Search Publications
Modeling the Enceladus dust plume based on in situ measurements performed with the Cassini Cosmic Dust Analyzer
Kempf, S.; Postberg, F.; Srama, R. +5 more
We analyzed data recorded by the Cosmic Dust Analyzer on board the Cassini spacecraft during Enceladus dust plume traversals. Our focus was on profiles of relative abundances of grains of different compositional types derived from mass spectra recorded with the Dust Analyzer subsystem during the Cassini flybys E5 and E17. The E5 profile, correspon…
Phase locking among Saturn radio emissions revealed by Cassini observations
Xu, Yan; Fischer, Georg; Yao, Zhonghua +7 more
Context. Rotational modulation has been observed in different magnetospheric phenomena at Saturn, including radio emissions, which reflect the fundamental plasma processes in key regions. Though previous studies have shown Saturn's kilometric radiation, 5 kHz narrowband emissions, and auroral hiss to be rotationally modulated, the modulation featu…
Characterising the interior of five inner Saturnian moons using Cassini ISS data
Lainey, V.; Rambaux, N.; Zhang, Q. +2 more
Context. The Cassini-Huygens space mission provided a huge amount of data for the Saturnian system. While the mission ended in September 2017, there is still much information to be retrieved from the data.
Aims: Here, from their orbital motion, we infer the interior of the five inner Saturnian moons, Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Janus, and Epi…
Analysis of four solar occultations by Titan's atmosphere with the infrared channel of the VIMS instrument: Haze, CH4, CH3D, and CO vertical profiles
Rannou, P.; Vinatier, S.; Coutelier, M. +1 more
Titan, the largest satellite of Saturn, has a dense atmosphere mainly composed of nitrogen, methane at a percent level, and minor species. It is also covered by a thick and global photochemical organic haze. In the last two decades, the observations made by the Cassini orbiter and the Huygens probe have greatly improved our knowledge of Titan's sy…
Spherical harmonic decomposition and interpretation of the shapes of the small Saturnian inner moons
Lainey, V.; Rambaux, N.; Cooper, N. +2 more
Context. The Cassini-Huygens space mission made a series of observations of Saturn's small satellites during its grand finale stage. These measurements were performed in order to study the shape, geology, and surface composition of the small satellites as well as to study the impact of the environment, in particular the rings, on these small bodie…
The thermal emission of Saturn's icy moons. Effects of topography and regolith properties
Lucas, A.; Ferrari, C.; Jacquemoud, S.
Context. The effects of space weathering and other alteration processes on the upper surface of Saturn's icy moons are yet to be explored.
Aims: We present a thermophysical model parametrised by way of regolith properties such as porosity, grain size, and composition, as well as the local topography. The modelled surface temperature and appar…
Analysis of Cassini radio tracking data for the construction of INPOP19a: A new estimate of the Kuiper belt mass
Laskar, J.; Fienga, A.; Iess, L. +3 more
Context. Recent discoveries of new trans-Neptunian objects have greatly increased the attention by the scientific community to this relatively unknown region of the solar system. The current level of precision achieved in the description of planet orbits has transformed modern ephemerides in the most updated tools for studying the gravitational in…
Temperature and chemical species distributions in the middle atmosphere observed during Titan's late northern spring to early summer
Seignovert, B.; Teanby, N. A.; Flasar, F. M. +12 more
We present a study of the seasonal evolution of Titan's thermal field and distributions of haze, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, CH3C2H, C3H8, C4H2, C6H6, HCN, and HC3N from March 2015 (Ls
Understanding Saturn's interior from the Cassini Grand Finale gravity measurements
Ni, Dongdong
Context. Measurements of Saturn's gravity field by Cassini Grand Finale have been acquired with high precision. It has been demonstrated that the even gravitational harmonics J6-J10 have larger absolute values than the predictions by typical rigid-body interior models. A four-layer structure model, proposed to interpret Juno'…
The chemical composition of impact craters on Titan. I. Implications for exogenic processing
Drossart, P.; Witasse, O.; Altobelli, N. +12 more
We investigate the spectral behavior of nine Titan impact craters in order to constrain their composition. Past studies that have examined the chemical composition of impact craters on Titan have either used qualitative comparisons between craters or combined all craters into a single unit, rather than separating them by geographic location and/or…