Description
Organiser: UK Planetary Forum (UKPF); co organisers: Peter Fawdon, Mark Fox-Powell, Dimitri Veras, Duncan Lyster, James Darling, Jordan Stone, Karen Devoil, Lee White, Martin Subtle, Megan Schwamb, Peter Mc Ardle, Stephanie Halwa, Tom Harvey, Mark Nottingham
The UK is home to an internationally significant research community devoted to the study of the formation and evolution of planetary bodies in our Solar System and beyond. This session aims to (1) showcase the latest research from across the breadth of UK planetary science, and (2) identify areas of mutual scientific interest and catalyse collaboration across geoscience, planetary science, and astronomy. Topics include (but are not limited to): Analysis and experimental investigations of planetary materials; (e.g., meteorites, lunar, martian and terrestrial samples); Remote sensing and modelling of planetary bodies; (e.g., geology and surface processes of terrestrial planets, icy moons and small bodies, observations and models of planetary atmospheres and giant planets); Ongoing and upcoming exploration of planetary bodies in our Solar System (e.g., Mars rover missions, lunar exploration, BepiColumbo, JUICE, Europa Clipper). Additionally, we welcome submissions concerning the ethics and astrobiological considerations of Solar System exploration.
Mercury hosts a dynamic and highly variable magnetosphere shaped by its weak intrinsic magnetic field and the intense pressure of the solar wind. Previous observations from spacecraft sent to the planet have provided key insights into Mercuryโs magnetospheric structure and energetic particle populations, revealing transient and highly variable energetic electron enhancements within the...
In this investigation a deep learning (DL) neural network was used to detect Transverse Aeolian Ridges (TARs) in High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images of the surface of Mars. TARs are decametre scale bedforms which are found ubiquitously on the surface of Mars. They consist of ridges aligned perpendicular to the direction of the prevailing peak wind. Because these features...
White dwarfs can be used as tools to measure the composition of exo-planetesimals. Any metals observed in their otherwise pure hydrogen/helium atmospheres must be from accretion of planetary objects. Spectroscopic observations of these white dwarfs allow us to measure their atmospheric abundances, and thus the abundances of the accreted material.
This method has been applied to hundreds of...
The nature of the Martian climate during the Noachian-Hesperian transition (~3.7 Ga), and how surface features such as Valley Networks (VNs) and lakes associated with liquid water formed, is debated. There are two end-member theories. The first is that warm and wet conditions persisted on early Mars long enough that liquid water was stable on the surface for extended periods. The second is...
To follow up on the detection of PHโ in Venusโ clouds (Greaves et al., 2021), we conducted the JCMT-Venus Project, consisting of three multi-week, disc-integrated observing campaigns carried out in February 2022, July 2023, and September 2023. These campaigns aimed not only to reconfirm the presence of PHโ but also to investigate the broader chemical environment within and above Venusโ clouds....
