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Explore Planetary and
Solar Systems Science at LPL
Welcome to the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
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Academic Programs at LPL
Interdisciplinary coursework, access to world-class instruments and laboratories, and diverse research opportunities.
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Research Focus Areas
Pursuing interdisciplinary research spanning the breadth and depth of planetary science.
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Spacecraft Missions and Instrumentation
Exploring the Universe as investigators on spacecraft mission and instrumentation teams.
LPL in the Spotlight
![Microscope image of a dark Bennu particle](/sites/default/files/styles/az_card_image/public/spotlight/story/bennu_original_ingredients_06262024.jpg?itok=Nmidpnfa)
Bennu Holds the Solar System's 'Original Ingredients,' Might have Been Part of a Wet World
OSIRIS-REx sample scientists took a deep dive into the rocks and dust returned from asteroid Bennu. They found that the sample is rich in carbon, nitrogen and organic compounds - essential components for life as we know it.![This artist's illustration depicts how the gas leaving the nascent planet-forming disk might look. Such gas dispersal can also happen around supermassive black holes, however, the physics may not be the same as that discussed here.ESO/M. Kornmesser](/sites/default/files/styles/az_card_image/public/spotlight/story/james_webb_planet_formation.jpg?itok=107Z6Qvc)
James Webb Space Telescope Captures the End of Planet Formation
We know that there is nearly 100 times more gas than solids present when planets form. But today we see only a fraction of that gas in the solar system (stored within gas giant planets like Jupiter). So, when and how did the remaining gas leave the system? New research featuring LPL graduate student Naman Bajaj as lead author seeks to answer this exact question.![Sample of Bennu](/sites/default/files/styles/az_card_image/public/spotlight/story/Bennu_Sample_Portion_12202023v4.jpg?itok=K1KGapc-)
Sweating The Small Stuff: UArizona Scientists Have Begun To Study Samples From Asteroid Bennu
At the university's Kuiper-Arizona Laboratory for Astromaterials Analysis (K-ALFAA), a suite of instruments allows researchers to study the particles collected by the OSIRIS-REx mission the down to the atomic scale.Image
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Public Education and Outreach
Faculty, staff, and students engage with diverse communities.
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