Search Publications
ASPERA-3 on Mars Express
Barabash, Stas; Lundin, Rickard
Possible remnants of a frozen mud lake in southern Elysium, Mars
Smith, Michael D.; Markiewicz, Wojciech J.; Page, David +2 more
In this work we estimate the minimum persistence time of subsurface ice in water rich sediment layers remaining after sublimation of a martian lake. We simulate sublimation of ice from layers of different granulations and thicknesses. Presented results assume insolation and atmospheric conditions characteristic for the present day southern Elysium…
Evolution of depressions on Comet 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko: Role of ice metamorphism
Kossacki, Konrad J.; Leliwa-Kopystyński, Jacek; Szutowicz, Slawomira
This work is intended to investigate the influence of temperature-dependent metamorphism of ice on the shape of small depressions in the surface of cometary nuclei. We are mainly interested in the role of initial cohesivity of a nucleus. For this purpose we simulate sublimation of ice from the facets of initially cylindrical depressions in ice of …
New upper limits for hydrogen halides on Saturn derived from Cassini-CIRS data
Fletcher, L. N.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Teanby, N. A. +2 more
Far infrared spectra (10-600 cm -1) from Cassini's Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) were used to determine improved upper limits of hydrogen halides HF, HCl, HBr, and HI in Saturn's atmosphere. Three observations, comprising a total of 3088 spectra, gave 3 σ upper limits on HF, HCl, HBr, and HI volume mole fractions of 8.0×10, 6.7…
A tidal explanation for the Titan haze layers
Schubert, Gerald; Walterscheid, Richard L.
Though Titan is in synchronous rotation around Saturn, it experiences gravitational tides as a consequence of its eccentric orbit. It is proposed that the vertical transport of aerosols by these tides produces the haze layers in Titan's upper atmosphere. Analysis shows that the zonal winds in Titan's superrotating atmosphere have a profound influe…
HST BVI photometry of Triton and Proteus
Pascu, Dan; Rohde, James R.; Seidelmann, P. Kenneth +4 more
BVI photometry of Triton and Proteus was derived from HST images taken in 1997. The VEGAMAG photometric technique was used. Triton was found to be brighter by a few percent than observations of the 1970's and 1980's, as expected due to the increasingly greater exposure of the bright south polar region. The leading side was also found to be brighte…
Measurements of winds on Mars with Hubble Space Telescope images in 2003 opposition
Videen, G.; Kaydash, V. G.; Kreslavsky, M. A. +3 more
The winds of Mars at the water cloud level are measured by tracking cloud features in sequential high-resolution Hubble Space Telescope UV images for 5 days during the perihelion season in 2003. Global circulation model (GCM) predictions are in general agreement with the observations for the zonal wind component, but reveal significant differences…
Renewed acceleration of the 24° N jet on Jupiter
Rogers, John H.; Mettig, Hans-Jörg; Peach, Damian
Jupiter's eastward jet at 24° N, which formerly had the fastest winds on the planet, has maintained a less extreme speed of ∼135 m/s since 1991, carrying a series of long-lived vortices at 125 m/s. In 2002-2003, as the albedo of the adjacent North Temperate Belt increased, the tracks of the vortices accelerated slightly, and they had disappeared b…
Simulation of post-impact rotational changes through multi-dimensional parametrization
Gauchez, Damien; Souchay, Jean
In this paper we propose firstly a full parametrization of an impact on a target body considered as ellipsoidal, including several geometrical parameters which are generally not included. Then we construct a more detailed and complete theoretical model of the rotational changes of the target body arising from a single impact, by taking into accoun…
The effect of a dense atmosphere on the tidally induced potential of Titan
Karatekin, Özgür; van Hoolst, Tim
The effect of the dense atmosphere of Titan on the tidal variations of the external gravitational potential of degree two is quantified. The atmospheric tides perturb the external gravitational potential of Titan in two ways. First, the atmosphere itself contributes directly to the external gravitational potential with a period of 15.945 days. Sec…