Anezina Solomonidou - Personal Profiles

Main Research Fields

My research work is focused on the study of the geology of icy moons such as the surfaces and the interiors of Saturn’s Titan and Enceladus and Jupiter’s Europa and Ganymede. A central point of my research is to inter-compare these planetary bodies and also search for analogues with the Earth, a perspective that combines both my geological and planetological background. My main interest is the interpretation of the geological features of the icy moons and their possible connection to their interiors, in addition to the correlation with the terrestrial geological terrains in order to have a ‘view’ of the past history and/or the future evolution of their geology.

During my studies using visual and infrared spectra in addition to radar data, I try to answer some of the current fundamental questions - arising from the Cassini-Huygens and ground-based observations. I study more specifically the active zones of Titan i.e. regions that are subject to change over time, with a view to the finding out whether cryovolcanoes exist. This, will hopefully provide us with insights on the unknown aspects of Titan, i.e. whether the body was or is still active, whether there is connection and interaction between the interior, the surface and the atmosphere (methane reservoir), as well as, what is the evolution of this body based on geological evidence. Moreover, from an astrobiological point of view, is the important issue of finding places like Earth that could support the existence of life. Evidence of cryovolcanic processes on Titan would mean that liquids and heat are present and could form the habitat for life.

Finally, I focus on the unique opportunity and plan on the setup of a combined effort, incorporating the lessons learned from Cassini-Huygens into the preparation of the new mission to the outer solar system, JUICE, and the optimization of the science results.