LPL Spotlight Stories

Mars as it may have looked like billions of years ago: Vast plumes of ash and water vapor billow into the atmosphere from the Tharsis region (on the right), a massive bulge of volcanic activity that created the tallest mountains in the solar system. Meanwhile, an icy ring of precipitation carves out valleys and canyons around a ring just south of the Martian equator. (Image: Didier Florentz)

The Reason for Mars' Tumultuous Past

By Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, March 4, 2016 Deep below the surface of the withered, dead and barren
The actual mechanism causing asteroids to disrupt is still unknown but some obvious scenarios such as tidal forces caused by the Sun and direct sublimation of silicates have been ruled out. One of the remaining scenarios is that volatiles inside the asteroid sublimate at moderate temperatures and create enough pressure to blow up the body. A similar process on a smaller scale called spalling can also break up surface rocks. Credit: Lauri Voutilainen

Catalina Sky Survey Helps Explain Puzzling Observations

By University Relations - Communications, February 19, 2016 The ultimate fate of most near-Earth objects, or NEOs - asteroids and
Picture of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope.

In a Hubble First, UA Astronomers Take Images of an Exoplanet Changing Over Time

By Emily Litvack - February 18, 2016 Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers at the University of Arizona have taken
The Moon Tree, an American sycamore, is one of 64 that still survive after being planted in the wake of the Apollo 14 lunar mission.

The Life of the 'Moon Tree' on Campus

By Emily Litvack, University Relations - Communications, October 28, 2015 The year was 1971. Led Zeppelin was on a whirlwind
Sevigny's book grew out of more than 60 interviews she conducted with faculty members, staff and students at the Lunar and Planetary Lab.

The Book on the Birthplace of Planetary Science

By Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, May 18, 2016 With the countdown underway to September's launch of the OSIRIS-REx
Erich Karkoschka in the Space Imagery Center at the UA's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory. (Photo: Maria Schuchardt)

UA Planetary Science Gets Stamps of Approval

By Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, May 25, 2016 When a University of Arizona planetary scientist persuaded NASA to
With its suite of science instruments, Juno will investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras. Juno's principal goal is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter. (Artist's concept: NASA/JPL)

Skimming the Clouds of Jupiter

Daniel Stolte, University Relations - Communications, July 5, 2016 (An earlier version of this story was published on June 20
This image of the spacecraft was captured by StowCam when OSIRIS-REx was 3.9 million miles away from Earth. Featured prominently in the image is the Sample Return Capsule, which will provide the asteroid sample’s ride back to Earth in 2023. No stars are visible because of the bright illumination provided by the sun. (Image: NASA)

OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Takes a Selfie in Space

Daniel Stolte - University Communications, Sept. 28, 2016 Two weeks after launch, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft found itself 3.9 million miles
The UA's Ed Beshore says the OSIRIS-REx mission "represents a turning of the corner for planetary exploration by the United States." (Photo: Bob Demers/UANews)

Ed Beshore's Rocket Ride Into the Sunset

By Doug Carroll, University Relations - Communications, September 12, 2016 Unlike the space mission to which he has given the
A star close to the size of the sun releases its outer layers near the end of its life. These materials disperse throughout space, and some of them end up in meteorites here on Earth.

Microscopic Findings, Astronomic Implications

By Rebecca Peiffer, NASA Space Grant Intern, University Relations - Communications, October 16, 2015 Imagine that you could travel back