LPL Spotlight Stories

A vast hotspot of intense volcanism underneath the dark, blotchy “face” of the moon known as Oceanis Procellarum (red area on right) resulted in less density there than in other parts of the moon. To restore balance, the moon’s axis shifted by six degrees. Traces of water ice deposits near the poles outline the movement from the location of the ancient (blue) to the present pole (teal). (Image by James Keane)

Tales of a Tilting Moon Hidden in Its Polar Ice

By Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, March 22, 2016 A new study published Wednesday in Nature reports that the...
Pluto's "heart" may not always have been in its current position, two UA planetary researchers suggest. (Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute)

Pluto Follows its Cold, Cold Heart

By Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, March 28, 2016 Pluto is a weird environment, according to James Keane ,...
Professor Renu Malhotra Named Regents' Professor

Malhotra Named Regents' Professor

April 12, 2016 LPL Professor Renu Malhotra is one of three University of Arizona faculty members named as Regents' Professors...
Sevigny's book grew out of more than 60 interviews she conducted with faculty members, staff and students at the Lunar and Planetary Lab.

The Book on the Birthplace of Planetary Science

By Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, May 18, 2016 With the countdown underway to September's launch of the OSIRIS-REx...
Erich Karkoschka in the Space Imagery Center at the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. (Photo: Maria Schuchardt)

UA Planetary Science Gets Stamps of Approval

By Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, May 25, 2016 When a University of Arizona planetary scientist persuaded NASA to...
With its suite of science instruments, Juno will investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras. Juno's principal goal is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. (Artist's concept: NASA/JPL)

Skimming the Clouds of Jupiter

Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, July 5, 2016 (An earlier version of this story was published on June 20,...
Bennu is among millions of primitive asteroids composed of molecules that may have been the precursors to life on Earth. (Image: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab)

Bennu: How a Little Asteroid Became a Rock Star

By Robin Tricoles, University Relations - Communications, June 29, 2016 Carl Hergenrother fingers a stack of white, 8 1/2-...
The Kepler spacecraft (Image: NASA)

UA-Led Team Confirms 100+ Exoplanets Via Kepler

By Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications. July 18, 2016 An international team of astronomers led by the University of...
Charles Conrad examines Surveyor's TV camera prior to detaching it on Nov. 20, 1969. The Apollo 12 lunar module is in the background. (Image: NASA)

NASA's Surveyor Lander Brought the Moon to the World

By Robin Tricoles, University Relations - Communications, August 17, 2016 While their colleague Richard F. Gordon was busy orbiting the...
It wasn't until she took a community college course that UA alumna Daniella DellaGiustina became fascinated by space science. (Photo: Bob Demers/UANews)

Career Map Surprised OSIRIS-REx Scientist

By Doug Carroll, University Relations - Communications, September 6, 2016 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — It's a long, long, l-o-n-g way...