Astronomy and planetary science

Featured articles

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  A new era in solar system astronomy with JWST

  The exploration of our solar system is being radically changed since the beginning of operations of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in mid 2022. JWST’s extraordinary sensitivity and instrumentation allow for sensitive searches for the building blocks of life and to test for habitability, also enabling new discoveries on small bodies to giant planets across our solar system and beyond.

  • G. L. Villanueva
  • S. N. Milam

  CommentOpen Access17 Nov 2023 Nature Communications
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  Evidence of an upper ionospheric electric field perturbation correlated with a gamma ray burst

  Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are known to have impact on Earth’s lower ionosphere, but GRB impacts on the upper ionosphere was not observed before. Here, the authors show strong electric field variation at 500 km in the ionosphere caused by GRB221009A.

  • Mirko Piersanti
  • Pietro Ubertini
  • Paolo Zuccon

  ArticleOpen Access14 Nov 2023 Nature Communications
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  Cosmic-void observations reconciled with primordial magnetogenesis

  Gamma-ray observations indicate that cosmic voids may host magnetic fields. Here, the authors show that relics of fields from the early Universe could be consistent with these observations if their decay is mediated by magnetic reconnection and conserves the mean square fluctuation level of magnetic helicity.

  • David N. Hosking
  • Alexander A. Schekochihin

  ArticleOpen Access18 Nov 2023 Nature Communications
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  Double superionicity in icy compounds at planetary interior conditions

  At high pressures, water and ammonia are known to exhibit superionic states. Here it is shown that many planetary ices (H-C-N-O compounds) exhibit a superionic state, and in some cases, a doubly superionic state, in which multiple elements diffuse simultaneously.

  • Kyla de Villa
  • Felipe González-Cataldo
  • Burkhard Militzer

  ArticleOpen Access21 Nov 2023 Nature Communications
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  Direct detection of atomic oxygen on the dayside and nightside of Venus

  Atomic oxygen is important for the photochemistry and energy balance of Venus’s atmosphere, but it was not directly observed on the dayside of Venus. Here, the authors show direct detection of atomic oxygen on the both dayside and nightside of Venus by measuring its ground-state transition at 4.74 THz.

  • Heinz-Wilhelm Hübers
  • Heiko Richter
  • Helmut Wiesemeyer

  ArticleOpen Access7 Nov 2023 Nature Communications
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  Detection of magnetospheric ion drift patterns at Mars

  Mars lacks a global intrinsic magnetic field. Here, the authors show wedge-like dispersion structures of Hydrogen ions exhibiting butterfly-shaped distributions, which was previously found only in intrinsic magnetospheres.

  • Chi Zhang
  • Hans Nilsson
  • Stas Barabash

  ArticleOpen Access27 Oct 2023 Nature Communications
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  The variable source of the plasma sheet during a geomagnetic storm

  How solar wind and ionosphere contribution to the plasma in the magnetosphere during the development of geomagnetic storms changes is an open question. Here, the authors show a dynamic source change during a storm from solar wind to the ionosphere as the storm develops.

  • L. M. Kistler
  • K. Asamura
  • I. Shinohara

  ArticleOpen Access30 Oct 2023 Nature Communications
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  Jupiter-like planets might be common in a low-density environment

  Models predict that giant planets should easily form around solar-type stars, but most radial velocity surveys found a rather low number of them. Here, the authors show that Jupiter-like planets may be more common than previously found, at least in low density environments.

  • Raffaele Gratton
  • Dino Mesa
  • Elisabetta Rigliaco

  ArticleOpen Access17 Oct 2023 Nature Communications
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  Soluble organic matter Molecular atlas of Ryugu reveals cold hydrothermalism on C-type asteroid parent body

  The molecular atlas of soluble organic compounds from Ryugu shows unprecedented molecular complexity and diversity resulting from alteration on a low temperature, water rich parent body.

  • Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin
  • Norbert Hertkorn
  • Hayabusa2-initial-analysis SOM team

  ArticleOpen Access16 Oct 2023 Nature Communications
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  Drifting discrete Jovian radio bursts reveal acceleration processes related to Ganymede and the main aurora

  Jovian short bursts (S-bursts) are induced by the Io-Jupiter interaction. Here, the authors show a drifting radio burst detection method and report S-bursts related to Ganymede-Jupiter interaction and to Jovian aurora.

  • Emilie Mauduit
  • Philippe Zarka
  • Sébastien L. G. Hess

  ArticleOpen Access3 Oct 2023 Nature Communications
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  Chemical evolution of primordial salts and organic sulfur molecules in the asteroid 162173 Ryugu

  The asteroid Ryugu samples are by far the freshest extraterrestrial carbonaceous material. The authors report soluble ions and organic sulfur molecules linked with primordial brine and prebiotic organic evolution of the primitive asteroid.

  • Toshihiro Yoshimura
  • Yoshinori Takano
  • Hayabusa2-initial-analysis SOM team

  ArticleOpen Access18 Sep 2023 Nature Communications
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  Constraints on axion-like dark matter from a SERF comagnetometer

  Axions are hypothetical particles that constitute leading candidates for the identity of dark matter. Here, the authors improve previous exclusion bounds on axion-like particles in the range of 1.4–200 peV, and report direct terrestrial limits on the coupling of protons and neutrons with axion-like dark matter.

  • Itay M. Bloch
  • Roy Shaham
  • Or Katz

  ArticleOpen Access18 Sep 2023 Nature Communications
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  Polarisation of decayless kink oscillations of solar coronal loops

  Polarization of decayless kink oscillations of solar coronal loops provide unique information about involved excitation mechanisms and energy supply, but its detection remains elusive. Here, the authors show horizontal and weakly oblique linear polarization of such oscillations, which favors the energy supply by quasi-steady flows.

  • Sihui Zhong
  • Valery M. Nakariakov
  • David Berghmans

  ArticleOpen Access12 Sep 2023 Nature Communications
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  Igneous meteorites suggest Aluminium-26 heterogeneity in the early Solar Nebula

  The homogeneity of Aluminium-26 (Al-26) isotope distribution in the accreting solar nebula is debated. Here, the authors show that the age determination of meteorite Erg Chech 002, compared with other igneous meteorites, indicates that Al-26 was heterogeneously distributed in the early Solar System.

  • Evgenii Krestianinov
  • Yuri Amelin
  • Tommaso Di Rocco

  ArticleOpen Access29 Aug 2023 Nature Communications
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  Direct evidence of substorm-related impulsive injections of electrons at Mercury

  BepiColombo mission had its first Mercury flyby on 1 October 2021. Here, the authors show plasma measurements taken during this flyby, which reveals that electron injections and subsequent energy-dependent drift is a universal mechanism generating aurorae in the planetary magnetospheres.

  • Sae Aizawa
  • Yuki Harada
  • Go Murakami

  ArticleOpen Access18 Jul 2023 Nature Communications
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  Global environmental implications of atmospheric methane removal through chlorine-mediated chemistry-climate interactions

  Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, has comparable anthropogenic and natural sources, complicating emission control. Increasing reactive chlorine has been proposed for mitigation. This study assesses the global environmental impacts of such proposal.

  • Qinyi Li
  • Daphne Meidan
  • Alfonso Saiz-Lopez

  ArticleOpen Access8 Jul 2023 Nature Communications
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  Impact observations of asteroid Dimorphos via Light Italian CubeSat for imaging of asteroids (LICIACube)

  On September 26^th 2022, LICIACube monitored Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission impact on asteroid Dimorphos, which is the smaller component of a binary asteroid system. These close observations revealed the impact ejecta features of the first planetary defence test with a kinetic impactor.

  • Elisabetta Dotto
  • Angelo Zinzi

  CommentOpen Access26 May 2023 Nature Communications
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  Whistler-mode chorus waves at Mars

  Although whistler-mode chorus waves are common in the Earth’s and other planetary magnetospheres, the mechanism behind fast frequency chirping is debated. Here, the authors show the presence of chorus emissions at Mars, with fundamentally the same nonlinear nature as those at Earth, despite vastly different magnetic and plasma conditions.

  • Shangchun Teng
  • Yifan Wu
  • Xin Tao

  ArticleOpen Access6 Jun 2023 Nature Communications
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  Ryugu asteroid sample return provides a natural laboratory for primordial chemical evolution

  The samples returned from near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu provide a pristine record of the 4.6 billion years since the birth of the Solar System. The Hayabusa2 initial analysis team has integrated a range of analytical techniques to investigate Ryugu’s organic chemistry. Here, we highlight their latest findings, the potential questions which may be answered, and provide an overview of new prospects in the decade to come.

  • Yasuhiro Oba
  • Yoshinori Takano
  • Hiroshi Naraoka

  CommentOpen Access30 May 2023 Nature Communications
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  Uncovering the chiral bias of meteoritic isovaline through asymmetric photochemistry

  Excess of l-amino acids in meteorites suggests an extraterrestrial origin of biomolecular homochirality, which may stem from chiral light-matter interactions. Here the authors support this hypothesis with asymmetric photolysis experiments on racemic isovaline films, showing that circularly polarized starlight can produce l-enantiomeric excesses that can be amplified during parent bodies’ alteration.

  • Jana Bocková
  • Nykola C. Jones
  • Cornelia Meinert

  ArticleOpen Access8 Jun 2023 Nature Communications
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  Lightning at Jupiter pulsates with a similar rhythm as in-cloud lightning at Earth

  Potential similarities between Jovian and Earth lightning are helpful to understand involved properties. Here, the authors show that the Jovian lightning initiation processes are similar to those of intracloud lightning at Earth.

  • Ivana Kolmašová
  • Ondřej Santolík
  • Radek Lán

  ArticleOpen Access23 May 2023 Nature Communications
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  Seasonal and diurnal variations of Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability at terrestrial magnetopause

  Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability (KHI) has been suggested as a significant source of geomagnetic activity during northward Interplanetary Magnetic Fields (IMF). Here, the authors show seasonal and diurnal variations of KHI at Earth’s magnetopause, highlighting the importance of Sun-earth geometry for space weather.

  • S. Kavosi
  • J. Raeder
  • C. J. Farrugia

  ArticleOpen Access4 May 2023 Nature Communications
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  Fast rotating blue stragglers prefer loose clusters

  Blue Stragglers Stars (BSSs) are anomalously luminous main sequence stars in clusters. Here, the authors show evidence that the fraction of fast rotating BSSs increases for decreasing central density of the host system, suggesting fast spinning BSSs prefer low-density environments.

  • Francesco R. Ferraro
  • Alessio Mucciarelli
  • Mario Mateo

  ArticleOpen Access15 May 2023 Nature Communications
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  The diffuse gamma-ray flux from clusters of galaxies

  The origin of the diffuse gamma-ray background (DGRB) is unknown. Here, the authors show that the integrated gamma-ray flux from clusters can contribute up to 100% of the DGRB flux observed by Fermi-LAT above 100 GeV.

  • Saqib Hussain
  • Rafael Alves Batista
  • Klaus Dolag

  ArticleOpen Access29 Apr 2023 Nature Communications
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  Metal-rich stars are less suitable for the evolution of life on their planets

  Low stellar ultraviolet (UV) radiation leads to low ozone abundances, therefore, less planetary UV protection. Here, the authors show that planets in the habitable zones of metal-poor stars, despite their higher UV radiation than metal-rich stars, are the best targets for search for life.

  • Anna V. Shapiro
  • Christoph Brühl
  • Jos Lelieveld

  ArticleOpen Access18 Apr 2023 Nature Communications
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  Habitability and sub glacial liquid water on planets of M-dwarf stars

  A long-standing issue in astrobiology is whether planets orbiting the most abundant type of stars, M-dwarfs, can support liquid water and eventually life. A new study shows that subglacial melting may provide an answer, significantly extending the habitability region, in particular around M-dwarf stars, which are also the most promising for biosignature detection with the present and near-future technology.

  • Amri Wandel

  CommentOpen Access14 Apr 2023 Nature Communications
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  Particle-sounding of the spatial structure of kinetic Alfvén waves

  Kinetic Alfven Waves (KAWs) are ubiquitous in space plasmas. Here, the authors show that application of particle sounding technique to Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission data enables measuring perpendicular wavelength of KAWs.

  • Z.-Y. Liu
  • Q.-G. Zong
  • G. Le

  ArticleOpen Access12 Apr 2023 Nature Communications
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  Uracil in the carbonaceous asteroid (162173) Ryugu

  Uracil was identified in the sample returned from the asteroid Ryugu. Having been provided to the early Earth as a component in such asteroidal materials, these molecules might have played a role for prebiotic chemical evolution on the early Earth

  • Yasuhiro Oba
  • Toshiki Koga
  • Hayabusa2-initial-analysis SOM team

  ArticleOpen Access21 Mar 2023 Nature Communications
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  Insights into the formation and evolution of extraterrestrial amino acids from the asteroid Ryugu

  Amino acid concentrations from 2 particles returned from different touchdown sites on the surface of Ryugu are reported. Differences in chemistry suggest different levels of aqueous alteration are recorded at the 2 sampled locations.

  • Christian Potiszil
  • Tsutomu Ota
  • Eizo Nakamura

  ArticleOpen Access17 Mar 2023 Nature Communications
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  Planetary defense with the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission and prospects

  NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission intentionally impacted the asteroid Dimorphos on September 26, 2022, and this kinetic impact changed Dimorphos’ orbit around its binary companion Didymos. This first planetary defense test explored technological readiness for this method of asteroid deflection.

  • Andrew S. Rivkin
  • Andrew F. Cheng

  CommentOpen Access1 Mar 2023 Nature Communications
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  Asymmetric eROSITA bubbles as the evidence of a circumgalactic medium wind

  The origins of the pair of X-ray bubbles, called eROSITA bubbles (eRBs), detected in the halo of Milky Way are debated. Here, the authors show hydrodynamical simulations suggesting circumgalactic medium wind model can explain asymmetric eRBs.

  • Guobin Mou
  • Dongze Sun
  • Zhicheng He

  ArticleOpen Access11 Feb 2023 Nature Communications
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  Chondrule-like objects and Ca-Al-rich inclusions in Ryugu may potentially be the oldest Solar System materials

  Chondrule-like objects and CAIs in the Ryugu samples are early generations of chondrules and possibly oldest solids in the Solar System. They were transported from the inner solar nebula to the formation location of the Ryugu original parent body.

  • Daisuke Nakashima
  • Tomoki Nakamura
  • Yuichi Tsuda

  ArticleOpen Access16 Feb 2023 Nature Communications
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  BepiColombo mission confirms stagnation region of Venus and reveals its large extent

  BepiColombo mission had two Venus flybys on its way to Mercury. Here, the authors show that during its second flyby of Venus BepiColombo has crossed the stagnation region, which was predicted by the models.

  • M. Persson
  • S. Aizawa
  • G. Murakami

  ArticleOpen Access15 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Efficient stabilization of cyanonaphthalene by fast radiative cooling and implications for the resilience of small PAHs in interstellar clouds

  The abundances of small Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) observed in interstellar clouds has surprised astronomers and confounded astrochemical models. Here, the authors show that fast radiative cooling by Recurrent Fluorescence efficiently stabilizes the small PAH cation 1-cyanonaphthalene.

  • Mark H. Stockett
  • James N. Bull
  • Boxing Zhu

  ArticleOpen Access24 Jan 2023 Nature Communications
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  Venus’ light slab hinders its development of planetary-scale subduction

  The simulation of slab buoyancy in 2-D models shows that Venus’ light slabs, due to a less eclogitized crust, experience more resistance to subduction. Thus, plate tectonics might have been more difficult to develop on Venus than on Earth.

  • Junxing Chen
  • Hehe Jiang
  • Xu Chu

  ArticleOpen Access10 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Liquid water on cold exo-Earths via basal melting of ice sheets

  Liquid water is key for life as we know it. Here, the authors show even with a modest geothermal heat flow, subglacial oceans of liquid water can form at the base of and within the ice sheets on exo-Earths, which may provide habitable conditions for an extended period.

  • Lujendra Ojha
  • Bryce Troncone
  • George McDonald

  ArticleOpen Access6 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Potassium isotope heterogeneity in the early Solar System controlled by extensive evaporation and partial recondensation

  This study reports strikingly light K isotopic compositions for the extremely K-depleted angrite meteorites, thereby providing the first observation of isotope fractionation likely controlled by partial recondensation at a planetary scale.

  • Yan Hu
  • Frédéric Moynier
  • Martin Bizzarro

  ArticleOpen Access12 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  The sound of a Martian dust devil

  Dust devils are common on Mars and understanding their dynamics is important to gain insights about the meteorology of the planet. Here, the authors show characteristics of a Martian dust devil and its sound from Perseverance rover multi-sensor data combined with modelling.

  • N. Murdoch
  • A. E. Stott
  • D. Mimoun

  ArticleOpen Access13 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Evidence of structural discontinuities in the inner core of red-giant stars

  Red giant stars enter the clump phase as the helium in the cores start fusing. Here, the authors show evidence for large core structural discontinuities in 7% of Kepler satellite clump star data implying that the mixing region beyond the convective core boundary has a radiative thermal stratification.

  • Mathieu Vrard
  • Margarida S. Cunha
  • Benoît Mosser

  ArticleOpen Access16 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Constraining surface properties of asteroid (162173) Ryugu from numerical simulations of Hayabusa2 mission impact experiment

  Hayabusa2 mission impact experiment on asteroid Ryugu formed a crater larger than expected. Here, the authors show numerical impact simulations and find that the target cohesion may be very low, indicating the Hayabusa2 impact experiment probably occurred in the transitional cratering regime.

  • Martin Jutzi
  • Sabina D. Raducan
  • Masahiko Arakawa

  ArticleOpen Access30 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Rossby wave second harmonic generation observed in the middle atmosphere

  Rossby waves occur in rotating fluids. Here, the authors show observation of a Rossby wave second harmonic generation event in the middle atmosphere and confirm theoretically anticipated Rossby wave nonlinearity.

  • Maosheng He
  • Jeffrey M. Forbes

  ArticleOpen Access7 Dec 2022 Nature Communications
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  Direct observations of energy transfer from resonant electrons to whistler-mode waves in magnetosheath of Earth

  Excitation of whistler-mode waves by cyclotron instability is considered as the likely generation process of the waves. Here, the authors show direct observational evidence for locally ongoing secular energy transfer from the resonant electrons to the whistler-mode waves in Earth’s magnetosheath.

  • N. Kitamura
  • T. Amano
  • J. L. Burch

  ArticleOpen Access28 Oct 2022 Nature Communications
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  A distinct ripple-formation regime on Mars revealed by the morphometrics of barchan dunes

  Dust storms on Mars drive water escape to space. Here, the authors show the impact Martian dust storms have on the abundance of atmospheric hydrogen and oxygen, and how this helps to overall oxidize the Martian atmosphere.

  • Lior Rubanenko
  • Mathieu G. A. Lapôtre
  • Andrew Gunn

  ArticleOpen Access22 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Alternate oscillations of Martian hydrogen and oxygen upper atmospheres during a major dust storm

  Dust storms on Mars drive water escape to space. Here, the authors show the impact Martian dust storms have on the abundance of atmospheric hydrogen and oxygen, and how this helps to overall oxidize the Martian atmosphere.

  • Kei Masunaga
  • Naoki Terada
  • Ichiro Yoshikawa

  ArticleOpen Access3 Nov 2022 Nature Communications
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  Spectral interpretation of late-stage mare basalt mineralogy unveiled by Chang’E-5 samples

  Laboratory spectroscopic and X-ray diffraction analyses on the Chang’E-5 lunar soil samples have demonstrated that the spectral features of lunar late-stage mare basalts are representative of iron-rich high-Ca pyroxene rather than olivine.

  • Dawei Liu
  • Xing Wang
  • Chunlai Li

  ArticleOpen Access10 Oct 2022 Nature Communications