Explanipedia

HARPOON mission concept: Hydration And Regolith Penetration Observatory On Mars Open

Ignacio Arruego, V. Apéstigue, Daniel Toledo · 2025

Understanding the present-day behaviour of water on Mars —including its exchange between the atmosphere and subsurface, potential for transient liquid phases, and stability of shallow ice deposits— remains a central question in planetary s…

Microphysical Modeling of Hydrogen Sulfide Clouds in the Atmospheres of the Ice Giants Open

Daniel Toledo, P. Rannou, P. G. J. Irwin, Bruno de Batz de Trenquelléon, Michael T. Roman , et al. · 2025

Radiative transfer analyses of spectra obtained from Uranus and Neptune have revealed the presence ofa cloud layer at pressures greater than ~2 bar (1,2). The detection of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) gas abovethis cloud layer on both planets (3…

An Updated Catalog of Vortices and Dust Devils on Jezero Crater, Mars from MEDA data Open

R. Hueso, Claire Newman, Daniel Toledo, Germán Martínez, Asier Munguira , et al. · 2025

The MEDA instrument on Mars 2020 has been operating on the surface of Mars for more than 1500 sols obtaining measurements of pressure, temperature and other environmental properties with a fast cadence. Vortices and dust devils appear ofte…

The Uranus Multi-Experiment Radiometer for Haze and Clouds Characterization: development status Open

V. Apéstigue, Daniel Toledo, Ignacio Arruego · 2025

The understanding of Uranus' atmosphere remains incomplete, primarily derived from ground-based observations, space telescope data, and the Voyager 2 flyby nearly three decades ago. The latest Decadal Survey [1] has highlighted a mission t…

Aerosol optical properties observed by MEDA Radiation and Dust Sensor (RDS) at Jezero Crater, Mars Open

Raúl Rodriguez-Veloso, Daniel Toledo, V. Apéstigue, Ignacio Arruego, M. T. Lemmon , et al. · 2025

Aerosols on Mars are a primary element for studying the interaction between the solar radiation and the atmosphere and surface. Depending on properties such as aerosol number density, particle radius, or refractive index, the aerosols can …

MEDA on Mars 2020: Environmental Data and Sensor Insights through Sol 145 Open

G. Martı́nez, Jose Antonio Manfredi, Manuel de la Torre Juárez, V. Apéstigue, Felipe Gómez , et al. · 2025

. IntroductionThe Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) instrument onboard the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover [1] has been measuring the environmental conditions at Jezero Crater for over 1450 sols since landing, covering from Ls ~ 5° …

Detection of visible-wavelength aurora on Mars Open

Elise Wright Knutsen, T. H. McConnochie, M. T. Lemmon, Chris Donaldson, Raymond Francis , et al. · 2025

Mars hosts various auroral processes despite the planet’s tenuous atmosphere and lack of a global magnetic field. To date, all aurora observations have been at ultraviolet wavelengths from orbit. We describe the discovery of green visible-…

Methane precipitation in ice giant atmospheres Open

Daniel Toledo, P. Rannou, P. G. J. Irwin, Bruno de Batz de Trenquelléon, Michael T. Roman , et al. · 2025

Context . Voyager-2 radio occultation measurements have revealed changes in the atmospheric refractivity within a 2–4 km layer near the 1.2-bar level in Uranus and the 1.6-bar level in Neptune. These changes were attributed to the presence…

Martian Atmospheric Disturbances From Orbital Images and Surface Pressure at Jezero Crater, Mars, During Martian Year 36 Open

A. Sánchez‐Lavega, E.V. Larsen, T. del Río‐Gaztelurrutia, Jorge Hernández-Bernal, I. Ordóñez‐Etxebarría , et al. · 2025

We present a study of atmospheric disturbances at Jezero Crater, Mars, using ground‐based measurements of surface pressure by the Perseverance rover in combination with orbital images from the Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter m…

Drying of the Martian mesosphere during aphelion induced by lower temperatures Open

Daniel Toledo, P. Rannou, V. Apéstigue, Raul Rodriguez-Veloso, Ignacio Arruego , et al. · 2024

Ozone Detector Based on Ultraviolet Observations on the Martian Surface Open

Daniel Viúdez‐Moreiras, Alfonso Saiz‐Lopez, M. D. Smith, V. Apéstigue, Ignacio Arruego , et al. · 2024

Ozone plays a key role in both atmospheric chemistry and UV absorption in planetary atmospheres. On Mars, upper-tropospheric ozone has been widely characterized by space-based instruments. However, surface ozone remains poorly characterize…

Decline in Water Ice Abundance in the Martian Mesosphere during Aphelion Open

Daniel Toledo, P. Rannou, V. Apéstigue, Raul Rodriguez-Veloso, Ignacio Arruego , et al. · 2024

Clouds play a crucial role in the past and current climate of Mars. Cloud particles impact the planet's energy balance and atmospheric dynamics, as well as influence the vertical distribution of dust particles through dust scavenging. This…

The UMR: Uranus Multi-Experiment Radiometer for Haze and Clouds Characterization Open

V. Apéstigue, Daniel Toledo, Ignacio Arruego · 2024

The present understanding of Uranus and Neptune has been derived primarily from terrestrial observations and observations conducted using space telescopes. Furthermore, a brief flyby conducted by the Voyager 2 spacecraft nearly three decad…

Advance Dust Devil Detection with AI using Mars2020 MEDA instrument Open

Miguel Ángel Aguilar, V. Apéstigue, Inma Mohino, Roberto Barrio Gil, Daniel Toledo , et al. · 2024

IntroductionMars’ dust cycle is a critical factor that drives the weather and climate of the planet. Airbornedust affects the energy balance that drives the atmospheric dynamic. Therefore, for studying the present-day and recent-past…

Microphysical modeling of methane ice clouds in the atmospheres of the Ice Giants. Open

Daniel Toledo, P. Rannou, P. G. J. Irwin, Bruno de Batz de Trenquelléon, V. Apéstigue , et al. · 2024

Voyager 2 radio occultation measurements of Uranus and Neptune revealed a layer approximately 2-4 km thick near 1.2 and 1.6 bars, respectively, wherein the atmospheric refractivity exhibited a slope variation (1, 2). These findings were in…

Spectral imaging of the aerosols, colours and disturbances in the atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune Open

P. G. J. Irwin, Jack Dobinson, N. A. Teanby, Leigh N. Fletcher, Michael T. Roman , et al. · 2024

Spectroscopic imaging observations of Uranus and Neptune from ground- and space-based telescopes in the last few years have revolutionised our understanding of the atmospheres of the “Ice Giants”. In spectroscopic imaging obser…

First detection of visible-wavelength aurora on Mars Open

Elise Wright Knutsen, Tim H. McConnochie, M. T. Lemmon, L. K. Tamppari, Shayla Viet , et al. · 2024

IntroductionAuroras are hallmarks of the interaction between solar particles and the atmosphere of planets. Martian aurora was first discovered in 2005, since then, four different types have been identified: localized discreet aurora (Bert…

One Martian Year of Near‐Surface Temperatures at Jezero From MEDA Measurements on Mars2020/Perseverance Open

Asier Munguira, R. Hueso, A. Sánchez‐Lavega, Daniel Toledo, Manuel de la Torre Juárez , et al. · 2024

Measurements of ground and near surface atmospheric temperatures at Jezero obtained during 700 sols by the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) characterize the thermal behavior of the near surface Martian atmosphere during a full M…

Dust Accumulation and Lifting at the Landing Site of the Mars 2020 Mission, Jezero Crater, as Observed From MEDA Open

Á. Vicente‐Retortillo, M. T. Lemmon, Germán Martínez, Daniel Toledo, V. Apéstigue , et al. · 2024

We quantify the effect of dust accumulation at Jezero crater by means of a Dust Correction Factor (DCF) for the solar radiation measured by the photodiodes of the Radiation and Dust Sensor of the Mars 2020 mission. After one Mars Year, dus…

Aerosol layers, clouds, spots and the colours of Uranus and Neptune Open

P. G. J. Irwin, Jack Dobinson, N. A. Teanby, Leigh N. Fletcher, Michael T. Roman , et al. · 2024

In the last twenty years, spectroscopic imaging observations of Uranus and Neptune, the solar system’s ‘Ice Giants’, have revolutionised our understanding of the atmospheres of these cold, distant worlds. In spectroscopic…

Vortices and Dust Devils on Jezero Crater, Mars: inner thermal structure and dependence on surface properties  Open

R. Hueso, Asier Munguira, Claire Newman, Germán Martínez, A. Sánchez‐Lavega , et al. · 2024

We investigate the vortex and dust devil activity on Jezero crater over more than one and half Martian years of meteorological data acquired by the MEDA sensors on the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. During the initial phase of the M2020 mis…

Turbulence statistics of terrestrial Mars-analog and Martian dust devils Open

Orkun Temel, Özgür Karatekin, V. Apéstigue, Daniel Toledo, Ignacio Arruego , et al. · 2024

Convective instabilities in the lowermost part of the atmosphere, so called the planetary boundary layer, can lead to the formation of convective vortices and form dust devils both on Earth and Mars. We performed mesoscale simulations for …

The Uranus Multi-Experiment Radiometer for Haze and Clouds Characterization Open

V. Apéstigue, Daniel Toledo, P. G. J. Irwin, P. Rannou, Alejandro Gonzalo , et al. · 2024

ODS instrument of ExoMars-2022 project: Structure, main characteristics and results of laboratory calibrations Open

V. S. Khorkin, Yu. S. Dobrolenskiy, Oleg Korablev, Nikita Vyazovetskiy, I. A. Dzyuban , et al. · 2024

International audience

Modelling the seasonal cycle of Uranus’s colour and magnitude, and comparison with Neptune Open

P. G. J. Irwin, Jack Dobinson, Arjuna James, N. A. Teanby, Amy Simon , et al. · 2023

We present a quantitative analysis of the seasonal record of Uranus’s disc-averaged colour and photometric magnitude in Strömgren b and y filters (centred at 467 and 551 nm, respectively), recorded at the Lowell Observatory from 1950 to 20…

Geometric Properties of Water-ice Clouds as Observed from Jezero Crater in the First 600 sols with the NavCam Instrument On Board the Mars2020 Rover, Perseverance Open

Priya Patel, L. K. Tamppari, Manuel de la Torre Juárez, M. T. Lemmon, A. J. Coates , et al. · 2023

In the first 600 sols of the Mars2020 mission, L S 5.6 o – 316.8 o , 46 cloud movies and 145 cloud surveys were collected to observe clouds at Jezero Crater, the landing site of the Perseverance Rover. Cloud movies were processed using the…

Latitudinal Variations in Methane Abundance, Aerosol Opacity and Aerosol Scattering Efficiency in Neptune's Atmosphere Determined From VLT/MUSE Open

P. G. J. Irwin, Jack Dobinson, Arjuna James, Michael H. Wong, Leigh N. Fletcher , et al. · 2023

Spectral observations of Neptune made in 2019 with the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile have been analyzed to determine the spatial variation of aerosol scattering properties an…

Latitudinal variations in methane abundance, aerosol opacity and aerosol scattering efficiency in Neptune's atmosphere determined from VLT/MUSE Open

P. G. J. Irwin, Jack Dobinson, Arjuna James, Michael H. Wong, Leigh N. Fletcher , et al. · 2023

Spectral observations of Neptune made in 2019 with the MUSE instrument at the Very Large Telescope in Chile have been analysed to determine the spatial variation of aerosol scattering properties and methane abundance in Neptune's atmospher…

Using the Perseverance MEDA-RDS to identify and track dust devils and dust-lifting gust fronts Open

Daniel Toledo, V. Apéstigue, J. Martínez-Oter, Fulvio Franchi, Felipe Serrano , et al. · 2023

In the framework of the Europlanet 2024 Research Infrastructure Transnational Access programme, a terrestrial field campaign was conducted from 29 September to 6 October 2021 in Makgadikgadi Salt Pans (Botswana). The main goal of the campa…

The Temporal Brightening of Uranus' Northern Polar Hood From HST/WFC3 and HST/STIS Observations Open

Arjuna James, P. G. J. Irwin, Jack Dobinson, Michael H. Wong, Troy K. Tsubota , et al. · 2023

Hubble Space Telescope Wide‐Field Camera 3 (HST/WFC3) observations spanning 2015 to 2021 confirm a brightening of Uranus' north polar hood feature with time. The vertical aerosol model of Irwin et al. (2023, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-…

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