Publications by authors named "Noemi Pinilla-Alonso"
Article Synopsis
- - Charon, Pluto's largest moon, has been studied for its composition and changes caused by radiation, but previous spectral data only covered wavelengths below 2.5 μm, leaving some questions unanswered.
- - Recent observations using JWST have detected carbon dioxide (CO) and hydrogen peroxide (HO) on Charon's northern hemisphere, adding to its known chemical components like water ice and ammonia.
- - The presence of HO suggests active processes affecting the water ice surface, while spectral analysis indicates that CO is mainly found in crystalline form, likely originating from subsurface sources and other processes involving hydrocarbons and solar interactions.
Lithium, a critical natural resource integral to modern technology, has influenced diverse industries since its discovery in the 1950s. Of particular interest is lithium-7, the most prevalent lithium isotope on Earth, playing a vital role in applications such as batteries, metal alloys, medicine, and nuclear research. However, its extraction presents significant environmental and logistical challenges.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt has been suggested that Earth's current supply of water was delivered by asteroids, some time after the collision that produced the Moon (which would have vaporized any of the pre-existing water). So far, no measurements of water ice on asteroids have been made, but its presence has been inferred from the comet-like activity of several small asteroids, including two members of the Themis dynamical family. Here we report infrared spectra of the asteroid 24 Themis which show that ice and organic compounds are not only present on its surface but also prevalent.
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