| Session Details | |
| Section | PS - Planetary Sciences |
| Session Title | Rosetta, Comets, and Other Icy Bodies |
| Main Convener | Dr. Bin Yang (Yunnan observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China) |
| Co-convener(s) | Dr. Arika Higuchi (National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Japan) Mr. Ramon Brasser (Earth Life Science Institute, Japan) |
| Session Description | The solar system shows a strong dichotomy in terms of composition and volatility of both small and large bodies. The outer reaches of our system, from Jupiter onwards, are ruled by bodies that are composed primarily of ice with smaller portions of rock. In particular, icy bodies very likely hold clues to the origin of terrestrial water and organics, and therefore the origin of life. These distant, cold worlds are slow in divulging their secrets. Space missions flying past and orbiting the giant planets have revealed a diverse icy satellite system, with some clearly showing activity. The ROSETTA mission revealed many of the secrets of comet 67P/C-G, and more icy active bodies are regularly found inside of Jupiter’s orbit. In recent years, ground-based observations have also made rapid progress in detecting water-related features. In this session we aim to understand the formation, evolution and diversity of icy bodies large and small and place them into context with the rest of the solar system. It is an exciting time to synthesize what we have learnt so far, highlight key points of agreement and contention, and to provide recommendations for future studies. We aim to integrate views and data from space missions, thermal and internal modelling, dynamics and observations to formulate a coherent picture of the state of icy bodies in the solar system and what they can tell us about the formation and evolution our own world. |