Being in planetary science, let’s check in on Planetary Science Journal (2025, vol. 6):
Kloos, J. L. Farnham, T. L. Sunshine, J. M. et al. Investigating Local- and Global-scale Dust Redistribution on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko 268 ae1739
Collyer, C. Fernandez-Valenzuela, E. Ortiz, J. L. et al. Synchronous Rotation in the (120347) Salacia-Actaea System 270 ae0b6a
Wong, I. Holler, B. J. Fraser, W. C. et al. JWST Spectroscopy of a Blue Binary Cold Classical Kuiper Belt Object 271 ae1d73
Cochran, A. L. McKay, A. J. Moulane, Y. Watching a Comet Turn On: High Spectral Resolving Power Observations of Comet C/2017 K2 (PanSTARRS) 272 ae19ec
Rommel, F. L. Fernández-Valenzuela E. Souza-Feliciano, A. C. et al. SpinTrace: A Python Library to Study the Physical Properties of Small Bodies Using Survey-based Photometry 280 ae1c3a
Nakamura, A. M. Nomura, K. Hasegawa, S. Simultaneous Detection of the Size and Velocity of the Largest Ejecta Particles with Velocities Exceeding 1 km/s 288 ae1d76
Weng, Z. Liu, N. Jin, Y-Q. SVD-accelerated T-matrix Method for Simulation of Scattering by Electrically Large Sphere Clusters and ISAR Imaging of Asteroid-like Bodies 290 ae200f
Wong, I. Grundy, W. M. Emery, J. P. et al. Evidence of Possible Spectral Variability in the Patroclus-Menoetius Binary System 295 ae2750
The underlying process of activity on comets was not unlocked by the Rosetta mission. One thing that was clearly observed, though, was fallback- the ejection, but retention, of particles too heavy to be lost to the coma and tail. Nucleus material gets lofted by gas emission, but it lands back somewhere else. Kloos et al. delve further.
Collyer et al. take a binary asteroid and see what they can see. Pretty amazing what dynamics we can make out using just a dot of light in the sky.
Another dot: a distant TNO (Trans-Neptunian Object). This time, spectroscopy can make out some composition information. TNOs tend to be either red (likely organic-rich) or grey; Wong et al. study a rare bluish one.
If Rosetta did not unlock the secrets of comet activity, we press on at other objects. The recent comet K2-Pan-STARRS makes a handy specimen.
Rommel et al. complement Collyer et al. nicely- where the latter describe the results, the former go “under the hood”, into the tools used.
Space bodies are constantly hit by micrometeoroids… and some meteoroids. This results in a spall of material into space, i. e., new (micro)meteoroids. Nakamura et al. ponder this spalling process and its results, in the lab.
Weng et al., in preparation for China’s Tianwen-2 results, describe their algorithm for processing Tianwen radar data. If you’re not up on your electromagnetism and fields theory, the radar details will require some brushing up.
Wong et al. close this blog post with claims of heterogeneity- possible surface variation (perhaps differing compositions?) on Lucy mission target Patroclus.