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Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 2d ago

It's time to go beyond the simple habitable zone: what kinds of circulation patterns 🌀, clouds 🌦️, and climates 🌊 can rocky worlds around M dwarfs have? Hear about it from Takanori Kodama at the next #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu 6 Aug @ 13:00 UTC! More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

An image of the speaker, Takanori Kodama. He is looking into the distance to the left of the image. He has long dark hair and is wearing a white tee and black glasses. He is standing in front of blossoming cherry trees.

An artist's rendition of two terrestrial planets partially illuminated by a red M-dwarf host star. The planets are bright white and have indistinct surface features. Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/Joseph Olmsted (STScI)/Webb Space Telescope

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 4w ago

To meet about and understand Rocky Worlds 🪨🌍, we better figure out whether the worlds are rocky 🤔💭! In this week's #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu July 9 @ 13:00 UTC, Cayman Unterborn will tell us just how precisely we need to know our planet parameters. More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

An image of the speaker, Cayman Unterborn. He is smiling
and looking into the camera. He has brown hair and beard and is wearing a black sweater, blue shirt, and green bow tie, with a nondescript gray background.

An artist's rendition of a series of small planets, with various colors and features, trailing off into space. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 4w ago

To meet about and understand Rocky Worlds 🪨🌍, we better figure out whether the worlds are rocky 🤔💭! In this week's #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu July 9 @ 13:00 UTC, Cayman Unterborn will tell us just how precisely we need to know our planet parameters. More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Famous #exoplanet K2-18 b: is it a super-Earth, a sub-Neptune, or something else entirely? 🌍🌔☁️🪐 The secret of its interior lies in its exterior... the atmosphere! Hear more from Shang-Min (Shami) Tsai's #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu 7 May @ 13:00 UTC! More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

An image of the speaker, Shang-Min (Shami) Tsai. He is smiling and looking into the camera. He has short dark hair, is wearing glasses, and a white striped shirt. He is stood inside, with a blurred background behind him featuring a window.

Credits: Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI); Science: Nikku Madhusudhan (IoA)

This illustration shows what exoplanet K2-18 b could look like based on science data. K2-18 b, an exoplanet 8.6 times as massive as Earth, orbits the cool dwarf star K2-18 in the habitable zone and lies 120 light years from Earth.

A new investigation with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope into K2-18 b, an exoplanet 8.6 times as massive as Earth, has revealed the presence of carbon-bearing molecules including methane and carbon dioxide.

The abundance of methane and carbon dioxide, and shortage of ammonia, support the hypothesis that there may be a water ocean underneath a hydrogen-rich atmosphere in K2-18 b.

In this illustration, the exoplanet K2-18 c is shown between K2-18 b and its star.

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 4mo ago

📢 Join us live in ~1.5 hours! 13:00 UTC = 15:00 CEST = 09:00 EDT = 06:00 PDT = 22:00 JST If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlQw...

Rocky Worlds Meetings@rockyworlds.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Don't judge a planet by its cover! 📖🪐 Join our next #RockyWorldsDiscussion online tomorrow on Thu 2 April at 13:00 UTC where Ana-Catalina Plesa from DLR will discuss how we can link models of rocky planet interiors to observations of their surfaces 🌋 More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

An image of the speaker, Ana-Catalina Plesa. She facing the camera straight on and at eye level. She has long hair and is wearing glasses and small earrings with a grey shirt layered with a black cardigan or blazer. She is stood outdoors with some trees visible but blurred in the background.

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Don't judge a planet by its cover! 📖🪐 Join our next #RockyWorldsDiscussion online tomorrow on Thu 2 April at 13:00 UTC where Ana-Catalina Plesa from DLR will discuss how we can link models of rocky planet interiors to observations of their surfaces 🌋 More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

Two cross-sections of planet Mars are shown, showcasing two alternative possibilities of what its interior structure might look like.

A thin atmosphere covers the crust that blankets the mantle and core. Whether the core of Mars contains an inner solid and an outer liquid layer (left) or it is entirely liquid (right) it is not known. From DLR: "Latest indirect observations seem to favour the latter version of the interior structure."

Image taken from https://www.dlr.de/en/images/missions/mars/interior-structure-of-mars

Credit: adaptiert nach IPGP/David Ducros.

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 5mo ago

📢 Less than 1 hour left until this talk begins! 14:00 UTC = 15:00 CET = 09:00 EST = 06:00 PST = 23:00 JST If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=058C...

Rocky Worlds Meetings@rockyworlds.bsky.social · 5mo ago

You've maybe heard of ocean planets 🌊🪐 but what about *electric magma* ocean planets?! 🔥⚡🌋 For our next #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu 5 March @ 14:00 UTC, Miki Nakajima will present exciting simulations on magma ocean dynamos in Earth and super-Earths More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

An image of the speaker, Miki Nakajima. She is smiling and looking into the camera. She has long dark hair and is wearing earrings & a white striped shirt with a black blazer. She is stood outdoors, leaning against a fence, with some trees visible but blurred in the background.

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 5mo ago

You've maybe heard of ocean planets 🌊🪐 but what about *electric magma* ocean planets?! 🔥⚡🌋 For our next #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu 5 March @ 14:00 UTC, Miki Nakajima will present exciting simulations on magma ocean dynamos in Earth and super-Earths More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

A photo of... a magma ocean?! Not quite, because that would be a really difficult picture to take since we do not have any on hand. Instead, this is a photo that was taken in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, in May 1954 during the eruption of the Kilauea Volcano. The floor is literally lava, blackened and fragmented with what appears to be whirlpools of red and yellow lava in their centres. Close enough? Credit: Photo by J. P. Eaton, May 31, 1954

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 6mo ago

📢 Less than 1 hour left until this talk begins! 14:00 UTC = 15:00 CET = 09:00 EST = 06:00 PST = 23:00 JST If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t9B...

Rocky Worlds Meetings@rockyworlds.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Would you dare to stand up against the wrath of a star?! Brave little Venus does... and still has an atmosphere! ☀️💨🪐🧲 Next #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu 5 Feb @ 14:00 UTC features Moa Persson on "Venus: Defying the Solar Wind Without a Magnetic Shield" More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

An image of the speaker, Moa Persson. She is smiling and looking into the camera over her shoulder. She has light brown hair down to her shoulders, and is wearing a blue shirt with glasses. She is holding a hammer as she is completing her "thesis nailing", a tradition at many Swedish universities for finishing PhD students.

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Would you dare to stand up against the wrath of a star?! Brave little Venus does... and still has an atmosphere! ☀️💨🪐🧲 Next #RockyWorldsDiscussion on Thu 5 Feb @ 14:00 UTC features Moa Persson on "Venus: Defying the Solar Wind Without a Magnetic Shield" More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭

An artist illustration of Venus, and its atmosphere eroding against solar winds. Credit: ESA (Animation by C. Carreau)

Longer caption attached to the image on ESAs website, posted November 2007:

"Mars, Earth and Venus are immersed in a flow of plasma, an ionised and highly variable gas originating from the Sun, called the solar wind.

While Earth has a planetary magnetic field, which can deviate the flow of solar wind, Venus (and Mars) don’t. Gases in the upper atmospheres of these planets are ionised and can thus interact with the solar wind.

Venus is as large as Earth and it is difficult for its atmosphere to escape due to the planet’s gravity. The solar wind is the best source of energy to accelerate the upper atmosphere’s charged particles, giving them enough energy to escape. This is why Venus loses its atmosphere due to interaction with the solar wind.

To understand this phenomenon, the key questions that the instruments studying plasma on Venus Express must answer are: what and how much of the atmosphere is lost, and where is it lost?

Right now, solar activity is at its minimum in the 11-year cycle, making the solar wind weaker than average. The critical question now is how solar wind interacts with Venus when solar activity is low."

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 6mo ago

A HUGE thank you to all attendees of the #RockyWorlds4 conference in Groningen! We had an absolutely incredible time talking astronomy, geoscience, biology, and so much more 🚀🌋🌱🪐✨🔭🧪 Catch the recorded talks on www.youtube.com/@rockyworlds And see you in Berlin in 2028! berlin2028.rockyworlds.org

A group photo showing a huge crowd, namely the attendees of the Rocky Worlds 4 conference! They are stood up and around a big staircase and walkway inside a modern building; smiling; and throwing their hands up.

Rocky Worlds Meetings@rockyworlds.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Wondering why we've been so quiet this month? That's because we're busy preparing to welcome everyone *next week* to Groningen 🇳🇱 for... 🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️ Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪

A view of the canal in the city of Groningen, Netherlands. The sky is blue and the trees lining the water are green, so it's *definitely* not taken in January. Credit: https://www.hanze.nl/en/study/living-in-the-netherlands-and-groningen/groningen-is-waiting-for-you

Hannah Sanderson @han-san-planets.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Had a great time at #RockyWorlds4 this week - presenting my PhD work on magnetic field generation in planetesimals 🧲 and learning lots about magma oceans 🔥ready for my post doc project. Thanks to everyone for such great discussions and @rockyworlds.bsky.social for organising a fantastic meeting!

Science Newsroom - Faculty of Science and Engineering - UG @sciencenewsroom-ug.bsky.social · 7mo ago

🌍 Astronomers from all over the world are coming to Groningen for the #RockyWorlds4 conference. 'We would like to broaden the ideas about what a rocky planet could be made up of,' says Inga Kamp, astrophysicist @rug.nl. Curious? Read more 👇 🔗 www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat... 🧪 #SciComm

Kapteyn Astronomical Institute@kapteynastro.bsky.social · 7mo ago

At #RockyWorlds4 in Groningen, scientists explore rocky planets with radically different chemistries and atmospheres. With the LIFE mission, they aim to study exoplanets directly and look for unexpected signs of life — not aliens, but subtle atmospheric clues. Read more: www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat...

Mariana Sastre @marianasastre.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Poster discussions at #RockyWorlds4 has been amazing! Coffee breaks are on 🔥🔥🔥Super creative posters with incredible science, I think we are improving as a community to communicate our research to other colleagues 🧐 Looking forward for the poster competition ✨ @rockyworlds.bsky.social

Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Another cool result shared at #RockyWorlds4: Nearly all sub-Neptunes, if they are gas dwarfs (as opposed to water worlds), should have magma oceans beneath their hydrogen atmospheres. That includes the notorious K2-18b — if it is indeed a gas dwarf and not an ocean planet. Preprint:

Most Rocky Sub-Neptunes are Molten: Mapping the Solidification Shoreline for Gas Dwarf Exoplanets

Sub-Neptunes are the most common type of detected exoplanet, yet their observed masses and radii are degenerate with several interior structures. One possibility is that sub-Neptunes have silicate/iro...

arxiv.org

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Looks like Planet Earth is a fan of #RockyWorlds4 as it gifted us with a gorgeous conference souvenir last night! 🤩🔭🧪

Mariana Sastre@marianasastre.bsky.social · 7mo ago

✨Auroras✨ over Groningen,NL during the first after-conference day of @rockyworlds.bsky.social This planet is just so incredible! Looking forward for the talks, sessions and activities the rest of the week🌌

Tim Lichtenberg @timlichtenberg.bsky.social · 7mo ago

You're welcome! 🔭😊 The LOC of #RockyWorlds4 (groningen2026.rockyworlds.org/organisers/loc) is doing everything they can to make the conference an unforgettable experience. 😁

ROCKY WORLDS 4 - LOC

Mariana Sastre

groningen2026.rockyworlds.org

Johanna Teske@johannateske.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Well done, @timlichtenberg.bsky.social 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

David R. Rice @davidrrice.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Frankie mouse made it to Groningen. Coming to #RockyWorlds4 tomorrow! And check out Magrathea for your MR relationship or planet composition needs: github.com/Huang-CL/Mag... v2 live now and v3 already on the horizon

Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 7mo ago

First results from the Lava Lamps survey hunting for atmospheres on lava planets shared at #RockyWorlds4: It looks like there could be some kind of transition in the way lava planets redistribute heat around ~2500 K, which could indicate that the very hottest worlds have atmospheres. Mysterious!

Johanna Teske @johannateske.bsky.social · 7mo ago

I'm excited to spend the week hearing and talking about rocky worlds! This is one of my favorite meeting series, I leave energized and with new ideas. 😁 You can follow along with the talks on YouTube if you aren't joining us in person or on Zoom: www.youtube.com/@rockyworlds...

Rocky Worlds Meetings@rockyworlds.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Wondering why we've been so quiet this month? That's because we're busy preparing to welcome everyone *next week* to Groningen 🇳🇱 for... 🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️ Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪

Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 7mo ago

@johannateske.bsky.social's #RockyWorlds4 talk on TOI-561 b just reinforces my feeling that this weird little planet is one to keep an eye on. It's among a handful of hot rocks challenging what we think we know about which planets have air. I wrote about this last year for @sciam.bsky.social:

This Fiery Exoplanet Shouldn’t Have an Atmosphere—But It Does

Hot, small and old—exoplanet TOI-561 b is just about the worst place to look for alien air. Scientists using JWST found it there anyway

scientificamerican.com

Linn Boldt-Christmas @nplinnspace.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Really enjoyed this awesome poster at #RockyWorlds4 by William Brilliant about @terrahunting.bsky.social — can’t believe we are so close to starting our hunt for Earth-like #exoplanets in our cosmic neighbourhood!! 🤩🌍🔭

Poster entitled ”HARPS3 in commissioning” by William Brilliant from the University of Cambridge on behalf of the HARPS3 consortium

Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 7mo ago

My visit to #RockyWorlds4 kicked off with a hot take from @nplinnspace.bsky.social's poster: Even in the best-case scenario, we couldn't tell how "Earth-like" an Earth-like planet is 🔥 She assumed TRAPPIST-1 e had Earth-like air and showed that vastly different climates would be indistinguishable.

Kapteyn Astronomical Institute @kapteynastro.bsky.social · 7mo ago

At #RockyWorlds4 in Groningen, scientists explore rocky planets with radically different chemistries and atmospheres. With the LIFE mission, they aim to study exoplanets directly and look for unexpected signs of life — not aliens, but subtle atmospheric clues. Read more: www.rug.nl/fse/news/mat...

De zoektocht naar buitenaards leven – en kunnen we die ook wat oprekken?

Op zoek naar buitenaards leven kijken we meestal naar planeten die min of meer lijken op de aarde. RUG-astrofysici Inga Kamp en Floris van der Tak leggen...

rug.nl

Elise Cutts @elisecutts.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Hello #RockyWorlds4! I'm Elise, a science journalist here hunting for awesome science stories about planets. I'm cool, I promise — I used to be a scientist so I might even understand your science jargon 🤓Come say hi and tell me about your work!

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Wondering why we've been so quiet this month? That's because we're busy preparing to welcome everyone *next week* to Groningen 🇳🇱 for... 🌋✨🚀 The ROCKY WORLDS 4 Conference 2026! 🪐✨☄️ Updates will be posted throughout the week from this account & others using the #RockyWorlds4 hashtag – stay tuned! 🔭🧪

A screenshot from our conference website: https://groningen2026.rockyworlds.org/

The text reads:
Rocky Worlds 4
19–23 January 2026, Groningen, Netherlands
In-person registrations for the conference are booked up.
Registration for virtual participation is open.

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 8mo ago

📢 Don't forget to join us for this talk tomorrow (Thursday)! 14:00 UTC = 15:00 CET = 09:00 EST = 06:00 PST = 23:00 JST If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2jI...

Rocky Worlds Meetings@rockyworlds.bsky.social · 8mo ago

6,000 #exoplanets have been found to date, but ZERO of them are Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars! Why is that? Do any exist? Or is it just hard? ☀️🌍🔭 Join us on Thu 4 Dec @ 14:00 UTC for a #RockyWorldsDiscussion with Annelies Mortier to find out! More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... ☄️🧪

An image of the speaker, Annelies Mortier. She is smiling and looking into the camera. She has brown hair down to past her shoulders, and is wearing a red top with a silver necklace. She is against a white wall background.

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 8mo ago

6,000 #exoplanets have been found to date, but ZERO of them are Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars! Why is that? Do any exist? Or is it just hard? ☀️🌍🔭 Join us on Thu 4 Dec @ 14:00 UTC for a #RockyWorldsDiscussion with Annelies Mortier to find out! More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... ☄️🧪

An artistic illustration of Earth and the Sun (not to scale). In the bottom of the right half the image, the top half of the Earth is visible, showing some cloud coverage over parts of North/Central America. In the top of the left half of the image, the Sun is visible as a flaming ball, with bright edges around it and some granulation + bright spots. In the background, a starry sky.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 9mo ago

📢 Don't forget to join us for this talk tomorrow (Thursday)! 14:00 UTC = 15:00 CET = 09:00 EST = 06:00 PST = 23:00 JST If you haven't signed up to our mailing list to access the Zoom-link, you can also watch it live on our YouTube channel 🔭☄️🧪 Livestream: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u7P...

Rocky Worlds Meetings@rockyworlds.bsky.social · 9mo ago

What sets our home planet 🌍 apart from our sister next door? 🌔☁️🔥 On Thu 6 Nov @ 14:00 UTC, Diogo Lourenço will be our next #RockyWorldsDiscussion speaker and tell us how bulk composition & lava flows impact long-term evolution of our neighbour Venus More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭☄️

An image of the speaker, Diogo Lourenço. He is smiling and looking into the camera. He has brown hair down to between his ears and shoulders, and facial hair. He is against a white-ish background.

Rocky Worlds Meetings @rockyworlds.bsky.social · 9mo ago

What sets our home planet 🌍 apart from our sister next door? 🌔☁️🔥 On Thu 6 Nov @ 14:00 UTC, Diogo Lourenço will be our next #RockyWorldsDiscussion speaker and tell us how bulk composition & lava flows impact long-term evolution of our neighbour Venus More: www.rockyworlds.org/event-detail... 🧪🔭☄️

Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) from 30 January 2018: "Venus at Night in Infrared from Akatsuki" - Image Credit: JAXA, ISAS, DARTS; Processing & Copyright: Damia Bouic. Description from the APOD caption: In the featured image taken by Akatsuki's IR2 camera, Venus's night side shows a jagged-edged equatorial band of high dark clouds absorbing infrared light from hotter layers deeper in Venus' atmosphere. The bright orange and black stripe on the upper right is a false digital artifact that covers part of the much brighter day side of Venus. Analyses of Akatsuki images and data has shown that Venus has equatorial jet similar to Earth's jet stream.