MI weekly selection #351
Hayabusa2 on its way back to Earth with asteroid material
Japan’s Hayabusa2 has left the asteroid Ryugu and is on its way back to Earth, bringing with it samples of subsurface material. The spacecraft will return sometime at the end of next year.
Sun’s plasma jets formed by magnetic field shifts
Spicules of plasma near the sun’s surface are likely formed with the realignment of magnetic fields, driving heat into the corona, according to findings published in Science. Solar physicist Tanmoy Samanta and other researchers took images of spicules with the Goode Solar Telescope and measured the magnetic field around them as part of their research.
Oxygen readings on Mars mystify scientists
Data collected by the Curiosity rover show oxygen levels fluctuating seasonally at the Gale Crater by unusual amounts, according to findings published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. “We’re struggling to explain this,” said study author Melissa Trainer.
Images taken by drones show Icelandic glaciers’ retreat
Scientists compared images of Icelandic glaciers taken by drones with aerial photos from the 1980s to show how much the glaciers have shrunk over the past several decades. Researchers used a photogrammetry software program to create a 3D landscape model.
Ghostly white arachnids found in Argentina cave
Several pale, nearly eyeless arachnids similar to daddy longlegs have been found deep inside a cave in Argentina’s Mendoza Province and are a new species. Researchers say the arachnids are troglobites, creatures that have grown accustomed to permanent cave life.