RIST Popular Talk - 34 :: NASA Dawn mission: Understanding geologic evolution
Date - 6th February, 2018

INVITATION FOR RIST POPULAR TALK:

You are cordially invited to attend the monthly popular talk series jointly organized by the RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (RIST), IMPHAL & DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS, MANIPUR UNIVERSITY.

VENUE & DATE:
CONFERENCE HALL, DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS, MANIPUR UNIVERSITY
Tuesday, 6th February, 2018 at 1.30 p.m.

Title: NASA Dawn mission: Understanding geologic evolution of planetary bodies during early solar system formation

Speaker: Dr. Guneshwar Thanjam
Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goettingen, Germany
e-mail ID: thangjam@mps.mpg.de

Abstract:

Understanding the geologic processes and the formation of the planetary bodies during the early solar system formation is one of the science objectives of planetary missions. The NASA Dawn mission is one of the historic missions that returns wealth of information about the geologic processes and formation of the first two most massive asteroids (1) Ceres and (4) Vesta.

Observations from Dawn imagery integrated with laboratory studies of analogues and meteorites reveal insights into the different worlds of a small differentiated rocky body (Vesta) and a partly differentiated icy-rocky body (Ceres).

Results from reflectance spectroscopic analysis of Dawn imagery in the visible and near-infrared wavelength regions, and some of the similar studies of the icy moons in the outer solar system that are geologically linked with the inner solar system planetary bodies will be presented.

A comparative geologic study of inner and outer solar system planetary bodies will further enrich our understanding of the geologic evolution of planetary bodies during the early solar system formation.

(N. Nimai Singh)
Convener,
RIST monthly popular talk series