Focus on Graduate Students

Plumes on Icy Worlds Hold Clues About What Lies Beneath

Dec. 16, 2020

A new model shows how brine on Jupiter’s moon Europa can migrate within the icy shell to form pockets of salty water that erupt to the surface when freezing. The findings are important for the upcoming Europa Clipper mission and may explain cryovolcanic eruptions across icy bodies in the solar system.

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This artist’s conception of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa shows a hypothesized cryovolcanic eruption

Escape from Mars: How Water Fled the Red Planet

Nov. 12, 2020

New LPL-led research updates our understanding of how water escaped Mars – not like a leaky faucet but with a sudden splash.

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This artist's concept depicts the early Martian environment (right) – believed to contain liquid water and a thicker atmosphere – versus the cold, dry environment seen at Mars today (left).NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

What Makes Saturn's Upper Atmosphere So Hot

April 6, 2020

New mapping of the giant planet's upper atmosphere reveals a likely reason why it's so hot.

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Saturn and it's aurora. (Image: NASA)

Exploring a Desert Portal to Other Worlds

July 8, 2019

The merge between astronomy and geology, necessary to get humans to the moon, led to the birth of modern-day planetary science and a long history of field trips that continue to this day, enabling fledgling scientists to interpret data from far-off worlds without leaving Earth.

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UA LPL graduate student Ali Bramson

Powerful Particles and Tugging Tides May Affect Extraterrestrial Life

April 16, 2019

Two new studies by UA space scientists may bring into question the habitability of TRAPPIST-1 exoplanets, three of which are in the habitable zone of space.

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Artist's impression of the perpetual sunrise that might greet visitors.

Unknown Treasure Trove of Planets Found Hiding in Dust

Dec. 6, 2018

The first unbiased survey of protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars in the Taurus star-forming region turned up a higher-than-expected number of disks with features suggesting nascent planets.

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Rare Blue Asteroid Reveals Itself During Fly-By

Oct. 24, 2018

A team led by UA doctoral student Teddy Kareta obtained a rare glimpse of the bizarre, blue asteroid that is responsible for Geminid Meteor Shower.

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Best in Class: Grads Who Are Going Places

May 8, 2017

The UA's Class of 2017 has it all, from a planetary scientist who has studied Pluto to a would-be chaplain. In the first part of a two-part series, we introduce four graduates who are poised to make an impact in the world.

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The Mystery of Ahuna Mons, the Lonely Ice Volcano

Feb. 2, 2017

New research led by Michael Sori of the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory shows that Ceres, a dwarf planet orbiting between Mars and Jupiter, may have vanishing ice volcanoes.

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Cracked, Frozen and Tipped Over: New Clues From Pluto's Past

Nov. 16, 2016

Research by two UA planetary scientists reveals fascinating clues about Pluto, suggesting the small world at the fringes of our solar system is much more active than anyone ever imagined.

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