also known as crepuscular rays, from the Latin word for twilight. It was the first time sun rays have been so clearly viewed on Mars. This feather-shaped…

Electricity in Martian Dust Storms Could Be Major Driving Force of Planet’s Chlorine Cycle

By News Staff February 20, 2023

Frictional electrification is a common process in the Solar System, with Martian dust activities known to be a powerful source of electrical charge buildup. Furthermore, the thin atmosphere on the…

Trace Gas Detection Sheds New Light on Atmospheres of Jupiter and Its Volcanic Moon Io

By Natali Anderson December 28, 2022

Using data from NSF’s Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA), the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and NASA’s Juno spacecraft, two teams of astronomers have examined the distribution of…

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Records Sound of Martian Dust Devil

By News Staff December 13, 2022

Dust devils — convective vortices loaded with dust — are common at the surface of Mars, particularly at Jezero crater, the landing site of NASA’s Perseverance rover. They are indicators…

Martian Springtime Dust Storms Churn Up Surprisingly Earth-Like Cloud Patterns: Study

By News Staff November 16, 2022

Using images obtained by two orbiting spacecraft, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA’s Mars Express, planetary researchers analyzed textured dust storms that develop at the northern polar cap boundary on…

Researchers Find Extraterrestrial Noble Gases in Asteroid Ryugu Sample

By Sergio Prostak November 3, 2022

The sample of material delivered to our planet from the near-Earth asteroid Ryugu contained a mixture of extraterrestrial (helium and neon) and terrestrial atmospheric gases, according to new research led…

Saturn’s Rings are Heating Gas Giant’s Upper Atmosphere, Astronomers Say

Electricity in Martian Dust Storms Could Be Major Driving Force of Planet’s Chlorine Cycle

Trace Gas Detection Sheds New Light on Atmospheres of Jupiter and Its Volcanic Moon Io

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Records Sound of Martian Dust Devil

Researchers Find Extraterrestrial Noble Gases in Asteroid Ryugu Sample

Cassini Reveals Surface Properties of Titan’s Hydrocarbon Seas

Ancient Mars was Cool and Relatively Wet, New Study Suggests