Jupiter’s moon Io has long been famous for its sky-splitting volcanic eruptions, powered by Jupiter’s tidal gravity. But strange ridge-like features in regions adjacent to the volcanoes have raised questions since their discovery — What are they? How are they formed? Are they somehow related to the volcanoes? A recent study has argued that, even under Io’s whisper-thin atmosphere, these ridges are probably vast dune fields. This new discovery adds yet another world to our growing trove of worlds where aeolian processes operate.
First Friday Astronomy

You may not know it, but every time you sweep your floor, you’re conducting an experiment in planet formation. The growth of dust bunnies under your broom resembles in some ways the processes of agglomeration that took place in the early Solar System and eventually produced the planets. By studying ongoing planet formation in other solar systems, we can probe the murky origins of our own Solar System. Insights from a Enlightenment-era German philosopher and World War II mathematicians, bolstered by newly bloomed mechanical desert flora, are uncovering the chaos that pervaded our Solar System’s beginnings.
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The tidal bore in the Bay of Fundy carries billions of tons of water up the estuary at 15 km per hour, illustrating the immense power of tides. But tidal interactions in planetary systems can do more than produce killer rafting: the Earth’s tidal grip has shaped the Moon’s rotation and orbit over billions of years. But tides also power volcanoes on Jupiter’s moon Io so potent they can be seen across the Solar System and may even be the key to life in the icy moon Europa.
Continue ReadingEvading the celestial police, one Italian monk ushered in the golden age of asteroidal discovery. Once thought the remnants of a long-lost planet, asteroids are now known to have been the ingredients in the cosmic confectionaries we call planets. Though their shadows have revealed a variety of asteroids, scientists will soon get their hands on fragments of these faraway finds.
Continue ReadingBoise State Physics
First Friday Astronomy
Friday, Jul 2 at 7:30p MT
Dr. Steve Swanson
Boise State Univ & NASA Astronaut Corps
Online lecture begins 7:30pm MT
http://boi.st/astrobroncoslive

Summer is the prime stargazing season. Venture out under the crystal Moon to watch Scorpius chase Orion from the sky. But if you stay within Boise’s city limits, you may find it harder to see some of your favorites. As Boise grows, so too does its footprint in the sky. However, there are many places in Idaho largely unmarred by the glare of municipal growth.
Continue ReadingBoise State Physics
First Friday Astronomy
Friday, May 7 at 7:30p MT
Light Pollution in the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve
Prof. Travis Longcore
UCLA, Institute of Environment & Sustainability
Online lecture begins 7:30pm MT
http://boi.st/astrobroncoslive
Boise State Physics
First Friday Astronomy
Friday, Apr 2 at 7:30p MT
Seeing the Dark Side of the Universe through Cosmic Lenses
Dr. Ami Choi
Dept. of Physics, Ohio State Univ.
Online lecture begins 7:30pm MT
http://www.astrojack.com/ffa-cosmic-lenses

Boise State Physics
First Friday Astronomy
Friday, Mar 5th at 7:30p MT
Psyche: Journey to a Metallic World
Prof. Lindy Elkins-Tanton,
School Of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State Univ.
Online lecture begins 7:30pm MT
http://www.astrojack.com/ffa-psyche