Search Publications
Thermal properties of Rhea's poles: Evidence for a meter-deep unconsolidated subsurface layer
Spencer, J. R.; Howett, C. J. A.; Segura, M. +2 more
Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) observed both of Rhea's polar regions during a close (2000 km) flyby on 9th March 2013 during orbit 183. Rhea's southern pole was again observed during a more distant (51,000 km) flyby on 10th February 2015 during orbit 212. The results show Rhea's southern winter pole is one of the coldest places d…
Eight-color maps of Titan's surface from spectroscopy with Huygens' DISR
Karkoschka, Erich; Schröder, Stefan E.
During the descent of the Huygens probe in Titan's atmosphere, the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) acquired spectra of 3660 locations within 250 km of the landing site. Each spectrum consisted of 200 resolution elements between 480 and 960 nm wavelength. With the help of radiative transfer models, contributions from the atmosphere and su…
Asteroid (21) Lutetia: Disk-resolved photometric analysis of Baetica region
Sierks, H.; Barucci, M. A.; Fornasier, S. +4 more
(21) Lutetia has been visited by Rosetta mission on July 2010 and observed with a phase angle ranging from 0.15° to 156.8°. The Baetica region, located at the north pole has been extensively observed by OSIRIS cameras system. Baetica encompass a region called North Pole Crater Cluster (NPCC), shows a cluster of superposed craters which presents si…
Titan's surface spectra at the Huygens landing site and Shangri-La
Le Mouélic, S.; Sotin, C.; D'Aversa, E. +6 more
Titan is an icy satellite of Saturn with a dense atmosphere and covered by a global photochemical organic haze. Ground based observations and the Huygens descent probe allowed to retrieve the main spectral signature of the water ice (Griffith, C.A. et al. [2003]. Science 300(5619), 628-630; Coustenis, A. et al. [2005]. Icarus 177, 89-105) at the s…
Titan's meridional wind profile and Huygens' orientation and swing inferred from the geometry of DISR imaging
Karkoschka, Erich
The altitude and zonal motion of the Huygens probe descending through Titan's atmosphere was determined early under the assumption of no meridional motion (Bird et al. [2005]. Nature 438, 800-802). By comparing images taken during the descent, Karkoschka et al. (Karkoschka et al. [2007]. Planet. Space Sci. 55, 1895-1935) determined the meridional …
A new pattern in Saturn's D ring created in late 2011
Hedman, M. M.; Showalter, M. R.
Images obtained by the Cassini spacecraft between 2012 and 2015 reveal a periodic brightness variation in a region of Saturn's D ring that previously appeared to be rather featureless. Furthermore, the intensity and radial wavenumber of this pattern have decreased steadily with time since it was first observed. Based on analogies with similar stru…
Characteristics of proton velocity distribution functions in the near-lunar wake from Chandrayaan-1/SWIM observations
Barabash, Stas; Holmström, Mats; Futaana, Yoshifumi +5 more
Due to the high absorption of solar wind plasma on the lunar dayside, a large scale wake structure is formed downstream of the Moon. However, recent in-situ observations have revealed the presence of protons in the near-lunar wake (100 km to 200 km from the surface). The solar wind, either directly or after interaction with the lunar surface (incl…
Noncircular features in Saturn's rings III: The Cassini Division
Nicholson, Philip D.; French, Richard G.; McGhee-French, Colleen A. +5 more
We have conducted a comprehensive survey of 22 sharp-edged ringlets and gaps in the Cassini Division of Saturn's rings, making use of nearly 200 high-SNR stellar and radio occultation chords obtained by the Cassini VIMS, UVIS, and RSS instruments between 2005 and 2013. We measure eccentricities from as small as ae = 80 m to nearly 30 km, free norm…
The electrical properties of Titan's surface at the Huygens landing site measured with the PWA-HASI Mutual Impedance Probe. New approach and new findings
Lorenz, Ralph D.; Le Gall, Alice; Schwingenschuh, Konrad +9 more
Ten years after the successful landing of the Huygens Probe on the surface of Titan, we reassess the derivation of ground complex permittivity using the PWA-MIP/HASI measurements (Permittivity, Waves and Altimetry-Mutual Impedance Probe/Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument) at the frequencies 45, 90 and 360 Hz. For this purpose, we have develo…
Jupiter's hydrogen bulge: A Cassini perspective
Melin, Henrik; Stallard, T. S.
We present observations of H Ly-α and H2 emissions on the body of Jupiter obtained during the Cassini flyby in late 2000 and early 2001. The H Ly-α emission is highly organised by System III longitude and latitude, peaking at a brightness of 22 kR between 90 and 120° longitude. This is known as the H Ly-α 'bulge'. These observations add…