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Planetary Sphere Physics Lab
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The lab observes variability in the atmospheres and space around the Sun and planets.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring variability in planetary spheres through observation
The lab studies variability in "planetary spheres," meaning a planet itself together with its surrounding atmosphere and space.
Using the large radio telescope at the Iitate Observatory in Fukushima, a telescope at the summit of Haleakalā in Hawaii, auroral cameras, and other instruments, the lab observes faint signals from the solar system.
By combining these with satellites and spacecraft from Japan and around the world, some of which carry observation instruments the lab developed itself, the lab explores the variability and evolution of bodies in the solar system.
The lab's website is that of the Planetary Plasma and Atmospheric Research Center (PPARC).
Key terms
- Planetary sphere
- A term for a planet itself together with its surrounding atmosphere and space
- Solar wind
- A supersonic flow of electrically charged gas (plasma) blowing from the Sun onto the planets
- EMIC waves
- Electromagnetic waves emitted by ions in the magnetosphere. Short for ElectroMagnetic Ion Cyclotron waves
NewsLab news
View More ↗ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies variations in the atmospheres and space around the Sun and planets using data from ground-based telescopes and spacecraft. It also develops observation instruments, aiming to explore the variability and evolution of bodies in the solar system.
*Illustrative imageDetailed Spectral Analysis of Solar Radio Emission
The lab connects the AMATERAS spectrometer to IPRT, the large radio telescope at the Iitate Observatory, to observe solar radio waves in fine detail. It studies how the radio waves are generated and the fine-scale fluctuations in the density of the corona they pass through.
*Illustrative imageObserving Mercury's Sodium Atmosphere
Using the fiber-based integral field spectrograph on T60, a 60 cm telescope at the summit of Haleakalā in Hawaii, the lab captures Mercury's sodium atmosphere in two dimensions. Through simultaneous observation with the BepiColombo spacecraft, it aims to understand the distribution of the atmosphere and the mechanisms behind its variability.
*Illustrative imageVenus's Hydrogen Atmosphere and the Solar Wind
Venus is thought to have once had large amounts of water. Using data from the Hisaki ultraviolet space telescope and others, the lab tracks how hydrogen in the exosphere responds when the solar wind arrives, seeking clues to atmospheric evolution and the loss of water.
*Illustrative imageReading Ion Waves in Earth's Magnetosphere
This research reads the types and amounts of ions in the magnetosphere from the EMIC waves that the ions emit. Using data from JAXA's Arase satellite, the lab is taking on the challenge of determining the types and proportions of the ions.
MembersFaculty
The lab's members consist of faculty, researchers, visiting faculty and researchers, professors emeriti, doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students, technical staff, technical assistants, and administrative assistants. Faculty whose primary appointments are in space and terrestrial electromagnetism and planetary atmospheres also join as concurrent members.As of 2026
- ProfessorFuminori Tsuchiya
- ProfessorYasumasa Kasaba
- Associate ProfessorHiroaki Misawa
- Associate ProfessorTakeshi Sakanoi
- Assistant ProfessorMasato Kagitani
- Associate ProfessorShohei Aoki
- Associate ProfessorAtsushi Kumamoto
- ProfessorNaoki Terada
- Associate ProfessorHiromu Nakagawa
- Assistant ProfessorTakeshi Kuroda
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images.
- Top image: “Aurora and perseids” Stephan Sprinz / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Detailed Spectral Analysis of Solar Radio Emission: “Siberian Solar Radio Telescope” IvanT67 / CC0 (cropped)
- Observing Mercury's Sodium Atmosphere: “Mercury in color - Prockter07 centered” NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington. Edited version of Image:Mercury in color - Prockter07.jpg by Papa Lima Whiskey. / Public domain (cropped)
- Venus's Hydrogen Atmosphere and the Solar Wind: “Venus - December 23 2016” Kevin M. Gill / CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
- Reading Ion Waves in Earth's Magnetosphere: “Arase ISAS” 宇宙科学研究所(ISAS) / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Planetary Atmospheric Physics Lab): “Mars atmosphere” NASA / Public domain (cropped)
- Related lab (Akiyama Lab): “Shooting Star over Gemini North (gemini-20100128-gn-ext-fe-tl-no-lasers-0484)” International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. Pollard / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Noda Lab): “Chandra X-Ray Observatory (noirlab2427c)” NASA/CXC & J.Vaughan / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Ichikawa Lab): “Montage of the Event Horizon Telescope observatories (night) (eso2208-eht-mwg)” ESO/M. Kornmesser. Images of individual telescopes: ALMA: ESO. APEX: ESO. LMT: INAOE Archives. GLT: N. Patel. JCMT: EAO-W. Montgomerie. SMT: D. Harvey. 30m: N. Billot. SPT: Wikipedia. SMA: S. R. Schimpf. NOEMA: IRAM. Kitt Peak: Wikipedia Milky Way: N. Risinger (skysurvey.org) / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
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