Search Publications
Reconstructing the infilling history within Robert Sharp crater, Mars: Insights from morphology and stratigraphy
Mangold, Nicolas; Le Deit, Laetitia; Hauber, Ernst +2 more
Recent mineralogical studies suggest past aqueous activities in the 150-km-wide Robert Sharp impact crater, the western neighbor of Gale crater on Mars. Despite their mineralogical similarities, Robert Sharp and Gale craters display very different morphologies. Using high-resolution orbital images, we made morphological and stratigraphical analyse…
A new laboratory emissivity and reflectance spectral library for the interpretation of Mars thermal infrared spectral data
Maturilli, A.; Helbert, J.; Alemanno, G. +1 more
New spectral orbital thermal infrared data of Mars are being acquired by the thermal infrared channel TIRVIM (in honor of Vassily Ivanovich Moroz) of the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) of spectrometers on board of ExoMars2016 mission. TIRVIM encompasses the spectral range of 1.7-17 µm. A major challenge brought by the analysis of these da…
Determination of the Venus eddy diffusion profile from CO and CO2 profiles using SOIR/Venus Express observations
Vandaele, A. C.; Robert, S.; Mahieux, A. +6 more
We present a study of the SOIR/Venus Express CO2 and CO profiles in order to constrain the eddy diffusion profile in the Venus mesosphere (80 to 130 km of altitude). We compute the mean number density profile of both species, and the hydrostatic temperature based on the CO2 mean density profile. We use a 1D-photochemical/diff…
Jupiter's third largest and longest-lived oval: Color changes and dynamics
Hueso, R.; Sánchez-Lavega, A.; Rojas, J. F. +7 more
The transition region between the North Equatorial Band (NEBn) and North Tropical Zone (NTrZ) in Jupiter is home to convective storms, systems of cyclones and anticyclones and atmospheric waves. Zonal winds are weak but have a strong latitudinal shear allowing the formation of cyclones (typically dark) and anticyclones (typically white) that remai…
Landform evolution of Oudemans crater and its bounding plateau plains on Mars: Geomorphological constraints on the Tharsis ice-cap hypothesis
Day, Mackenzie; Yin, An; Moon, Seulgi
In this study we address the question of whether the Tharsis rise that occupies ~25 % of the surface area of Mars was once covered by an ice cap, and the sudden ice-cap melting was responsible for the catastrophic development of the Late Hesperian (3.5-3.6 Ga) circum-Tharsis giant (>1000s km in length) outflow channels. To achieve this goal, we…
First year of coordinated science observations by Mars Express and ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter
Gondet, B.; Ristic, B.; López-Valverde, M. A. +12 more
Two spacecraft launched and operated by the European Space Agency are currently performing observations in Mars orbit. For >15 years Mars Express has been conducting global surveys of the surface, the atmosphere and the plasma environment of the Red Planet. The Trace Gas Orbiter, the first element of the ExoMars programme, began its science pha…
Evolution of Saturn's north polar color and cloud structure between 2012 and 2017 inferred from Cassini VIMS and ISS observations
Baines, K. H.; Sromovsky, L. A.; Fry, P. M.
Cassini/ISS imagery and Cassini/VIMS spectral imaging observations from 0.35 to 5.12 µm show that Saturn's north polar region (70 °-90 ° N) evolved significantly between 2012 and 2017, with the region poleward of the hexagon changing from dark blue/green to a moderately brighter gold color, except for the inner eye region (88.2 °-90 ° N), wh…
Identification of a new spectral signature at 3 µm over Martian northern high latitudes: Implications for surface composition
Montmessin, Franck; Vincendon, Mathieu; Beck, Pierre +1 more
Mars northern polar latitudes are known to harbor an enhanced 3 µm spectral signature when observed from orbit. This may indicate a greater amount of surface adsorbed or bound water, although it has not yet been possible to easily reconcile orbital observations with ground measurements by Phoenix. Here we re-analyzed OMEGA/Mars Express obser…
Optical observations of near isotropic comet C/2006 OF2 (Broughton) at two different heliocentric distances
Lara, L.; Afanasiev, V.; Kulyk, I. +3 more
Spectra and images of comet C/2006 OF2 (Broughton) were obtained with the 4.2-m William Herschel Telescope (La Palma, Spain) and with the 6-m Big Telescope Alt-azimuth (SAO RAN, Russia) at two observing epochs on October 15, 2007 and December 05, 2008.The comet was at heliocentric distances of 4.24 au and 2.59 au before and after the perihelion, r…
The low electrical conductivity of Titan's lower atmosphere
Lorenz, Ralph D.
Titan's near-surface atmosphere, with a relatively high density and with weak ion production by cosmic rays or other sources, likely has a lower electrical conductivity than the Earth's, possibly <1 fS/m. Direct measurements by the Relaxation Probe on Huygens constrain it to be <0.5 pS/m, and extrapolation from higher altitudes suggests orde…