Search Publications
Cassini SAR, radiometry, scatterometry and altimetry observations of Titan's dune fields
Lorenz, R. D.; Wye, L. C.; Janssen, M. A. +13 more
Large expanses of linear dunes cover Titan's equatorial regions. As the Cassini mission continues, more dune fields are becoming unveiled and examined by the microwave radar in all its modes of operation (SAR, radiometry, scatterometry, altimetry) and with an increasing variety of observational geometries. In this paper, we report on Cassini's rad…
Total particulate mass in Enceladus plumes and mass of Saturn’s E ring inferred from Cassini ISS images
Ingersoll, Andrew P.; Ewald, Shawn P.
The eclipse mosaic (PIA08329) of the Saturn system, taken on September 15, 2006 when Cassini was in Saturn’s shadow, contains numerous color images of the Enceladus plume and the E ring at phase angles ranging from 173° to 179°. These forward-scattering observations sample the diffraction peak for particle radii in the 1-5 µm range. The phas…
Titan's cloud seasonal activity from winter to spring with Cassini/VIMS
Le Mouélic, S.; Rodriguez, S.; Sotin, C. +9 more
Since Saturn orbital insertion in July 2004, the Cassini orbiter has been observing Titan throughout most of the northern winter season (October 2002-August 2009) and the beginning of spring, allowing a detailed monitoring of Titan's cloud coverage at high spatial resolution with close flybys on a monthly basis. This study reports on the analysis …
Nitrile gas chemistry in Titan's atmosphere
Gautier, Thomas; Carrasco, Nathalie; Szopa, Cyril +3 more
This work presents the first study of the gaseous products resulting from the partial dissociation of methane and nitrogen in the PAMPRE experimental setup simulating Titan's atmospheric chemistry. Using cryogenic trapping, the gaseous products generated from the chemical reactions occurring in the reactor have been trapped. Analyses of these prod…
Five new and three improved mutual orbits of transneptunian binaries
Buie, M. W.; Roe, H. G.; Nimmo, F. +7 more
We present three improved and five new mutual orbits of transneptunian binary systems (58534) Logos-Zoe, (66652) Borasisi-Pabu, (88611) Teharonhiawako-Sawiskera, (123509) 2000 WK 183, (149780) Altjira, 2001 QY 297, 2003 QW 111, and 2003 QY 90 based on Hubble Space Telescope and Keck II laser guide star a…
Evidence for weathering on early Mars from a comparison with terrestrial weathering profiles
Mangold, N.; Dehouck, E.; Gaudin, A.
Phyllosilicates on Mars are widespread in the ancient crust suggesting the presence of liquid water at the martian surface and therefore warmer conditions during its early history. However, the role of the ancient climate in the alteration process, which produced these phyllosilicates, remains under debate, because similar mineral assemblages can …
Titan: An exogenic world?
Moore, Jeffrey M.; Pappalardo, Robert T.
All landforms on Titan that are unambiguously identifiable can be explained by exogenic processes (aeolian, fluvial, impact cratering, and mass wasting). Previous suggestions of endogenically produced cryovolcanic constructs and flows have, without exception, lacked conclusive diagnostic evidence. The modification of sparse recognizable impact cra…
An investigation of the SO 2 content of the venusian mesosphere using SPICAV-UV in nadir mode
Montmessin, Franck; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Marcq, Emmanuel +4 more
Using the SPICAV-UV spectrometer aboard Venus Express in nadir mode, we were able to derive spectral radiance factors in the middle atmosphere of Venus in the 170-320 nm range at a spectral resolution of R ≃ 200 during 2006 and 2007 in the northern hemisphere. By comparison with a radiative transfer model of the upper atmosphere of Venus, we could…
UV and IR auroral emission model for the outer planets: Jupiter and Saturn comparison
Fujimoto, Masaki; Badman, Sarah V.; Tao, Chihiro
Planetary aurora display the dynamic behavior of the plasma gas surrounding a planet. The outer planetary aurora are most often observed in the ultraviolet (UV) and the infrared (IR) wavelengths. How the emissions in these different wavelengths are connected with the background physical conditions are not yet well understood. Here we investigate t…
Tidal dynamical considerations constrain the state of an ocean on Enceladus
Tyler, R.
In previous work, solutions to the non-dissipative Laplace Tidal Equations (LTE) were used to provide bounds on the heat generated by the response of a subsurface ocean on Enceladus to an obliquity component of tidal forces. Here we improve these bounds using solutions from the LTE with a generic dissipation term explicitly added. We find solution…