Search Publications
Climatology of SO2 and UV absorber at Venus' cloud top from SPICAV-UV nadir dataset
Montmessin, Franck; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Korablev, Oleg +6 more
Following our previous work (Marcq et al., 2013, 2011), we have updated our forward radiative transfer code and processed the whole SPICAV-UV/Venus Express nadir dataset (2006-2014) in order to retrieve SO2 abundance at cloud top - assuming a SO2 decreasing scale height of 3 km and a ratio SO/SO2 tied to 10% - as w…
Colour and tropospheric cloud structure of Jupiter from MUSE/VLT: Retrieving a universal chromophore
Fletcher, Leigh N.; Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Orton, Glenn S. +1 more
Recent work by Sromovsky et al. (2017) suggested that all red colour in Jupiter's atmosphere could be explained by a single colour-carrying compound, a so-called 'universal chromophore'. We tested this hypothesis on ground-based spectroscopic observations in the visible and near-infrared (480-930 nm) from the VLT/MUSE instrument between 2014 and 2…
Color and aerosol changes in Jupiter after a North Temperate Belt disturbance
Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Pérez-Hoyos, S.; Irwin, P. G. J. +5 more
The banded appearance of Jupiter's atmosphere shows significant changes over time, sometimes even transforming the reflectivity of a whole latitudinal band in a few weeks, and staying for years with an aspect different from the usual one. The origin of some of these disturbances may be associated with the creation and destruction of the chromophor…
Observations and numerical modelling of a convective disturbance in a large-scale cyclone in Jupiter's South Temperate Belt
Hansen, C. J.; Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A. +8 more
Moist convective storms in Jupiter develop frequently and can trigger atmospheric activity of different scales, from localized storms to planetary-scale disturbances including convective activity confined inside a larger meteorological system. In February 2018 a series of convective storms erupted in Jupiter's South Temperate Belt (STB) (planetoce…
Orbits and resonances of the regular moons of Neptune
de Pater, Imke; Showalter, Mark R.; Lissauer, Jack J. +3 more
We report integrated orbital fits for the inner regular moons of Neptune based on the most complete astrometric data set to date, with observations from Earth-based telescopes, Voyager 2, and the Hubble Space Telescope covering 1981-2016. We summarize the results in terms of state vectors, mean orbital elements, and orbital uncertainties. The esti…
Two-dimensional model for the martian exosphere: Applications to hydrogen and deuterium Lyman α observations
Bertaux, J. L.; Clarke, J. T.; Yelle, R. V. +8 more
The analysis of Lyman α observations in the exosphere of Mars has become limited by the assumption of spherical symmetry in the modeling process, as the models are being used to analyze increasingly detailed measurements. In order to overcome this limitation, a two-dimensional density model is presented, which better emulates the density distribut…
Saturn atmospheric dynamics one year after Cassini: Long-lived features and time variations in the drift of the Hexagon
Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Rojas, J. F. +15 more
We examine Saturn's atmospheric dynamics with observations in the visible range from ground-based telescopes and Hubble Space Telescope (HST). We present a detailed analysis of observations acquired during 2018 obtaining drift rates of major meteorological systems from the equator to the north polar hexagon. A system of polar storms that appeared …
Physical characterization of double asteroid (617) Patroclus from 2007/2012 mutual events observations
Colas, F.; Berthier, J.; Pauwels, T. +20 more
We publish a set of 16 light curves of mutual events inside the synchronous system of the Jupiter Trojan (617) Patroclus. Patroclus is th only binary system of the six target asteroids of the forthcoming NASA Discovery-class mission Lucy. Determining the physical parameters of the system is therefore of primary importance in helping to plan the fl…
On Venus' cloud top chemistry, convective activity and topography: A perspective from HST
Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Marcq, Emmanuel; Limaye, Sanjay +3 more
Hubble Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (HST/STIS) observations were obtained on 3 dates in December 2010 and January 2011 recording the cloud top properties over Aphrodite Terra and a low elevation region downwind of Aphrodite through LSTs extending from 7 to 11 a.m. From these data we trace the cloud top sulfur-oxide chemistry and UV albedo …