News

51 Pegasi b Fellowship at UArizona LPL

July 18, 2023

The Heising-Simons Foundation and LPL particularly welcome applications from individuals who belong to historically underrepresented groups. Applications are due by October 6, 2023.

Pass the Salt: This Space Rock Holds Clues as to How Earth Got Its Water

June 13, 2023

The discovery of tiny salt grains in an asteroid sample brought to Earth by the Japanese Hayabusa spacecraft provides strong evidence that liquid water may be more common in the solar system's largest asteroid population than previously thought.

Asteroid Itokawa as seen by the Hayabusa spacecraft.

Webb Finds Water Vapor, But From a Rocky Planet or Its Star?

May 1, 2023

GJ 486 b is about 30% larger than the Earth and three times as massive, which means it is a rocky world with stronger gravity than Earth. It orbits a red dwarf star in just under 1.5 Earth days. It is too close to its star to be within the habitable zone, with a surface temperature of about 800 degrees Fahrenheit. And yet, Webb observations show hints of water vapor.

With Webb Space Telescope, UArizona Astronomers Help Detect Carbon Dioxide in Exoplanet Atmosphere

Aug. 25, 2022

After years of preparation and anticipation, exoplanet researchers are ecstatic about the first official scientific observation of an exoplanet by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

This illustration shows what exoplanet WASP-39 b, a hot, puffy gas giant 700 light-years from Earth, could look like, based on current understanding of the planet. NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

Dr. Sarah E. Moran - Lunar and Planetary Laboratory

July 26, 2022

Dr. Sarah Moran was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Development Grant (PRDG) from the University of Arizona for a project titled “Alteration of Planetary Hazes Related to Composition of Host Star”.

Dr. Sarah E. Moran, Postoctoral Researcher at Lunar and Planetary Lab

51 Pegasi b Fellowship at LPL

July 18, 2022

The Heising-Simons Foundation 51 Pegasi b Fellowship supports innovative post-doctoral research in planetary astronomy, spanning solar system planetary science to exoplanet astronomy.

51 Pegasi b Fellowship at University of Arizona

Dying stars could seed interstellar medium with carbon nanotubes

June 16, 2022

Evidence suggests that carbon nanotubes, tiny tubes consisting of pure carbon, could be forged in the envelopes of dust and gas surrounding dying stars. The findings propose a simple, yet elegant mechanism for the formation and survival of complex carbon molecules in space.

Dr. Sarah Moran Named UArizona Sursum Fellow

May 19, 2022

LPL Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Sarah Moran has been named a University of Arizona Sursum Fellow, selected for her proposal on Haze Evolution in sub-Neptune Exoplanets through UV Laboratory Experiments. The award is a postdoctoral research development grant designed to foster independence and help advance the career goals of postdoctoral scholars by funding small research projects or training experiences that are outside the scope of their current postdoctoral appointments.

Dr. Sarah Moran - UArizona Sursum Fellow

Stefano Nerozzi, UArizona Galileo Circle Postdoctoral Scholar Award

April 8, 2022

Dr. Stefano Nerozzi was awarded the UArizona Galileo Circle Postdoctoral Scholar Award. Dr. Nerozzi is the Science PI on a selected NASA Mars Data Analysis Program proposal to study the intricate fluvial and geologic history of outflow channel systems in Utopia Planitia on Mars. He was recently selected for the Early Career section of the International Mars Ice Mapper (IMIM) Measurement Definition Team (MDT) for his expertise in Mars radar sounding, geomorphology, terrestrial analogues, and geomechanical stability of icy deposits. Stefano is committed to fostering undergraduate research and supporting diversity within his research group assistants.

Watch

Brittany Miles, 51 Peg b Fellow

March 31, 2022

Brittany Miles has been named a 51 Pegasi b Fellow in Planetary Astronomy by the Heising-Simons Foundation. Brittany’s expertise lies in mid-infrared observations of brown dwarfs—astronomical objects that share properties with both planets and stars. As a Peg b Fellow at UArizona, Brittany will continue her observations of brown dwarf atmospheres to obtain data on cloud composition and behavior. As co-principal investigator on a James Webb Space Telescope proposal, she will explore the coldest known brown dwarf to inspect possible water clouds and water vapor and infer how such features may behave on gas giant exoplanets.