Search Publications
Local topography effects on the surface temperatures on Mars - Application to the case of Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL)
Quantin-Nataf, Cathy; Leyrat, Cédric; Millot, Cédric +1 more
Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) are dark linear recurrent features which incrementally lengthen and fade each year on Martian slopes. Their activity during warmest seasons rises the question of modern martian water related process. To investigate this question, this study focuses on the thermal context of slopes hosting RSL. The paper presents a nume…
The Eris/Dysnomia system I: The orbit of Dysnomia
Buie, M. W.; Grundy, W. M.; Holler, B. J. +1 more
We present new results on the Eris/Dysnomia system including analysis of new images from the WFC3 instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Seven HST orbits were awarded to program 15171 in January and February 2018, with the intervals between observations selected to sample Dysnomia over a full orbital period. Using relative astrometry of E…
Spectrophotometric properties of materials observed by Pancam on the Mars Exploration Rovers: 4. Final mission observations
Johnson, Jeffrey R.; Grundy, William M.; Lemmon, Mark T. +4 more
The last sets of Panoramic Camera (Pancam) visible/near-infrared (432-1009 nm) multispectral observations made under varying viewing and illumination geometries by the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity were examined using radiative transfer models to study the surface scattering and microphysical nature of rock and soil units at both …
Ice-rich landforms of the southern mid-latitudes of Mars: A case study in Nereidum Montes
Crown, David A.; Berman, Daniel C.; Smith, Isaac B. +1 more
Mapping of Viscous Flow Features (VFFs), a general grouping of ice-rich flow features that includes Lobate Debris Aprons (LDA), Concentric Crater Fill (CCF), Lineated Valley Flow (LVF), small lobate flows (i.e., glacier-like flows, or GLFs), and arcuate ridges, in the southern hemisphere of Mars shows a dense concentration in Nereidum Montes, alon…
Evidence of mud volcanism due to the rapid compaction of Martian tsunami deposits in southeastern Acidalia Planitia, Mars
Costard, François; Séjourné, Antoine; Di Pietro, Ilaria +2 more
Thumbprint terrain was first recognized in Viking Orbiter data and described as sets of alternating continuous parallel ridges and depressions up to several tens of kilometres in length, with high and low albedo respectively. We performed a geomorphological analysis of these features using both Context Camera and High Resolution Imaging Science Ex…
Spectral properties of lunar impact melt deposits from Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) data
Tornabene, L. L.; Neish, C. D.; Cannon, K. M. +3 more
Lunar impact melt deposits have unusual surface properties, unlike any measured terrestrial lava flow. Radar observations suggest that they are incredibly rough at decimeter scales, but they appear smooth in high-resolution, meter-scale optical images. The cause of their unusual surface roughness is unknown. In this work, we investigate the proper…
Landforms indicative of regional warm based glaciation, Phlegra Montes, Mars
Butcher, Frances E. G.; Gallagher, Colman; Balme, Matt +2 more
Viscous flow features (VFF) occur in the mid-latitudes of Mars and have characteristics consistent with being glaciers. Climate models suggest that martian glaciers are cold-based systems in which meltwater has never been widely produced. VFF are common in Phlegra Montes, a mountain range in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere of Mars. Ho…
Daily dust variation from the PFS MEx observations
Giuranna, Marco; Wolkenberg, Paulina
We collected over 7 Martian years (MY) of data observed by the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer (PFS) to present a daily variation of dust content in the Martian atmosphere. We found three typical behaviors of dust opacities with LT (local time). The most peculiar variation was observed when global dust storms (MYs 28 and 34) or particularly strong …
Monitoring the negative polarization in Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann during quiescence
Kim, Sungsoo S.; Videen, Gorden; Zubko, Evgenij +4 more
During five nights between February 3 and 10, 2021, we monitored the degree of linear polarization in Comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann with the broadband R filter. It is the first polarimetric investigation of this comet measured during a period of quiescent activity. We found a nearly constant negative polarization PQ ≈ -2.1% at α ≈ 9.5°…
Impact of gradients at the martian terminator on the retrieval of ozone from SPICAM/MEx
Aoki, S.; Vandaele, A. C.; Daerden, F. +11 more
Rapid variations of pressure, temperature and illumination at the day-night terminator have the potential to cause asymmetries in the abundance distribution of the atmosphere constituents along the line of sight (LOS) of a solar occultation experiment. Ozone, in particular, displays steep density gradients across the terminator of Mars due to phot…