Search Publications
Changes in Jupiter's Zonal Wind Profile preceding and during the Juno mission
Wong, Michael H.; Atreya, Sushil K.; Orton, Glenn S. +8 more
We present five epochs of WFC3 HST Jupiter observations taken between 2009-2016 and extract global zonal wind profiles for each epoch. Jupiter's zonal wind field is globally stable throughout these years, but significant variations in certain latitude regions persist. We find that the largest uncertainties in the wind field are due to vortices or …
Resolved spectrophotometric properties of the Ceres surface from Dawn Framing Camera images
Russell, C. T.; Jaumann, R.; Mottola, S. +9 more
We present a global spectrophotometric characterization of the Ceres surface using Dawn Framing Camera (FC) images. We identify the photometric model that yields the best results for photometrically correcting images. Corrected FC images acquired on approach to Ceres were assembled into global maps of albedo and color. Generally, albedo and color …
Sulfur dioxide in the Venus Atmosphere: II. Spatial and temporal variability
Vandaele, A. C.; Robert, S.; Montmessin, F. +18 more
The vertical distribution of sulfur species in the Venus atmosphere has been investigated and discussed in Part I of this series of papers dealing with the variability of SO2 on Venus. In this second part, we focus our attention on the spatial (horizontal) and temporal variability exhibited by SO2. Appropriate data sets - SPI…
Noncircular features in Saturn's rings IV: Absolute radius scale and Saturn's pole direction
Nicholson, Philip D.; French, Richard G.; McGhee-French, Colleen A. +6 more
We present a comprehensive solution for the geometry of Saturn's ring system, based on orbital fits to an extensive set of occultation observations of 122 individual ring edges and gaps. We begin with a restricted set of very high quality Cassini VIMS, UVIS, and RSS measurements for quasi-circular features in the C and B rings and the Cassini Divi…
Analysis and modeling of remote observations of the martian hydrogen exosphere
Bertaux, J. -L.; Chaufray, J. -Y.; Clarke, J. T. +2 more
Past observations of the martian exosphere have given a wide range of values for the mean temperature and number density of the hydrogen population that occupies this uppermost layer. More recently, observations by HST and MEX have found large variations over short timescales exhibited by this layer, which have been attributed to seasonal effects.…
Structure and density of Callisto's atmosphere from a fluid-kinetic model of its ionosphere: Comparison with Hubble Space Telescope and Galileo observations
Saur, Joachim; Strobel, Darrell F.; Hartkorn, Oliver
We develop a model of the ionospheric electron population of Jupiter's moon Callisto using a prescribed neutral atmosphere composed of O2, CO2 and H2O. A kinetic description of ionospheric suprathermal electrons coupled with a fluid description of ionospheric thermal electrons is well suited to jointly analyze and …
A possibly universal red chromophore for modeling color variations on Jupiter
Baines, K. H.; Sromovsky, L. A.; Carlson, R. W. +1 more
A new laboratory-generated chemical compound made from photodissociated ammonia (NH3) molecules reacting with acetylene (C2H2) was suggested as a possible coloring agent for Jupiter's Great Red Spot (GRS) by Carlson et al. (2016, Icarus 274, 106-115). Baines et al. (2016, Icarus, submitted) showed that the GRS spec…
HST/WFC3 observations of Uranus' 2014 storm clouds and comparison with VLT/SINFONI and IRTF/Spex observations
Wong, Michael H.; Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Orton, G. S. +2 more
In November 2014 Uranus was observed with the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3) instrument of the Hubble Space Telescope as part of the Hubble 2020: Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy program, OPAL. OPAL annually maps Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune (and will also map Saturn from 2018) in several visible/near-infrared wavelength filters. The Uranus 2014 OPAL ob…
Similarity of the Jovian satellite footprints: Spots multiplicity and dynamics
Saur, J.; Badman, S. V.; Bonfond, B. +3 more
In the magnetospheres of Jupiter and Saturn, the intense interaction of the satellites Io, Europa, Ganymede and Enceladus with their surrounding plasma environment leaves a signature in the aurora of the planet. Called satellite footprints, these auroral features appear either as a single spot (Europa and Enceladus) or as multiple spots (Io and Ga…
Neptune long-lived atmospheric features in 2013-2015 from small (28-cm) to large (10-m) telescopes
Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Rojas, J. F. +32 more
Since 2013, observations of Neptune with small telescopes (28-50 cm) have resulted in several detections of long-lived bright atmospheric features that have also been observed by large telescopes such as Keck II or Hubble. The combination of both types of images allows the study of the long-term evolution of major cloud systems in the planet. In 2…