Volume 3 Issue 7, July 2019

We all benefit when astronomy, and other sciences, are deconstructed and re-imagined in a different light to create activities accessible to all, independent of age, nationality, socioeconomic status, location, educational level, or mental or physical ability.

Multi-technique analyses of a stardust grain from a CO nova outburst show that carbon- and oxygen-rich phases co-condensed in the stellar ejecta, confirming previous spectroscopy observations.

On its way to Jupiter in 1990, the Galileo spacecraft searched for signs of life on Earth, providing a set of control experiments that continue to inform our quest to detect extraterrestrial life.

Two landmark papers in the 1970s contributed strongly to establishing the importance of galaxy interactions and mergers in the formation and evolution of galaxies, using only gravity, and the ensuing dynamical friction.

Multivariate analysis of infrared hyperspectral images of the Saturnian satellite Titan reveals widespread ice-rich terrains in the tropics. They are related to a variety of contemporary or past geological processes.

Held in Bologna, Italy, in May 2019, the conference served to engage a wide community in the planning for this first open observatory in very-high-energy gamma rays, expected to start full operation in 2025.

‘Oumuamua is the first interstellar interloper observed in our Solar System and studied in some detail. This Perspective reviews the data acquired during its visit and discusses its origin and properties, concluding that there is no basis to the theory of an artificial ‘Oumuamua.

An intensification of the 7.8-µm methane emission at Jupiter’s poles is observed in coincidence with the arrival of a solar-wind compression in January 2017, highlighting the strong coupling between Jupiter’s magnetosphere and its neutral stratosphere.

Molecular emission lines originating in Titan’s relatively unexplored upper mesosphere and thermosphere reveal a strong prograde jet that reaches speeds of 340 m s^–1 at 1,000 km altitude.

PlanetNet, a new deep learning algorithm, can quickly and accurately map spatial and spectral features across large, heterogeneous areas of a planet. The major components of the 2008 storm on Saturn are delineated, indicating regions to be probed more deeply with radiative transfer models.

Carbon-rich and oxygen-rich material coexist in a presolar grain originated by an outburst of a CO nova and found within the LaPaz Icefield 031117 meteorite. Condensation of both carbon and oxygen can thus happen in the same circumstellar environment, contrary to previous assumptions.

The Milky Way is thought to have accreted dwarf galaxies and their stellar content. Here, Xing et al. study a Galactic halo star enhanced in r-process elements and depleted in α-elements, indicating that it likely formed in a recently accreted dwarf galaxy similar to Ursa Minor.

High-precision polarization observations of the binary star system Spica reveal that the amount of light from the primary component that is reflected off the secondary component (and vice versa) is a few per cent of the incident light. Such observations will be useful in identifying close binary systems.

A principal component analysis of Cassini’s infrared spectral maps of Titan reveals the main features of Titan’s equatorial surface, effectively removing the obscuring atmospheric effects. A 6,300-kilometre-long strip of exposed icy bedrock—uncorrelated with topography or measurements of the subsurface—is visible, surrounded by organic deposits.

Diurnal and seasonal temperature variations of comet 67P’s nucleus are monitored by Rosetta’s imaging spectrometer VIRTIS during two months in 2014. The nucleus appears thermally homogeneous, with the temperature fluctuations mainly controlled by self-heating and heliocentric distance.

The composition and characteristics of a C-rich clast within the LaPaz Icefield 02342 meteorite suggests that the clast is composed of materials related to comets and icy bodies. The clast probably formed in the outer Solar System, was transported inward and finally accreted into LaPaz’s parent body.

Stellar streams are the outstretched remnants of globular clusters torn apart by tidal forces. A data-driven search method for identifying streams finds stream material from ω Centauri, the most massive globular cluster within the Milky Way.