Planetary Sciences Group


University of Central Florida

The UCF Planetary Sciences Group uses spacecraft data, images from the world’s largest telescopes, meteorites and moon rocks, experimental techniques, and supercomputers to investigate our own Solar System as well as others around the Galaxy.


Our Research

Art of Terrestrial Planets

Atmospheric Evolution and Habitability

Our research group develops atmospheric models of varying complexity (1D, 2D, 3D) to simulate the atmospheres and habitability of the rocky worlds in our solar system (i.e., Venus, Earth, Mars, Titan) and assess their atmospheric/climatic evolution through time.

Dust Dynamics

We are studying the dynamics of dust particles in various solar system environments, including near the lunar surface, asteroid surface, ring systems, and in interplanetary space. This can include motion due to impacts and other disturbances or the motion of charged dust particles in plasma and electric fields.

Exoplanets and Brown Dwarfs

The Exoplanets Group uses space telescopes to reveal the sizes, temperatures, atmospheric properties, and orbits of many planets and brown dwarfs outside our solar system. We develop new theory and models to interpret and understand those data. We also lead several open-source software projects that provide tools for exoplanet research to the astronomical community.

Laboratory Astrophysics

We trace the molecular basis for the evolution of interstellar clouds, the formation of Solar Systems, the incorporation of molecular species into planetary bodies, including comets and meteorites and how these systems evolve in time. Astrochemistry is often a culmination of different fields acting synergistically.

Laboratory Surface Science

We study the physical properties and compositions of the Moon, asteroids, and Mars. The surfaces of these bodies are covered with a fine-grained particulate regolith (or soil) that marks the boundary between internal geologic processes, and the space environment. What are these regoliths made of? How did they form and how have they evolved over time? Most important: what can this tell us about the earliest history of the solar system and the formation of planets?

Microgravity and Planet Formation

Simulations of planet formation that begin with planetesimals have reached a state where the main properties of the solar system are reproduced. Formation of planetesimals themselves remains poorly understood, however. The role of gravitational instabilities in the disk is not known. The outcome of interactions of small aggregates and dust in the presence of the protoplanetary nebula is also poorly understood.

Planetary Rings

We are studying the structure, composition, and evolution of Saturn’s rings through a combination of analysis of data from the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) and numerical modeling of the rings. We combine multiple stellar occultations to understand the three-dimensional structure of the rings in the same way doctors use CT scans to study the structure of the body. These occultations provide exquisitely detailed maps of the finest structures in the rings which we can then compare to N-body simulations to better understand the dynamics of the rings and their origins.

SW1 2008 outburst

Small Bodies

“Small bodies” are big on science! Small bodies are comets, asteroids, trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs), Trojans, and Centaurs that are all remnants from the planetary formation era 4 ½ billion years ago. Studying these objects’ behavior and evolution allows us to answer some of the most fundamental questions in astronomy and planetary science.


Academic Programs

Graduate Program

Undergraduate Program


Our Latest Papers

Authors Title Published Date Journal
Sega, Daniel D.; Stewart, Glen; Colwell, Joshua E.; and 3 coauthors The dynamics of self-gravity wakes in the Mimas 5:3 bending wave: Modifying the linear theory May 2024 Icarus 413, 115987
Brozović, Marina; Jacobson, Robert A.; Park, Ryan S.; and 5 coauthors Orbit of the Patroclus–Menoetius Binary System and Predictions for the 2024/2025 Mutual Events Season Mar 2024 The Astronomical Journal 167, 104
Magaña, Lizeth O.; Prem, Parvathy; Deutsch, Ariel N.; and 8 coauthors Surface Roughness at the Moon’s South Pole: The Influence of Condensed Volatiles on Surface Roughness at the Moon’s South Pole Feb 2024 The Planetary Science Journal 5, 30
Powell, Diana; Feinstein, Adina D.; Lee, Elspeth K. H.; and 70 coauthors Sulfur dioxide in the mid-infrared transmission spectrum of WASP-39b Feb 2024 Nature 626, 979
Jones, Geraint H.; Snodgrass, Colin; Tubiana, Cecilia; and 231 coauthors The Comet Interceptor Mission Jan 2024 Space Science Reviews 220, 9
Larson, Jennifer N.; Fernandez, Yanga; Sarid, Gal Categorization of Spatial and Temporal Ejecta Outcomes in Binary Systems Based on Variations of the Didymos System Jan 2024 The Planetary Science Journal 5, 5
Rodríguez Rodríguez, Javier; Díez Alonso, E.; Iglesias Álvarez, Santiago; and 7 coauthors Improved models for the near-Earth asteroids (2100) Ra-Shalom, (3103) Eger, (12711) Tukmit, and (161989) Cacus Jan 2024 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 527, 6814
Lilly, Eva; Jevčák, Peter; Schambeau, Charles; and 7 coauthors Semimajor-axis Jumps as the Activity Trigger in Centaurs and High-perihelion Jupiter-family Comets Jan 2024 The Astrophysical Journal 960, L8
Souza-Feliciano, A. C.; Holler, B. J.; Pinilla-Alonso, N.; and 16 coauthors Spectroscopy of the binary TNO Mors-Somnus with the JWST and its relationship to the cold classical and plutino subpopulations observed in the DiSCo-TNO project Jan 2024 Astronomy and Astrophysics 681, L17
Mainzer, A. K.; Masiero, J. R.; Abell, Paul A.; and 34 coauthors The Near-Earth Object Surveyor Mission Dec 2023 The Planetary Science Journal 4, 224

Query returned 403 total number of records, 10 are shown.


News and Events

  • JWST Detects Carbon Dioxide on Planet Outside Solar System
  • Planetary Science Graduate Student Wins Award at NASA Exploration Science Forum
  • Several UCF Planetary Scientists Will Be Using JWST Soon