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Open research questions in Astro and Planetary Science

226 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 899 Astro and Planetary Science papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The study is based on simulations. The sample size is limited to two exoplanets, V1298 Tau b and TOI-451 c. The study assumes cloud-free atmospheres for both planets.

    Probing the Atmospheres of Young Long-period Sub-Neptune Progenitors with ELT/ANDES · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies are needed to explore the applicability of HRCCS with ELT/ANDES to other exoplanet systems. The study suggests investigating the effects of clouds and hazes on the detectability of exoplanet atmospheres. Future research should focus on developing more sophisticated models of exoplanet atmospheres.

    Probing the Atmospheres of Young Long-period Sub-Neptune Progenitors with ELT/ANDES · 2026 · DOI

  • Studies of the collisional quenching region and local/transient activity in the inner gas coma could be an opportunity for FAST. Combining radio OH measurements with modern multi-wavelength observations can provide much stronger constraints on cometary water production and activity.

    Centimeter-wave OH Observations of Comets 12P/Pons-Brooks and C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) with FAST · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the need for radio observations of comets to understand water production. The study highlights the importance of considering the small beam size of FAST and the collisional quenching effect in estimating the OH production rates.

    Centimeter-wave OH Observations of Comets 12P/Pons-Brooks and C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) with FAST · 2026 · DOI

  • Conducting JWST observations of the transits of the most observationally favorable systems, - Collecting high-precision oblateness constraints for a larger sample of warm Jupiters, - Applying hierarchical Bayesian machinery to forecast the constraints on the obliquity distribution

    Constraining the Planetary Obliquity Distribution of Warm Jupiters · 2026 · DOI

  • (1992), who reported that the impactor core was insufficiently disrupted, leaving little rocky or iron material in the debris.

    Dependence on the Equation of State in SPH Simulations of Proto-Uranian Disk Formation from a Giant Impact · 2026

  • The formation of warm Jupiters remains uncertain. The obliquity distribution of warm Jupiters is not well constrained.

    Constraining the Planetary Obliquity Distribution of Warm Jupiters · 2026 · DOI

  • As such, additional laboratory studies are warranted to understand how to convert OH/H 2 O absorptions seen in spectral reflectance to estimates of absolute water content of objects that lack fine-grained regolith.

    Assessing effects of particle size on water content estimates of carbonaceous chondrites and their parent bodies · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the physical and chemical processes that shape sub-Neptunes’ transmission spectra, in particular cloud and haze formation, are not well understood.

    The SPACE Program. II. No Discernible Spectral Features in the Transmission Spectrum of the Sub-Neptune HD 191939 b Observed with HST/WFC3 · 2026 · DOI

  • Abstract The “sub-Jovian desert” (2 ≲ R p ≲ 10 R ⊕ , periods ≲3 days) is sparsely populated but no longer empty.

    Shedding Light on Desert Dwellers · 2026 · DOI

  • We caution that our estimates are sensitive to processes with poorly understood dynamics, such as atomic line cooling.

    The Cosmic Shoreline Revisited: A Metric for Atmospheric Retention Informed by Hydrodynamic Escape · 2025 · DOI

  • However, the accuracy of our model is limited by the lack of data on the nonideal behavior and radiative properties of SiH 4 , highlighting the need for further numerical and laboratory investigations.

    Monosilane Worlds: Sub-Neptunes with Atmospheres Shaped by Reduced Magma Oceans · 2025 · DOI

  • Returned samples from Mars have the potential to fill these gaps and answer many open questions driven by the study of meteorites, as well as reveal new fundamental research questions.

    Fundamental constraints and questions from the study of Martian meteorites and the need for returned samples · 2025 · DOI

  • We provide a single fit to the critical Z required for the SI to work as a function of α D and τ s (although limited to the range τ s = 0.

    Streaming Instability and Turbulence: Conditions for Planetesimal Formation · 2024 · DOI

  • However, a variety in the atmospheric compositions of such planets with different properties remains elusive.

    Role of Magma Oceans in Controlling Carbon and Oxygen of Sub-Neptune Atmospheres · 2024 · DOI

  • However, no consensus has been obtained on the chronological data, which is important for understanding the evolution of the asteroid Ryugu.

    Unraveling the Cr Isotopes of Ryugu: An Accurate Aqueous Alteration Age and the Least Thermally Processed Solar System Material · 2024 · DOI

  • However, the sources and stabilities of organics in Enceladus’ ocean are still poorly understood.

    The Potential for Organic Synthesis in the Ocean of Enceladus · 2024 · DOI

  • We find that the mass of water condensate in our CARMA water clouds is significantly limited by available condensation nuclei; in models without additional seed particles for clouds added, the atmosphere becomes supersaturated.

    Microphysical Prescriptions for Parameterized Water Cloud Formation on Ultra-cool Substellar Objects · 2024 · DOI

  • The complexity of simulating Neptune's outward migration in a planar model. The need to account for other mechanisms that might influence the capture efficiency of MMRs. The challenge of explaining the observed populations in more distant regions.

    Numerical estimation of the capture ability of Neptunian mean motion resonances · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study of the capture efficiency of MMRs in more distant regions. Investigation of other mechanisms that might influence the capture efficiency of MMRs. Application of the paper's results to the study of exoplanetary systems and the formation of planetary systems.

    Numerical estimation of the capture ability of Neptunian mean motion resonances · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should investigate the effects of condensation of clouds on the geometric albedos of hot Jupiters. Future research should explore the use of more complex models that account for the effects of atmospheric chemistry on the geometric albedos of hot Jupiters.

    The effect of atmospheric chemistry on the optical geometric albedos of hot Jupiters · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the effects of atmospheric chemistry on the geometric albedos of hot Jupiters. There is a need for a comprehensive sample of observed geometric albedos of hot Jupiters.

    The effect of atmospheric chemistry on the optical geometric albedos of hot Jupiters · 2026 · DOI

  • The high eccentricity and inclination of Pluto's orbit. The complexity of the resonance mechanism between Pluto and Neptune. The need for efficient fuel consumption in deep space missions.

    From Orbital Physics to Formation Mechanisms: A Review of Pluto and Its Relevance for Space Missions · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study of the resonance mechanism between Pluto and Neptune. Exploration of the practical implications of Pluto's orbital resonance for deep space missions. Investigation of the effects of Pluto's orbital characteristics on the dynamics of the Kuiper Belt.

    From Orbital Physics to Formation Mechanisms: A Review of Pluto and Its Relevance for Space Missions · 2026 · DOI

  • Further observations of Solar System targets using the CARMENES instrument. Application of the NEMESIS radiative transfer suite to other planetary atmospheres.

    Jovian upper clouds and hazes from visible and near infrared spectroscopy using CARMENES · 2026 · DOI

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226 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 899 Astro and Planetary Science papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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