Search Publications
Modeled Interaction of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with the Solar Wind Inside 2 AU
Ip, W. -H.; Gombosi, T. I.; Rubin, M. +4 more
Periodic comets move around the Sun on elliptical orbits. As such comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (hereafter 67P) spends a portion of time in the inner solar system where it is exposed to increased solar insolation. Therefore given the change in heliocentric distance, in case of 67P from aphelion at 5.68 AU to perihelion at ~1.24 AU, the comet's a…
Interaction of Low-Activity Comets with the Solar Wind
Baranov, Vladimir B.; Alexashov, Dmitry B.; Lebedev, Michail G.
The solar wind flow around a cometary atmosphere is calculated using the three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic model developed by the authors. Emphasis is placed on the case of low-activity comets in which some special features, both quantitative and qualitative, are inherent. The behavior of the flowfield and the magnetic field disturbed by the c…
Improved Views of the Moon in the Early Twenty First Century: A Review
Yang, Hongwei; Zhao, Wenjin
The twenty first century was an exciting epoch in planetary exploration, when a large number of lunar scientific achievements were accomplished. New missions in the first decade of the twenty first century have herald a new and exciting phase in lunar exploration, including LRO, LCROSS, the dual GRAIL orbiters, Kaguya, Chandrayaan 1, and the Chang…
Circular Polarization Characteristics of South Polar Lunar Craters using Chandrayaan-1 Mini-SAR and LRO Mini-RF
Calla, Om Prakash Narayan; Mathur, Shubhra; Jangid, Monika +1 more
The paper presents a case study of inconsistent behaviour of Chandrayaan-1 Mini-SAR and LRO Mini-RF data over south polar lunar craters. The paper includes analysis of Stokes parameters and characterization of received time-varying electromagnetic fields over the south pole lunar craters. For the study, Chandrayaan-1 Mini-SAR and LRO Mini-RF data …
The Size and Shape of the Oblong Dwarf Planet Haumea
Brown, Michael E.; Lockwood, Alexandra C.; Stansberry, John
We use thermal radiometry and visible photometry to constrain the size, shape, and albedo of the large Kuiper belt object Haumea. The correlation between the visible and thermal photometry demonstrates that Haumea's high amplitude and quickly varying optical light curve is indeed due to Haumea's extreme shape, rather than large scale albedo variat…
Observational Evidence for Grain Growth
Meeus, Gwendolyn
Discs around young stars are the sites of planet formation. The first step in this process is the growth of submicron grains to larger sized grains. I will review evidence for dust growth in CS discs, based on ISO and Spitzer infrared spectroscopic observations. Intermediate-mass stars, solar-type stars and even brown dwarfs will be discussed in t…
Coordinated Study on Solar Wind Turbulence During the Venus-Express, ACE and Ulysses Alignment of August 2007
Orsini, S.; Baumjohann, W.; Bavassano, B. +14 more
At the end of August 2007, Venus, Earth and Ulysses were aligned within a few degrees. This unusual event gives the opportunity to attempt a coordinated study on the radial evolution of solar wind turbulence and coronal transients like CMEs between 0.7 and 1.4 AU. Interplanetary magnetic field data and moments of proton velocity distribution funct…
CoRoT-2a Magnetic Activity: Hints for Possible Star–Planet Interaction
Pagano, Isabella; Lanza, Antonino F.; Baglin, Annie +3 more
CoRoT-2a is a young (≈0.5 Gyr) G7V star accompanied by a transiting hot-Jupiter, discovered by the CoRoT satellite (Alonso et al. Astron Astrophys 482:L21, 2008; Bouchy et al. Astron Astrophys 482:L25, 2008). An analysis of its photospheric activity, based on spot modelling techniques previously developed by our group for the analysis of the Sun a…
The Interstellar Heliopause Probe: Heliospheric Boundary Explorer Mission to the Interstellar Medium
Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F.; McNutt, Ralph; IHP/HEX Team
The Sun, driving a supersonic solar wind, cuts out of the local interstellar medium a giant plasma bubble, the heliosphere. ESA, jointly with NASA, has had an important role in the development of our current understanding of the Suns' immediate neighborhood. Ulysses is the only spacecraft exploring the third, out-of-ecliptic dimension, while SOHO …
The Energy Cascade in Solar Wind MHD Turbulence
Bavassano, B.; Bruno, R.; Carbone, V. +3 more
Direct evidence for the presence of an inertial energy cascade, the most characteristic signature of hydromagnetic turbulence (MHD), is observed in the solar wind by the Ulysses spacecraft. A linear relation is indeed observed for the scaling of mixed third order structure functions involving Elsässer variables. This experimental result, confirmin…