Author
Carolyn M. Ernst
Other affiliations: Brown University, Johns Hopkins University
Bio: Carolyn M. Ernst is an academic researcher from Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. The author has contributed to research in topics: Mercury (element) & Impact crater. The author has an hindex of 36, co-authored 203 publications receiving 5360 citations. Previous affiliations of Carolyn M. Ernst include Brown University & Johns Hopkins University.
Topics: Mercury (element), Impact crater, Asteroid, Flash (photography), Ejecta
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
More filters
••
University of Maryland, College Park1, Max Planck Society2, Jet Propulsion Laboratory3, University of Hawaii4, University of Arizona5, Brown University6, Science Applications International Corporation7, Cornell University8, Space Telescope Science Institute9, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory10
TL;DR: A large increase in organic material occurred during and after the event, with smaller changes in carbon dioxide relative to water, and a thermal map indicates a surface in equilibrium with sunlight.
Abstract: Deep Impact collided with comet Tempel 1, excavating a crater controlled by gravity. The comet's outer layer is composed of 1- to 100-micrometer fine particles with negligible strength ( 1000 kelvins). A large increase in organic material occurred during and after the event, with smaller changes in carbon dioxide relative to water. On approach, the spacecraft observed frequent natural outbursts, a mean radius of 3.0 ± 0.1 kilometers, smooth and rough terrain, scarps, and impact craters. A thermal map indicates a surface in equilibrium with sunlight.
751 citations
••
TL;DR: The New Horizons encounter revealed that Pluto displays a surprisingly wide variety of geological landforms, including those resulting from glaciological and surface-atmosphere interactions as well as impact, tectonic, possible cryovolcanic, and mass-wasting processes.
Abstract: The Pluto system was recently explored by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, making closest approach on 14 July 2015. Pluto's surface displays diverse landforms, terrain ages, albedos, colors, and composition gradients. Evidence is found for a water-ice crust, geologically young surface units, surface ice convection, wind streaks, volatile transport, and glacial flow. Pluto's atmosphere is highly extended, with trace hydrocarbons, a global haze layer, and a surface pressure near 10 microbars. Pluto's diverse surface geology and long-term activity raise fundamental questions about how small planets remain active many billions of years after formation. Pluto's large moon Charon displays tectonics and evidence for a heterogeneous crustal composition; its north pole displays puzzling dark terrain. Small satellites Hydra and Nix have higher albedos than expected.
411 citations
••
TL;DR: X-ray fluorescence spectra obtained by the MESSENGENGER spacecraft orbiting Mercury indicate that the planet's surface differs in composition from those of other terrestrial planets as discussed by the authors, and this observation, together with a low surface Fe abundance, supports the view that Mercury formed from highly reduced precursor materials, perhaps akin to enstatite chondrite meteorites or anhydrous cometary dust particles.
Abstract: X-ray fluorescence spectra obtained by the MESSENGER spacecraft orbiting Mercury indicate that the planet's surface differs in composition from those of other terrestrial planets Relatively high Mg/Si and low Al/Si and Ca/Si ratios rule out a lunarlike feldspar-rich crust The sulfur abundance is at least 10 times higher than that of the silicate portion of Earth or the Moon, and this observation, together with a low surface Fe abundance, supports the view that Mercury formed from highly reduced precursor materials, perhaps akin to enstatite chondrite meteorites or anhydrous cometary dust particles Low Fe and Ti abundances do not support the proposal that opaque oxides of these elements contribute substantially to Mercury's low and variable surface reflectance
396 citations
••
Chiba Institute of Technology1, University of Tokyo2, Kōchi University3, Nagoya University4, Rikkyo University5, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency6, University of Aizu7, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology8, Kobe University9, Meiji University10, Graduate University for Advanced Studies11, Planetary Science Institute12, Auburn University13, Tohoku University14, Brown University15, Kindai University16, Centre national de la recherche scientifique17, University of Arizona18, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory19, German Aerospace Center20, Hokkaido University of Education21, Max Planck Society22, University of Stirling23, Nihon University24, Osaka University25, Hitotsubashi University26, Hiroshima University27, Seoul National University28, Paris Diderot University29
TL;DR: Spectral observations and a principal components analysis suggest that Ryugu originates from the Eulalia or Polana asteroid family in the inner main belt, possibly via more than one generation of parent bodies.
Abstract: Additional co-authors: N Namiki, S Tanaka, Y Iijima, K Yoshioka, M Hayakawa, Y Cho, M Matsuoka, N Hirata, N Hirata, H Miyamoto, D Domingue, M Hirabayashi, T Nakamura, T Hiroi, T Michikami, P Michel, R-L Ballouz, O S Barnouin, C M Ernst, S E Schroder, H Kikuchi, R Hemmi, G Komatsu, T Fukuhara, M Taguchi, T Arai, H Senshu, H Demura, Y Ogawa, Y Shimaki, T Sekiguchi, T G Muller, T Mizuno, H Noda, K Matsumoto, R Yamada, Y Ishihara, H Ikeda, H Araki, K Yamamoto, S Abe, F Yoshida, A Higuchi, S Sasaki, S Oshigami, S Tsuruta, K Asari, S Tazawa, M Shizugami, J Kimura, T Otsubo, H Yabuta, S Hasegawa, M Ishiguro, S Tachibana, E Palmer, R Gaskell, L Le Corre, R Jaumann, K Otto, N Schmitz, P A Abell, M A Barucci, M E Zolensky, F Vilas, F Thuillet, C Sugimoto, N Takaki, Y Suzuki, H Kamiyoshihara, M Okada, K Nagata, M Fujimoto, M Yoshikawa, Y Yamamoto, K Shirai, R Noguchi, N Ogawa, F Terui, S Kikuchi, T Yamaguchi, Y Oki, Y Takao, H Takeuchi, G Ono, Y Mimasu, K Yoshikawa, T Takahashi, Y Takei, A Fujii, C Hirose, S Nakazawa, S Hosoda, O Mori, T Shimada, S Soldini, T Iwata, M Abe, H Yano, R Tsukizaki, M Ozaki, K Nishiyama, T Saiki, S Watanabe, Y Tsuda
325 citations
••
Brown University1, Southwest Research Institute2, University of Arizona3, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory4, Smithsonian Institution5, Carnegie Institution for Science6, University of Hawaii7, Arizona State University8, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan)9, German Aerospace Center10
TL;DR: Observations of Mercury’s high northern latitudes reveal a contiguous area of volcanic smooth plains covering more than 6% of the surface that were emplaced in a flood lava mode, consistent with average crustal compositions broadly similar to terrestrial komatiites.
Abstract: MESSENGER observations from Mercury orbit reveal that a large contiguous expanse of smooth plains covers much of Mercury’s high northern latitudes and occupies more than 6% of the planet’s surface area. These plains are smooth, embay other landforms, are distinct in color, show several flow features, and partially or completely bury impact craters, the sizes of which indicate plains thicknesses of more than 1 kilometer and multiple phases of emplacement. These characteristics, as well as associated features, interpreted to have formed by thermal erosion, indicate emplacement in a flood-basalt style, consistent with x-ray spectrometric data indicating surface compositions intermediate between those of basalts and komatiites. The plains formed after the Caloris impact basin, confirming that volcanism was a globally extensive process in Mercury’s post–heavy bombardment era.
217 citations
Cited by
More filters
••
TL;DR: The composition of the primitive mantle derived by as mentioned in this paper shows that Earth was assembled from material that shows many of the same chemical fractionation processes as chondritic meteorites. But the stable isotope record excludes chondrite meteorites as the ‘building blocks’ of Earth.
Abstract: The composition of the primitive mantle derived here shows that Earth was assembled from material that shows many of the same chemical fractionation processes as chondritic meteorites. These processes occurred at the initial stage of the solar system formation, under conditions thought to be present in the solar nebula. But the stable isotope record excludes chondritic meteorites as the ‘building blocks’ of Earth. Meteorites formed in local environments separated from that part of the inner solar system where much of the material forming the terrestrial planets was sourced.
1,196 citations
••
TL;DR: The authors show the operational environment of asteroid Bennu, validate its photometric phase function and demonstrate the accelerating rotational rate due to YORP effect using the data acquired during the approach phase of OSIRIS-REx mission.
Abstract: During its approach to asteroid (101955) Bennu, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft surveyed Bennu’s immediate environment, photometric properties, and rotation state. Discovery of a dusty environment, a natural satellite, or unexpected asteroid characteristics would have had consequences for the mission’s safety and observation strategy. Here we show that spacecraft observations during this period were highly sensitive to satellites (sub-meter scale) but reveal none, although later navigational images indicate that further investigation is needed. We constrain average dust production in September 2018 from Bennu’s surface to an upper limit of 150 g s–1 averaged over 34 min. Bennu’s disk-integrated photometric phase function validates measurements from the pre-encounter astronomical campaign. We demonstrate that Bennu’s rotation rate is accelerating continuously at 3.63 ± 0.52 × 10–6 degrees day–2, likely due to the Yarkovsky–O’Keefe–Radzievskii–Paddack (YORP) effect, with evolutionary implications.
905 citations
••
774 citations
••
California Institute of Technology1, Johns Hopkins University2, University of Arizona3, University of California, Los Angeles4, Monterey Institute for Research in Astronomy5, University of Hawaii6, Harvard University7, Dartmouth College8, Notre Dame High School9, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University10, Goddard Space Flight Center11, University of Maryland, College Park12
TL;DR: The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has surveyed the entire sky at four infrared wavelengths with greatly improved sensitivity and spatial resolution compared to its predecessors, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite and the Cosmic Background Explorer.
Abstract: The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) has surveyed the entire sky at four infrared wavelengths with greatly improved sensitivity and spatial resolution compared to its predecessors, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite and the Cosmic Background Explorer. NASA's Planetary Science Division has funded an enhancement to the WISE data processing system called "NEOWISE" that allows detection and archiving of moving objects found in the WISE data. NEOWISE has mined the WISE images for a wide array of small bodies in our solar system, including near-Earth objects (NEOs), Main Belt asteroids, comets, Trojans, and Centaurs. By the end of survey operations in 2011 February, NEOWISE identified over 157,000 asteroids, including more than 500 NEOs and ~120 comets. The NEOWISE data set will enable a panoply of new scientific investigations.
771 citations