Commissioning of the Vera Rubin Observatory (Simonyi Telescope, LSSTCam, etc.) continues apace. Aside from glitches with a few CCDs in the detector array, and the Camera cooling system, things are looking good. How good? An outside review panel has surveyed… Read More »Vera Rubin Update: First Look Event
Space Science Reviews comes through again. Now up (vol. 221) is a detailed (!) paper on the two optical imaging instruments (“cameras”) of the Psyche mission: Bell, J.F., Ravine, M.A., Caplinger, M.A. et al. The Psyche Multispectral Imager Investigation: Characterizing… Read More »Note, Paper: Psyche’s Eyes Fly
The journal Astronomy & Astrophysics is a bit light for May (vol. 698): Rojas, J. Duprat, J. Dartois, E. et al. Light element isotopic heterogeneities in organic residues that formed by the ion irradiation of ices A34 202451601 Kenworthy, M.… Read More »Note, Paper: A&A Explains Grains
Time for another survey for IRTF (and Keck Observatory) participants. The NASA IRTF (InfraRed Telescope Facility) is the leading source for asteroid follow-up observations, determining spectra and mineralogies for more small bodies than any other. Staff are interested in: -budgets-observing… Read More »IRTF/Keck User Survey
Generally, the papers in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta are too in-the-weeds and shoegazey for this blog (…or would that be cho-gazey?). Except now- for 1 Jun 2025 (vol.398): Serra, C. Grauby, O. Ferry, D. et al. Experimental investigations of mineral-organic… Read More »Note, Paper: SSSB Seed Detail
Time for another batch of papers from Planetary Science Journal (still vol. 6): Schang, K. Dove, A. Effects of Particle Shape and Size on Granular Mechanics in Vacuum and Microgravity Environments 88 adbgebÄtuk, M. Two Possible Orbital Histories of… Read More »Note, Paper: Mote Papers
A quick story in the journal Science: https://www.science.org/content/article/china-sets-out-sample-unusual-near-earth-asteroid Dennis Normile China sets out to sample an unusual near-Earth asteroid .z2q2idq Normile describes the Chinese Tianwen-2 mission and its target, the Earth-resonant asteroid (469219) Kamo’oalewa. The asteroid has the unusual property… Read More »Out of Ecliptic, In Patch
Last week was the American Astronomical Society‘s DDA sub-meeting. The DDA (Division on Dynamical Astronomy) covered “particles” (discrete objects, from dust all the way up to individual stars) as they behave under physical laws (mostly gravity, but also impacts, etc.)… Read More »56th AAS-DDA Meeting
A small-body paper made a Nature group journal, Nature Astronomy: Beck, P. Quirico, E. Poch, O. et al. On the darkness of Ryugu and other dark small bodies s41550-025-02557-z The carbonaceous asteroids (those in the C-complex) resemble the carbonaceous-chondrite meteorites.… Read More »Note, Paper: Black of Night
It’s time for the Japan Geoscience Union Meeting 2025, from 25-30 May 2025. (Sorry, we here not in Japan had a holiday.) Like the AGU and EGU, the conference deals with Earth sciences, extending all the way up to other… Read More »2025 Japan Geoscience Union Meeting