Chico High and Chico State students team up for Special Olympics – Action News Now

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Students from Chico High and Chico State teamed up with special ed students on the hardwood for a Special Olympics.

CHICO, Calif.- A special Olympicsbasketball camp was held at Chico State in the Acker gym on Monday.

Students from Chico High and Chico State teamed up with special ed students on the hardwood.

The camp taught them some basketball basics like shooting and passing.

It also helped them make connections with other special ed students.

"It was just a cool experience to see all the smiles on kids faces, the kids in the class, our student athletes, just to be able to play the game we all love and everybody had a great time so it was a really great experience," Greg Clink, Chico State Men's Basketball Coach said.

This is the second year of the event, it was a big success thanks to all the volunteers, coaches, and the students themselves.

The next event is the Chico High mini special Olympicson May 3.

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Chico High and Chico State students team up for Special Olympics - Action News Now

Minnesota native gets a shot at Paris Olympics after stellar Boston … – MPR News

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Updated April 18, 1 p.m. | Posted April 17, 12:48 p.m.

A stellar run at Mondays Boston Marathon has qualified Minnesota native Emma Bates for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The Elk River marathoner finished fifth and was the first American woman to cross the finish line in Boston, running the race in 2 hours, 22 minutes and 10 seconds, a personal best and the second-fastest ever for an American woman in the Boston Marathon.

Overall, defending champion Evans Chebet won the marathon on Monday, surging to the front at Heartbreak Hill to spoil the much-anticipated debut of world record holder Eliud Kipchoge and win in 2 hours, 5 minutes, 54 seconds.

Hellen Obiri, a two-time Olympic silver medalist in the 5,000 meters, won the women's race in 2:21:38 to complete the Kenyan sweep. Amane Beriso of Ethiopia was second, 12 seconds back, followed seven seconds later by Israeli Lonah Salpeter.

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Kipchoge finished sixth just his third loss ever in a major marathon to go with 12 victories. Scott Fauble was the top American, finishing seventh. Chebet is the first back-to-back winner since Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot won three in a row from 2006-08.

Evans Chebet, left, and Hellen Obiri, both of Kenya, pose on the finish line after winning the men's and women's division of the Boston Marathon, Monday, in Boston.

Charles Krupa/AP

"In a marathon anything can happen," Obiri said of the men's race. "It was a strong field, and everybody was there to race."

Chebet was in a lead pack that dropped Kipchoge around Mile 20, shortly after he missed his bottle at a water station. A threesome pulled away with about three miles left, with Gabriel Geay of Tanzania winning a footrace for second, 10 seconds behind the winner and two seconds ahead of 2021 winner Benson Kipruto of Kenya.

"Most of them blew up. Even Eliud Kipchoge blew up," Fauble said. "I almost caught him."

Marcel Hug of Switzerland won the men's wheelchair race in a course record time his sixth victory here and American Susannah Scaroni won her first Boston title despite having to stop early to tighten a wheel that began to wobble on the bumpy pavement.

"It's better to pull over losing that time tightening it," she said. "The speed you lose when your wheel is (loose) is much greater than the time you would lose by not tightening it. I was disappointed. I just tried to get back to the ... pace as quickly as I could."

For the first time, the race also includes a nonbinary division, with 27 athletes registered.

Kipchoge had been hoping to add a Boston Marathon victory to his unprecedented running resume. The 38-year-old has won two Olympic gold medals and four of the six major marathons; Boston is the only one he has competed in and failed to win. (He has never run New York.) He also broke 2 hours in an exhibition in a Vienna park.

Fighting a trace of a headwind and rain that dampened the roads, Kipchoge ran in the lead pack from the start in Hopkinton until the series of climbs collectively known as Heartbreak Hill. But to the surprise of the fans lined up along Boylston Street for the final sprit, he wasn't among the three leaders.

Boston Marathon bombing survivor Marc Fucarile points to spectators while crossing the finish line of the Boston Marathon, Monday, in Boston. Fucarile, who lost his right leg in the bombing at the race ten years ago, completed the race as a hand cycle powered athlete.

Charles Krupa/AP

A dozen former champions and participants from 120 countries and all 50 states were in the field of 30,000 running 10 years after the finish line bombing that killed three people and wounded hundreds more. The race also included 264 members of the One Fund community those injured by the attack, their friends and family and charities associated with them.

The city marked the anniversary in a ceremony on Saturday.

A robotic dog named Stompy belonging to the Department of Homeland Security patrolled the start line before the race began, trailed by photographers capturing the peculiar sight. Officials said there were no known threats.

At 6 a.m., race director Dave McGillivray sent out a group of about 20 from the Massachusetts National Guard that hikes the course annually. Capt. Kanwar Singh, 33, of Malden, Massachusetts, said it's a special day.

"Ten years ago, the city came to a halt. It's an incredibly strong comeback, as a group together," he said. "I tell people, never bet against Bostonians."

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Minnesota native gets a shot at Paris Olympics after stellar Boston ... - MPR News

WOW Carwash Makes a Splash with Donation to Special Olympics – 24-7 Press Release

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COO Hilary Woodring said, "At WOW Carwash, we are committed to giving back to our community. We are proud to support organizations like the Special Olympics that make such a positive impact."

LAS VEGAS, NV, April 18, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ -- During Q1, members voted for their favorite charity and selected the Special Olympics as their cause of choice. A portion of every non-promotional recurring membership charge went directly to the organization, and the result was an impressive donation of $803.65 from WOW Carwash on behalf of their membership!

Chief Operating Officer Hilary Woodring said, "At WOW Carwash, we are committed to giving back to our community. We are proud to support organizations like the Special Olympics that make such a positive impact."

The funds raised will support athletes who participate in the Special Olympics, which provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. The money will further help athletes reach their full potential by providing them with opportunities to train and compete in a safe environment surrounded by friends, families, volunteers, and coaches.

The mission of the Special Olympics is to empower people with intellectual disabilities to become accepted and valued members of society through sports. This donation from WOW Carwash shows how committed they are to help make that mission happen.

Director of Marketing D.J. Wonnacott added, "We are thrilled to have been able to make this contribution to such an important cause. The Special Olympics do so much to bring joy and opportunity into people's lives, and it was an honor for us to be able to play a part in supporting them."

WOW Carwash knows that giving back is just as important as providing top-notch car care serviceswhich is why it partners with charities like the Special Olympics on a regular basis. With this generous donation, WOW Carwash has once again shown its commitment to making a positive impact in its community each day.

A premium carwash experience exclusively for you. WOW's smart technology quickly and affordably cleans your car while minimizing your impact on the environment and supporting our local communities.

WOW Carwash provides affordable, eco-friendly washes that reflect its environmental dedication while investing strongly in local community causes and organizations to promote a brighter tomorrow. WOW operates multiple locations with a blueprint to grow and invest into new communities and neighborhoods.

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WOW Carwash Makes a Splash with Donation to Special Olympics - 24-7 Press Release

New boxing organization hopes to salvage Olympic future – ESPN

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Associated PressApr 13, 20233 Minute Read

LONDON -- American and British boxing officials are among the leaders of a breakaway group launched Thursday with the aim of saving boxing's place at the Olympics.

The new federation, to be called World Boxing, is a rival to the 77-year-old International Boxing Association, which has been suspended from organizing the sport at the Olympics amid longstanding concerns about fair judging and the IBA's ties to Russia.

"Amateur, Olympic-style boxing was facing elimination from the Olympic Games," said USA Boxing president Tyson Lee, who is on the interim board of the new organization. "I can speak for the United States and many other national federations. We have a vested interest in maintaining a pathway to the Olympic movement and somewhere along the line that turned out to not be a priority for IBA."

World Boxing will be based in Switzerland and have a board consisting of athletes and officials, including Lee and GB Boxing chief executive Matthew Holt. Lauren Price of Britain, a gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, and silver medalist Richard Torrez Jr. of the United States are on the board as athlete representatives.

Elections for a president and a new board are planned for November.

"This is about the future of the sport," Holt said. "Our status on the Olympic program is on life support and we, as an organization, need to breathe new life into it. We want to operate in the best interests of the boxers."

A standoff between the IBA and the International Olympic Committee meant boxing was left off the initial program for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Boxing is part of next year's Paris Olympics, but it will be organized by the IOC.

The IOC suspended the IBA in 2019 after years of concerns about its finances, governance and claims that fights at the 2016 Olympics were manipulated. Current IBA president Umar Kremlev took over in 2020, bringing financial backing from Russian state gas company Gazprom.

The IOC wants Russians to compete as neutral athletes in Olympic sports following the invasion of Ukraine, but Kremlev's IBA has allowed them to fight at the world championships with national flags and anthems, drawing another rebuke from the IOC.

The United States and Britain were among more than 10 countries that announced boycotts of the recent women's world championships and upcoming men's world championships because of Russia's position and wider concerns about the IBA. Kremlev said officials who backed a boycott were "worse than hyenas and jackals."

World Boxing interim secretary general Simon Toulson said the new organization was operating with a budget of 900,000 euros ($994,000) this year, without naming any specific funding sources. That's a small fraction of the resources at the IBA, which offers up to $200,000 for gold medalists at the traditionally amateur men's world championships and $100,000 at the women's world championships.

The new organization says it is reaching out to national boxing bodies around the world but is not taking on members yet. None of the national bodies whose members are involved have quit the IBA, they said.

Toulson added that "we've had no contact with the IOC regarding the setting up of this organization" but hoped to soon. The IOC told The Associated Press in a statement that it "takes note of the latest developments."

The World Boxing board also includes Dutch official Boris van der Vorst, who challenged Kremlev for the IBA presidency last year but was barred from the vote for "prohibited collaboration" in his campaign. The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that it had been wrong to bar him, but no new vote was held.

In response, IBA secretary general and chief executive George Yerolimpos said "rogue world governing bodies and orchestrated coups are nothing new to sport, and like any well-governed organization, there are mechanisms put in place to protect the organization, its members, and in the end, the athletes."

Yerolimpos said in the IBA's statement that participants in the new group could face IBA sanctions.

"For those involved in the creation of the rogue international boxing organization and the nations who claim to be members of it, there is no doubt that the IBA will reserve its rights to claim damages from any person who is harming the IBA's activities and reputation, and/or trying to achieve exclusion of the IBA from the Olympic family," he said.

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New boxing organization hopes to salvage Olympic future - ESPN

Special Olympics hosts Area 5 Track and Field Meet in Bowling Green – wnky.com

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BOWLING GREEN, Ky. The Special Olympics Kentucky Area 5 Track and Field meet returned to Bowling Green High School in Bowling Green on Saturday. The Area 5 Meet included more than 125 athletes from Allen, Barren, Christian, and Warren counties.

This is the first of four weekends of the Special Olympics area track and field season, which concludes May 14 in Louisville.

The Area 5 Track and Field meet was one of eight regional meets held statewide this year. In all, more than 900 athletes with intellectual disabilities throughout the state are expected to participate in area track and field competitions this year.

We always want to create an atmosphere that celebrates these athletes to give them the same amount of recognition that any athlete in our community gets, Cameron Levis said. We want them to feel like athletes that are recognized in our community for being athletes that are amazing at what they do, that can accomplish great things. We want to celebrate that every year. So thats our goal when we come together is just to celebrate the amazing things that our athletes in the Special Olympics movement can do.

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Special Olympics hosts Area 5 Track and Field Meet in Bowling Green - wnky.com

Australian Athletes To Be Removed From Paris Olympic Village … – SwimSwam

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The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has come under heavy criticism in recent days over the decision to remove its competitors from the Athletes Village at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games once theyre done competing.

The new restrictions will still allow the athletes to be in Paris after theyre done competing, just not in the Village.

The AOC claims the move was made in order to prevent distractions from the athletes who still have to compete and points to the teams results in Tokyowhen such restrictions were in place due to the COVID-19 pandemicas the reasoning behind the decision.

The learnings from Tokyo were absolutely positive that for the athletes who are competing in the second week, reducing the load on the village by athletes who have finished was positive for both their preparation and their health, saidMatt Carroll, the chief executive of the AOC.

The swimming competition in Paris will take place during the first week of the Games, as is the norm. The new rules will require competitors to leave the Village within 48 hours of their event finishing.

We want all of the athletes to be able to perform at their best, whether they have a medal chance or not, so it doesnt matter what sport youre in. This is about performance. Its not for the wowsers, were actually doing it for the athletes who are still competing, said Carroll.

As expected, this decision has been met with plenty of backlash, with many claiming that being around the village and celebrating once youre done competing is an integral part of the Olympic experience.

Among those being outspoken is James Magnussen, a two-time Australian Olympian and three-time medalist who says the move reduces the Olympics from being the most prestigious event of an athletes career to just another competition.

As an athlete who has competed at two Olympics, I strongly believe that everyone who makes the Australian team in Paris deserves to have the full Olympic experience, Magnussen wrote for the Herald Sun.

That includes staying in the village for the closing ceremony and supporting their teammates.

Being an Olympian is not just about winning medals. It is a rare achievement that deserves to be properly celebrated no matter what result they achieve.

Most athletes only ever get to one Olympic Games, so just making the team is the reward for a lifetime of hard work. They should be allowed to soak up every moment. Sending them home early just makes no sense.

Three-time Olympic medalistGiaan Rooney echoed that sentiment.

I think its a real shame because for most people this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, Rooney told News Corp. Because alcohol is banned in the village any parties all take place outside the village, but theres already plenty of noise and distraction because people are coming and going all the time.

But thats all part of the Olympic experience and its actually inspiring to see people walk around the village who have won medals. It gives everyone a lift. a lot of the best memories I have are of getting dressed up and going and supporting my teammates.

Ken Wallace, a former Olympian and the deputy chair of the Athletes Commission, said that while the athletes voices were heard, he ultimately believes this is the best decision from a performance standpoint.

I agree that being in the Olympic Village is a part of the whole Olympic Games experience but I dont agree that it should outweigh performance, Wallace said.

We all love a good larrikin (an Australian term for a boisterous, young person), but we also want to be a respectful team.

So while they may be kicked out of the village, theyre not being kicked out of Paris or being kicked out of the Olympic environment.

They can still go see other events and still be a part of that Olympic experience but we want to give every athlete that performance outcome and opportunity to compete at their very best without having any distractions around them.

Amidst the COVID-19 restrictions, Australia won 17 gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, tying their highest ever (also winning 17 in 2004), and claimed 46 total medals to tie their third-highest tally ever.

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Australian Athletes To Be Removed From Paris Olympic Village ... - SwimSwam

Worlds Most Romantic River is Cleaned Up Ahead of the 2024 … – Good News Network

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The Seine featuring the Alexandre III Bridge and the Eifel Tower CC 2.0. ilirjan rrumbullaku

Parisians are beginning to get excited about the idea of swimming in the Seine again. To say again is to really turn back the years, because for decades its been unthinkable.

Once the dumping site of so many houseboats and other creators of sewage and pollution, the race to prepare the City of Light for the 2024 Summer Olympics has seen the city overwhelmingly improve the quality of the water, making it all set for the triathlon, and plenty of recreation in the decades to come besides.

Despite being called the most romantic river in the world, the Seine was well on its way to being ecologically dead in the mid-2010s. Despite being immortalized in song, poetry, and art, the river had an unappealing green-brown colortypical of the waste it was subjected to.

The $2.3 billion project was started shortly after Paris was awarded the games, and by 2018 they had already passed a law to mandate the Seines many houseboats to moor by sewage accessthey had been dumping right into the river before.

A graveyard of discarded bikes, shopping trolleys, tires, and god knows what else, a water quality survey in July and August of last year found it was overwhelmingly good and ready to host swimmers like French triathlete Thibaut Rigaudeau.

We will be the testers I hope we dont get sick, Rigaudeau told ABC News Australia, adding people are already asking him questions like are you scared of swimming in the Seine? It looks disgusting.

The Seine will feature as the centerpiece of the Olympic Games opening ceremony, which for the first time in history will take place along the banks of the river and upon it, rather than in the stadium.

MORE RIVERS NEWS: Total Rejuvenation of Dead River by a Rural Indian Community Hailed as National Example

More than half a billion euros will be going to huge storage basins and other public works that will reduce the need to let bacteria-laden water spill out into the Seine when it rains, while other government money is going to improve sewage treatment plants along the banks and at the tributary of the Marne.

One storage facility is located near Paris Austerlitz train station, and may save as much as 20 Olympic swimming pools of dirty water from being spat raw into the river.

MORE RIVER CLEANUPS: Worlds Largest Oyster Restoration Is Big Success Fulfilling Virginias Promise to Chesapeake Bay Rivers

But the project is looking beyond the games for five ideal bathing spots, promising to reinvigorate the entire Parisian community with a place to go swimming in the summer heat.

Fish have also been seen in greater numbers, and if the Seine is anything like the Thames or the Mersey in England, there are indeed romantic days ahead for the city.

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Worlds Most Romantic River is Cleaned Up Ahead of the 2024 ... - Good News Network

Kylian Mbappe: My ‘dream’ is to play at Paris Olympics – ESPN.co.uk

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ESPNApr 13, 20233 Minute Read

Kylian Mbappe said he hopes to fulfil his dream to play for France at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

Mbappe, who was born and raised in the French capital and captains Paris Saint-Germain and the national team, said he wants to play in the tournament next summer, although it is not certain he will appear.

- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)

"I don't know if I'll be there. But, in any case, I hope to be there," Mbappe told France TV Sport. "Everyone knows that I've always dreamed of playing the Olympic Games."

The Games are scheduled to take place between July 26 and Aug. 11 -- starting just 12 days after the Euro 2024 final and ending just days before the start of the 2024-25 Ligue 1 season, which will be delayed due to the Olympics.

"It doesn't depend on me. There are a lot of factors that come into play, and we will have to study them all," Mbappe added.

"I will not force to do them [the Games] either. They're not in the FIFA calendar. If people do not want me to do them, that will mean that I must not do them."

Olympic football regulations state that only three players over the age of 23 are permitted to play in the tournament. Mbappe is 24-years-old.

Mbappe has already helped France to the World Cup title in 2018 and was close to defending their crown in Qatar, where he scored a hat trick to stage a dramatic comeback in the final over Argentina, only for the team to lose on penalties.

Last week, he criticised PSG on social media for using his image in a video to promote season-ticket sales for next season.

However, the France forward has held talks with head coach Christophe Galtier, and on Wednesday said he has no intention of leaving the club.

"The next step? Winning the Champions League," Mbappe told France 3. "I have already made a final, semifinal, quarterfinal, round of 16 ... I have done everything but win. That's all I need. Where [I want to do it]? In Paris. I'm a Parisian and under contract. So it's PSG."

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Kylian Mbappe: My 'dream' is to play at Paris Olympics - ESPN.co.uk

Le Clos ‘Confident’ He Can Win 100 Fly At 2024 Olympic Games – SwimSwam

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Olympian Chad Le Clos competed at the 2023 South African Championships which concluded over the weekend.

Over the course of the competition, 31-year-old Le Clos claimed titles across the 200m fly, 100m fly and 100m free with times as follows:

Splitting 24.83/26.54 in the 100m fly on his home soil, Le Clos beat out 19-year-old Matt Sates who settled for silver in 51.91. Both men dipped under the qualifying standard needed for this summers World Championships.

When all was said and done with several other international competitions taking place over the weekend, Le Clos highest world ranking of 7th at the moment rests with his 100m fly.

Reflecting on his RSA Championships results, Le Clos said, Im really happy with the week. I was a little nervous for some reason, Matt and I have these ding-dong battles in the final 10 metres and its always super-close.

Im delighted with the time and the result and now we try and win this race next year at the Olympic Games. Now Im confident I can win.

Tonight I was finessed, I was controlled, hit my strokes, hit the turn well and I thought he was coming so I just put my head down so Im over the moon. But now we push on to the Olympics theyve got a lot of trouble coming their way. Thats what I can promise you.

At the 2020 Olympic Games, Le Clos wound up placing 18th out of the 100m fly heats with a time of 51.89. The following year in Budapest, Le Clos dropped the event entirely before finishing 4th at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in 51.61.

Weve detailed, however, since then that Le Clos has been on the rebound after addressing mental health issues as well as changing up his coaching environment.

He ended the year with high notes in short course, topping both the 100m and 200m butterfly podium at the 2022 Short Course World Championships.

However, Le Clos 2.0 will indeed still have his work cut out for him to vie for gold in Paris 2024 in the long course 100 fly. He may be confident with his non-international performance but his lifetime best of 50.56 has already been surpassed by 4 active swimmers Caeleb Dressel(USA),Kristof Milak (HUN),Shaine Casas(USA) andMatt Temple (AUS).

The first two men in Japanese history have also now been under the 51-second threshold at non-Olympic meets already this season Naoki Mizunuma and Katsuhiro Matsumoto as a sign of how quickly this event has grown competitively worldwide.

Add to that the emerging Olympic-level talent in the form of Josh Liendo of Canada,Jacob Peters of Great Britain,Simon Bucher of Austria andDiogo Ribeiro of Portugal and Le Clos will need to produce something truly special to have his Paris in-pool performances match his positive outlook.

But, he does have time to prepare both mentally and physically, with Paris 2024 still over 450 days away.

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Le Clos 'Confident' He Can Win 100 Fly At 2024 Olympic Games - SwimSwam

Get ready to ‘Duke It Out!’ Local kids’ boxing club to compete at 2023 Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament – KIIITV.com

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CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas The Duke It Out Boxing Club joined us live to invite the Coastal Bend to show off their boxing skills ahead of the 2023 Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament at the American Bank Center Apr. 21-23.

According to Coach Duke, the upcoming boxing tournament at the American Bank Center is one for the history books.

With 497 boxers in attendance, this year's Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament is set to be the largest yet in our region even larger than the national tournament!

The history-making doesn't end there, however. This year also marks the second consecutive year that Corpus Christi has hosted a regional Junior Olympics Tournament, which follows its over 30-year absence in the city.

While the regional tourney's tenure in Corpus Christi is still relatively new, the Duke It Out Boxing Club sure isn't.

Duke It Out has spent the last five years providing local youth with a bully-free space to grow into strong, successful individuals.

"Using the fundamentals of boxing is basically helping kids build respect, discipline, confidence and self-esteem," said Coach Joe. "We want them to be outstanding citizens and be a role model for our upcoming future generation of tomorrow."

To the coaches of Duke It Out, the Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament isn't about winning; it's about giving their kids the chance to shine and show the world the true strength of their character... but of course, they wouldn't turn down a gold medal or two, either.

Ticket information and venue rules for the 2023 Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament are available at this link here.

Contact information for prospective boxers and supporters of the Duke It Out Boxing Club are available at this link here.

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Get ready to 'Duke It Out!' Local kids' boxing club to compete at 2023 Junior Olympics Boxing Tournament - KIIITV.com

Surface Pressure Impact On Nitrogen-dominated USP Super-Earth … – Astrobiology News

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Massradius for USP planets, with massradius measurements better than 25 per cent from http://www.astro.keele.ac.uk/jkt/tepcat/ and for our USP TESS candidates (see Table 1), colour coded by their equilibrium temperature. Two-layer models from Zeng et al. (2016) are displayed with different lines and colours. Earth-like here means a composition of 30 per cent Fe and 70 per cent MgSiO3, whereas 100 per cent Rock means a composition of 100 per cent MgSiO3. Earth and Venus are identified in this plot as pale blue and orange circles, respectively astro-ph.EP

In this paper, we compare the chemistry and the emission spectra of nitrogen-dominated cool, warm, and hot ultra-short-period (USP) super-Earth atmospheres in and out of chemical equilibrium at various surface pressure scenarios ranging from 0.1 to 10 bar.

We link the one-dimensional VULCAN chemical kinetic code, in which thermochemical kinetic and vertical transport and photochemistry are taken into account, to the one-dimensional radiative transfer model, PETITRADTRANS, to predict the emission spectra of these planets. The radiative-convective temperature-pressure profiles were computed with the HELIOS code.

Then, using PANDEXO noise simulator, we explore the observability of the differences produced by disequilibrium processes with the JWST. Our grids show how different surface pressures can significantly affect the temperature profiles, the atmospheric abundances, and consequently the emission spectra of these planets.

We find that the divergences due to disequilibrium processes would be possible to observe in cooler planets by targeting HCN, C2H4, and CO, and in warmer planets by targeting CH4 with HCN, using the NIRSpec and MIRI LRS JWST instruments. These species are also found to be sensitive indicators of the existence of surfaces on nitrogen-dominated USP super-Earths, providing information regarding the thickness of these atmospheres.

Jamila Chouqar, Jacob Lustig-Yaeger, Zouhair Benkhaldoun, Andrew Szentgyorgyi, Abdelhadi Jabiri, Abderahmane Soubkiou

Comments: 12 pagesSubjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)Cite as: arXiv:2304.08690 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2304.08690v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2304.08690Focus to learn moreJournal reference: Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 522, June 2023, Pages 648-659Related DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stad1034Focus to learn moreSubmission historyFrom: Jamila Chouqar[v1] Tue, 18 Apr 2023 01:53:58 UTC (1,912 KB)https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.08690Astrobiology,

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Surface Pressure Impact On Nitrogen-dominated USP Super-Earth ... - Astrobiology News

Dynamics Of Space Debris Removal: A Review – Space Ref

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Space debris, also known as space junk, presents a significant challenge for all space exploration activities, including those involving human-onboard spacecraft such as SpaceXs Crew Dragon and the International Space Station.

The amount of debris in space is rapidly increasing and poses a significant environmental concern. Various studies and research have been conducted on space debris capture mechanisms, including contact and contact-less capturing methods, in Earths orbits. While advancements in technology, such as telecommunications, weather forecasting, high-speed internet, and GPS, have benefited society, their improper and unplanned usage has led to the creation of debris.

The growing amount of debris poses a threat of collision with the International Space Station, shuttle, and high-value satellites, and is present in different parts of Earths orbit, varying in size, shape, speed, and mass. As a result, capturing and removing space debris is a challenging task.

This review article provides an overview of space debris statistics and specifications, and focuses on ongoing mitigation strategies, preventive measures, and statutory guidelines for removing and preventing debris creation, emphasizing the serious issue of space debris damage to space agencies and relevant companies.

Mohammad Bigdeli, Rajat Srivastava, Michele ScaraggiSubjects: Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM); Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP); Space Physics (physics.space-ph)Cite as: arXiv:2304.05709 [astro-ph.IM] (or arXiv:2304.05709v1 [astro-ph.IM] for this version)Submission historyFrom: Rajat Srivastava[v1] Wed, 12 Apr 2023 09:03:50 UTC (16,980 KB)https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.05709

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Dynamics Of Space Debris Removal: A Review - Space Ref

The Powerful Legacy of Homer A. Neal | U-M LSA U-M College of LSA – University of Michigan

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The University of Michigans mission is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving, and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

Completely embodying that mission is a tall order, but the late professor emeritus Homer A. Neal, a groundbreaker in the field of physics and champion of the undergraduate experience, was able to do it despite the unique obstacles he faced. In honor of Neals contributions to science, education, and leadership at U-M, the new portion of Randall Laboratory, a portion he oversaw the planning and construction of in 1995 as U-Ms vice president for research, has been named the Homer A. Neal Laboratory.

The naming was celebrated April 14 at a dedication event where tours of the laboratory were given and students, faculty, staff, and family members paid tribute to the higher education leader.

As Physics Department chair, Homer led an intellectual revitalization of our department that added to our historical strength in high-energy physics, and featured expansions in atomic, molecular, and optical physics, condensed matter physics, and our first hires in astrophysics and cosmology, said David Gerdes, current chair of the Department of Physics.

A pioneer in diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia, Neal hired the departments first three female faculty members and led the first comprehensive national report of undergraduate STEM education as a member of the National Science Board, resulting in the creation of the National Science Foundations Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program. The program continues to provide summer research opportunities to hundreds of students each year.

The word underrepresented is typically associated with gender and race. It isnt always associated with intelligent people who just have a lack of confidence in achieving their dreams, said his son, Homer Neal Jr. My dad was brilliant in science and technology, but also very human. He took time with people. If he was not who he was, my sister and I would have suffered with a lot of self-doubt growing up.

He shared that behind his father was Donna Jean Neal, who supported her husband for more than 58 years. Had she not been the kind of extraordinary woman she was, the younger Neal said, Homer Neal Sr. would not have been able to achieve all that he did.

The time and energy Neal expended to see others succeed, emotionally and professionally, showed how caring of a person he was. Those who knew him could tell he was that kind of person immediately upon meeting him.

I met Homer when he came to the university as our new chairperson in the 1990s and invited the department to his house for a welcoming event, said Shawn McKee, a senior research scientist in the Physics Department. I was impressed with how nice he was. Very down-to-earth. One thing that struck me about him was his quiet, unassuming presence. He was not shy, but he was very modest and polite in all his interactions, even though he was in multiple distinguished roles.

Gerdes shared a similar sentiment about Neal as he recalled his first interaction with him in 1998.

I was a new assistant professor. Homers office was around the corner from mine on the third floor of West Hall I did not know Homer well then, but I knew he was very senior and very important.

After encountering Neal coming down the hallway, Gerdes averted his gaze to the carpet spread out in front of the double doors he was approaching. Neal looked down and asked, I have noticed that this carpet is always wrinkled up. Why do you think that is?

Gerdes panicked, thinking he was being given an oral preliminary exam.

I stammered something about people slowing down to open the doors and dumping their linear momentum into the carpet. Homer reflected on this for a moment, brightened, and to my everlasting relief said, I think that is exactly right! Gerdes shared.

In the 25 years I worked with Homer, he was always looking out for those who worked with him. He would always stop by and ask how things were going, what challenges people were facing, and what they wanted for their future, said McKee. It did not matter if you were an undergraduate student, staff member, technician, graduate student, or janitor. Homer was genuinely interested in others wellbeing.

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‘A whole new world of possibility for viewing the stars and planets’ – CT Insider

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My interest in astronomy began in grade school, when I first looked at the moon with my grandfather through his telescope. This interest stayed with me throughout my life, and after retiring a few years ago following a career in the Coast Guard and the state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection, I finally made the decision to buy a telescope and pursue the hobby. Recently, with a desire to see more in the night sky, I began learning astrophotography, which opened up a whole new world of possibility for viewing the stars and planets.

When I first got my telescope, it took a while to learn how to find objects in the night sky, but soon I got the hang of it. I joined the Thames Amateur Astronomical Society, based in southeastern Connecticut, where I went to observing events (aka star parties) to learn more about astronomy. It was a fun way to learn the hobby, and club members were tremendously helpful in giving me pointers on how to find things in the night sky and tips on using my new telescope.

After a while, I started taking pictures of the planets through the telescopes eyepiece with my cellphone. I can remember how satisfying it was to find Mars for the first time, which appeared as just a tiny red dot in the evening sky. I snapped a picture of it, and though it was not much of a photo, it was a real milestone for me, being able to find and photograph something using my telescope. That led to more and more photos of heavenly bodies, including the moon, Saturn and Jupiter.

The Whirlpool Galaxy (aka Messier 51) is located 31 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Canes Venatici.

Then one day everything changed; it was like a light switch had been turned on. I came across Pat Prokops Heavenly Backyard Astronomy YouTube channel, and he was giving a tutorial on how to photograph Saturn. During the tutorial, he started with Saturns small, bright disc on his computer screen, taken with his telescope and camera, and began processing it using specialized software to bring out the details. As he scrolled through the programs menus and clicked on the different settings, the planets details truly began to emerge. He finished by producing a full-color image of Saturn with its expansive, sharply defined rings circling the planet and multi-colored, banded atmosphere. The transformation was fascinating, and it was amazing that he was able to produce a spectacular image with only amateur equipment. I was inspired, and my astrophotography adventure began.

Learning astrophotography wasnt easy for me, since I had very little experience with either astronomy or photography. I looked for websites and YouTube channels for tutorials to learn enough to get the basics. Before long I was totally immersed in the hobby, and upgraded my equipment to take more detailed digital photos. Though it was challenging to learn, it also provided satisfaction when I achieved good results, so I continued on with it. It was well worth it.

Astronomy is a blend of the hard sciences of math, physics and chemistry, and astrophotography adds an element of art to it. When you are able to capture the glowing colors of a nebula or the expansive spiral arms of a distant galaxy, it can also have an element of spirituality. Recently, after someone had seen one of my photos of the Whirlpool Galaxy, he commented Wow, youre an artist. After thinking about that for a minute, I replied, God is the artist. Im just the messenger.

The Horsehead Nebula (aka Barnard 33), is a small, dark, interstellar cloud located just to the south of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orions Belt.

It is easy to see the allure of this hobby. Astrophotography takes astronomy to another level, allowing you to see things you cant normally see just by looking through a telescope. Astro cameras have specialized sensors that amplify dim light, making it possible to capture a lot more detail. Taking photos of deep-sky objects such as galaxies, nebulae and star clusters is fascinating, and it is amazing these objects are visible to us at all with their great distance from Earth. Just within our own solar system there is enough to keep any astrophotographer busy for a lifetime, capturing details of the sun, moon and planets. I never get tired of taking photos of Saturns rings, Jupiters great red spot and moons, and the red deserts of Mars. And the details of the moon, with its vast lava fields, bright mountain peaks and harsh cratered landscape come to life when captured by a camera.

When I set up my telescope, a new world opens up. When it is dark, you can look up at the night sky and see the wonders of the heavens. While we are consumed with our daily routines and worries, up above, the universe awaits. You can see galaxies that are light-years away, with their massive spiral arms extending from their center, and clouds of stars and cosmic dust interwoven within the spiral mass. And here we are on our tiny planet Earth, within our Milky Way Galaxy, just one of billions of galaxies in the universe. It gives you a sense of smallness, but at the same time a sense of order and belonging in the grand scheme of things. It somehow makes our daily troubles seem insignificant, and reminds you of our place in the universe. Being able to capture the night sky in greater detail through astrophotography makes the experience all the more meaningful.

John Natale lives in East Haddam. Aspiring astronomers and astrophotographers who would like more information can email him at jsnatale@att.net.

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Metal-poor stars more likely to have planets with alien life – study – The Jerusalem Post

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Stars rich in metals needed for the creation of planets and ultimately life may actually, and somewhat ironically, be less suitable for hosting alien life compared to metal-poor stars, a new study has found.

The findings of this study were published in the peer-reviewed academic journal Nature Communications.

These findings go against common preconceptions in astrophysics since metal-poor stars blast far more intense ultraviolet radiation.

As a result, the findings can point scientists in a new direction when looking for extraterrestrial life.

The first thing to note about metals in this study is that in astrophysics, the word "metal" does not exclusively refer to the different elements classified as metals on the periodic table. Rather, "metal" is a label that can be used to describe literally any element heavier than hydrogen and helium. In addition, and this is by no means a coincidence, hydrogen and helium are the two lightest elements.

The reason for this classification is because of the sheer abundance of hydrogen and helium compared to everything else. But in addition, it also is due to the fact that the heavier elements are also more complex than hydrogen and helium.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk stars.

At first glance, stars seem to be just big balls of flaming gas and light. While this is technically true, there is far more inside it than just gas. The star works to process its materials to create new complex elements.

The planets that form around these stars are formed due to the massive rings of dust and minerals formed, accreting into each other to eventually form worlds.

One might think being rich in metals is crucial to the planet-forming process, and that would be the issue at the heart of the study, but that actually isn't the issue here.

The real issue is ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This type of radiation can be very powerful and damaging. In some ways, this makes sense it has long been hypothesized that intense UV radiation exposure on a young planet may very well be essential for life to start forming.

However, it can also be so strong that it would essentially kill any life on the planet.

Consider, for a moment, our own sun. The amount of UV radiation the Sun emits is far greater than what living beings should be able to withstand, meaning that in theory, life on Earth is completely impossible.

Of course, it has happened, so why and how?

This is where the atmosphere comes into play. Earth's atmosphere rich in oxygen absorbs most of the UV radiation.

Interestingly, low UV radiation from a star can lead to a planet having low ozone levels, which in turn means low UV radiation protection.

So how does this involve metals?

A star's metallicity impacts the level of UV radiation it emits. As a general rule, the more metal-rich a star is, the less UV radiation it emits.

Does the level of metallicity impact UV radiation as well as UV shielding?

This is what the study sought to find out.

To do this, the research team, led by Anna Shapiro, ran a simulation with a bunch of hypothetical Earth-like planets, each within the habitable zones of their own stars. These stars ranged in terms of metallicity, some being metal-rich and others being metal-poor.

The question was not which stars emitted more UV radiation, but rather which planets were better shielded from UV radiation.

The result was that, surprisingly, it was the planets around metal-poor stars. This is because while the metal-rich stars emit less UV radiation, their planets end up with weaker shielding.

The major result of this study is that is now an even more narrow range of stars to look at for finding alien life. With this newfound information, it may be possible to better limit the parameters of further research to specifically detect worlds that could host such life on their surface.

This is important for the upcoming PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations (PLATO) of stars space telescope, which has the main objective of finding Earth-like planets.

It should be noted though, that not all scientists agree with the central premise of this entire study: That life can only exist in the conditions humanity itself requires.

According to Peter Worden, executive director of the Breakthrough Initiatives, there is no reason to assume that life can't or doesn't exist in environments that drastically differ from that of Earth's surrounding our Sun.

"Many experts believe life can and does exist under ice crusts in our own outer solar system. Some measurements suggest life exists in the hostile upper atmosphere of Venus," Worden explained to The Jerusalem Post back in 2022.

"The truth is we dont know much about how life forms or where it can develop."

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Metal-poor stars more likely to have planets with alien life - study - The Jerusalem Post

Could this copycat black hole be a new type of star? – EurekAlert

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image:Movie clip showing the gravitational lensing effects caused by no object in an observers line of sight, a black hole, and the topological soliton. view more

Credit: CREDIT: Pierre Heidmann/Johns Hopkins University.

It looks like a black hole and bends light like a black hole, but it could actually be a new type of star.

Though the mysterious object is a hypothetical mathematical construction, new simulations by Johns Hopkins researchers suggest there could be other celestial bodiesin space hiding from even the best telescopes on Earth. The findings are set to publish inPhysical Review D.

We were very surprised, said Pierre Heidmann, a Johns Hopkins University physicist who led the study. The object looks identical to a black hole, but theres light coming out from its dark spot.

The detection of gravitational waves in 2015 rocked the world of astrophysics because it confirmed the existence of black holes. Inspired by those findings, the Johns Hopkins team set out to explore the possibility of other objects that could produce similar gravitational effects but that could be passing as black holes when observed with ultraprecise sensors on Earth, said co-author and Johns Hopkins physicistIbrahima Bah.

How would you tell when you don't have a black hole? We don't have a good way to test that, Bah said. Studying hypothetical objects like topological solitons will help us figure that out as well.

The new simulations realistically depict an object the Johns Hopkins team calls a topological soliton. The simulations show an object looking like a blurry photo of a black hole from afar but like something else entirely up close.

The object is hypothetical at this stage. But the fact that the team could construct it using mathematical equations and show what it looks like with simulations suggests there could be other types of celestial bodies in space hiding from even the best telescopes on Earth.

The findings show how the topological soliton distorts space exactly as a black hole doesbut behaves unlike a black hole as it scrambles and releases weak light rays that would not escape the strong gravitational force of a true hole.

Light is strongly bent, but instead of being absorbed like it would in a black hole, it scatters in funky motions until at one point it comes back to you in a chaotic manner, Heidmann said. You dont see a dark spot. You see a lot of blur, which means light is orbiting like crazy around this weird object.

A black holes gravitational field is so intense that light can orbit around it at a certain distance from its center, in the same way that Earth orbits the sun. This distance determines the edge of the holes shadow, so that any incoming light will fatally hit the region that scientists call the event horizon. There, nothing can escapenot even light.

The Hopkins team simulated several scenarios using pictures of outer space as if they had been captured with a camera, placing a black hole and the topological soliton in front of the lens. The results produced distorted pictures because of the gravitational effects of the massive bodies.

These are the first simulations of astrophysically relevant string theory objects, since we can actually characterize the differences between a topological soliton and a black hole as if an observer was seeing them in the sky, Heidmann said.

Motivated by various results from string theory, Bah and Heidmann discovered ways to construct topological solitons using Einsteins theory of general relativity in 2021. While the solitons are not predictions of new objects, they serve as the best models of what new quantum gravity objects could look like compared to black holes.

Scientistshave previously created models of boson stars, gravastars, and other hypothetical objects that could exert similar gravitational effects with exotic forms of matter. But the new research accounts for pillar theories of the inner workings of the universe that other models dont. It uses string theory that reconciles quantum mechanics and Einsteins theory of gravity, the researchers said.

Its the start of a wonderful research program, Bah said. We hope in the future to be able to genuinely propose new types of ultracompact stars consisting of new kinds of matter from quantum gravity.

The team includes Johns Hopkins physicist Emanuele Berti. Thetopological soliton in the simulations was first constructed in research published in 2022 by Bahs group.

Physical Review D

Computational simulation/modeling

Not applicable

Imaging topological solitons: The microstructure behind the shadow

25-Apr-2023

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Could this copycat black hole be a new type of star? - EurekAlert

India joins global effort to detect gravitational waves with new LIGO … – Interesting Engineering

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The Indian Union cabinet penned an estimated $335 million (Rs 2,600 crore) deal on the 6th of April 2023, which will see the establishment of an advanced gravitational wave detector in India.

The project, in collaboration with the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) laboratory in the United States and three premier Indian research institutions- the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, the Institute for Plasma Research, and the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics- is expected to complete construction by 2030.

Jitendra Singh, Union minister for space and technology, stated that 174 acres of land had been acquired in the Hingoli district, Maharashtra for the observatory- a third of its kind and the first outside the US.

Indian S&T will leap-frog in a number of cutting-edge frontiers of great national relevance, in particular quantum-sensing and metrology, said Tarun Souradeep, director of the Raman Research Institute, Bengaluru, and former spokesperson of LIGO-India to The Hindu.

An aerial photo of Virgo detector

Gravitational waves are considered to be ripples in the fabric of spacetime. These are emitted by astronomical objects such as black holes and neutron stars.

Although first predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916, the first indirect evidence of gravitational waves would not be recorded until 1974, when orbital decay of the HulseTaylor binary pulsar was observed.

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UTSA astrophysicist leads international team in discovery of new … – EurekAlert

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image:An international research team led by UTSA Associate Professor of Astrophysics Thayne Currie has made a breakthrough in accelerating the search for new planets. In a paper slated for publication April 14 in Science, Currie reports the first exoplanet jointly discovered through direct imaging and precision astrometry, a new indirect method that identifies a planet by measuring the position of the star it orbits. Data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawai`i and space telescopes from the European Space Agency (ESA) were integral to the teams discovery. view more

Credit: The University of Texas at San Antonio

(SAN ANTONIO) April 13, 2023 - An international research team led by UTSA Associate Professor of Astrophysics Thayne Currie has made a breakthrough in accelerating the search for new planets.

In a paper slated for publication April 14 in Science, Currie reports the first exoplanet jointly discovered through direct imaging and precision astrometry, a new indirect method that identifies a planet by measuring the position of the star it orbits. Data from the Subaru Telescope in Hawai`i and space telescopes from the European Space Agency (ESA) were integral to the teams discovery.

An exoplanetalso called an extrasolar planetis a planet outside a solar system that orbits another star. With direct imaging, astronomers can see an exoplanets light in a telescope and study its atmosphere. However, only about 20 have been directly imaged over the past 15 years.

By contrast, indirect planet detection methods determine a planets existence through its effect on the star it orbits. This approach can provide detailed measurements of the planets mass and orbit.

Combining direct and indirect methods to examine a planet's position provides a more complete understanding of an exoplanet, Current says.

Indirect planet detection methods are responsible for most exoplanet discoveries thus far. Using one of these methods, precision astrometry, told us where to look to try to image planets. And, as we found out, we can now see planets a lot easier, said Currie.

The newly discovered exoplanet, called HIP 99770 b, is about 14 to 16 times the mass of Jupiter and orbits a star that is nearly twice as massive as the Sun. The planetary system also shares similarities with the outer regions of our solar system. HIP 99770 b receives about as much light as Jupiter, our solar systems most massive planet, receives from the Sun. Its host star is surrounded by icy debris left over from planet formation, similar to our solar systems Kuiper belt, the ring of icy objects observed around the Sun.

Currie and team used the Hipparcos-Gaia Catalogue of Accelerations to advance their discovery of HIP 99770 b. The catalogue consists of data from ESAs Gaia mission and Hipparcos, Gaias predecessor, providing a 25-year record of accurate star positions and motions. It revealed that the star HIP 99770 is likely being accelerated by the gravitational pull of an unseen planet.

The team then used the Subaru Coronagraphic Extreme Adaptive Optics (SCExAO) instrument, which is permanently installed at the focus of the Subaru Telescope in Hawai`i, to image and confirm the existence of HIP 99770 b.

The discovery of HIP 99770 b is significant, because it opens a new avenue for scientists to discover and characterize exoplanets more comprehensively than ever before, Currie said, shedding light on the diversity and evolution of planetary systems. Using indirect methods to guide efforts to image planets may also someday lead scientists closer to the first images of other Earths.

This is the first of many discoveries that we expect to have. We are in a new era of studying extrasolar planets, Currie said.

Direct Imaging and Astrometric Detection of a Gas Giant Planet Orbiting an Accelerating Star

14-Apr-2023

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UTSA astrophysicist leads international team in discovery of new ... - EurekAlert

ETH Zurich’s LIFE space mission aims to detect life on exoplanets – Science Business

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With a constellation of five satellites, the international LIFE initiative led by ETH Zurich hopes to one day detect traces of life on exoplanets. A laboratory experiment in the Department of Physics is now set to demonstrate the planned measurement method.

Its an important step on a very long road, says Adrian Glauser, a senior scientist at the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics at ETH Zurich. In late March, he and Sascha Quanz, a professor of astrophysics at ETH Zurich and head of the Exoplanets and Habitability Group, learned that the Swiss government will contribute nearly three million euros to support the NICE project as part of PRODEX (PROgramme de Dveloppement dEXpriences scientifiques), a European Space Agency (ESA) programme. This funding will enable ETH researchers to develop important technological foundations that are indispensable to realising the ambitious LIFE space mission.

The hunt for traces of life

The LIFE (Large Interferometer for Exoplanets) initiative is aimed at undertaking a more detailed study of Earth-like exoplanets planets that are similar to Earth in size and temperature but orbit other stars. It will focus particularly on planetary systems within a distance of up to 65 light years from our solar system. The plan is to position five smaller satellites at L2, the Lagrange point that is home to the James Webb Space Telescope. Together, these satellites will form a large telescope that will act as an interferometer to pick up the exoplanets infrared thermal radiation. The spectrum of the light can then be used to deduce the composition of those exoplanets and their atmospheres. Our goal is to detect chemical compounds in the light spectrum that hint at life on these exoplanets. Earths atmosphere, for example, contains oxygen and methane produced by biological activity, explains Quanz, who leads the LIFE initiative.

Its an important step on a very long road, says Adrian Glauser, a senior scientist at the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics at ETH Zurich. In late March, he and Sascha Quanz, a professor of astrophysics at ETH Zurich and head of the Exoplanets and Habitability Group, learned that the Swiss government will contribute nearly three million euros to support the NICE project as part of PRODEX (PROgramme de Dveloppement dEXpriences scientifiques), a European Space Agency (ESA) programme. This funding will enable ETH researchers to develop important technological foundations that are indispensable to realising the ambitious LIFE space mission.

The hunt for traces of life

The LIFE (Large Interferometer for Exoplanets) initiative is aimed at undertaking a more detailed study of Earth-like exoplanets planets that are similar to Earth in size and temperature but orbit other stars. It will focus particularly on planetary systems within a distance of up to 65 light years from our solar system. The plan is to position five smaller satellites at L2, the Lagrange point that is home to the James Webb Space Telescope. Together, these satellites will form a large telescope that will act as an interferometer to pick up the exoplanets infrared thermal radiation. The spectrum of the light can then be used to deduce the composition of those exoplanets and their atmospheres. Our goal is to detect chemical compounds in the light spectrum that hint at life on these exoplanets. Earths atmosphere, for example, contains oxygen and methane produced by biological activity, explains Quanz, who leads the LIFE initiative.

This article was first published on 14 April by ETH Zurich.

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Earth Was Shaped By Primordial Hydrogen Atmospheres … – Astrobiology News

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The sequence of events leading to formation of water, light elements in metal, and increases in oxygen fugacity for Earths progenitor embryos in this work. Stage 1 is the embryo where surface temperatures are too high to retain primary atmospheres of hydrogen. Stage 2 is the initial condition for our calculations in which the molten embryos accrete and retain primary atmospheres of H2. Metalsilicate differentiation may have already begun at this stage. Stage 3 is the result of chemical equilibration of the silicate and metal melts with the evolved atmospheres. Annotations show the changes in oxygen fugacity and metal density deficits. Reactions shown are simplifications of the full set, for illustration purposes. Two or more such embryos combine to form the final Earth. astro-ph.EP

Earths water, intrinsic oxidation state, and metal core density are fundamental chemical features of our planet. Studies of exoplanets provide a useful context for elucidating the source of these chemical traits. Planet formation and evolution models demonstrate that rocky exoplanets commonly formed with hydrogen-rich envelopes that were lost over time.

These findings suggest that Earth may also have formed from bodies with H2-rich primary atmospheres. Here we use a self-consistent thermodynamic model to show that Earths water, core density, and overall oxidation state can all be sourced to equilibrium between H2-rich primary atmospheres and underlying magma oceans in its progenitor planetary embryos.

Water is produced from dry starting materials resembling enstatite chondrites as oxygen from magma oceans reacts with hydrogen. Hydrogen derived from the atmosphere enters the magma ocean and eventually the metal core at equilibrium, causing metal density deficits matching that of Earth.

Oxidation of the silicate rocks from solar-like to Earth-like oxygen fugacities also ensues as Si, along with H and O, alloys with Fe in the cores. Reaction with hydrogen atmospheres and metal-silicate equilibrium thus provides a simple explanation for fundamental features of Earths geochemistry that is consistent with rocky planet formation across the galaxy.

Edward D. Young, Anat Shahar, Hilke E. Schlichting

Comments: 3 main figures, 5 auxiliary figuresSubjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)Cite as: arXiv:2304.07845 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:2304.07845v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)Journal reference: Nature, v. 616 (7956), 306-311 (2023)Related DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-05823-0Focus to learn moreSubmission historyFrom: Edward Young[v1] Sun, 16 Apr 2023 17:56:53 UTC (36,069 KB)https://arxiv.org/abs/2304.07845Astrobiology

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Earth Was Shaped By Primordial Hydrogen Atmospheres ... - Astrobiology News