Search Publications
Radiative energy balance of Venus based on improved models of the middle and lower atmosphere
Kappel, D.; Drossart, P.; Piccioni, G. +4 more
The distribution of sources and sinks of radiative energy forces the atmospheric dynamics. The radiative transfer simulation model described by Haus et al. (2015b) is applied to calculate fluxes and temperature change rates in the middle and lower atmosphere of Venus (0-100 km) covering the energetic significant spectral range 0.125-1000 µm.…
Saturn's tropospheric particles phase function and spatial distribution from Cassini ISS 2010-11 observations
Irwin, Patrick G. J.; Sánchez-Lavega, Agustín; Pérez-Hoyos, Santiago +2 more
The phase function describes the way particles scatter the incoming radiation. This is a fundamental piece of knowledge in order to understand how a planetary atmosphere scatters sunlight and so it has a profound influence in the retrieved atmospheric properties such as cloud height, particle density distribution and radiative forcing by aerosols.…
A multi-scale magnetotail reconnection event at Saturn and associated flows: Cassini/UVIS observations
Jackman, C. M.; Mitchell, D. G.; Jia, X. +6 more
We present high-resolution Cassini/UVIS (Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph) observations of Saturn's aurora during May 2013 (DOY 140-141). The observations reveal an enhanced auroral activity in the midnight-dawn quadrant in an extended local time sector (∼02 to 05 LT), which rotates with an average velocity of ∼45% of rigid corotation. The auroral…
Cassini's geological and compositional view of Tethys
Rodriguez, Sebastien; Baines, Kevin H.; Buratti, Bonnie J. +14 more
The Saturnian satellite Tethys exhibits geological and spectral properties, whose appearance, nature and spatial distribution partly mirror those identified on the neighboring satellites Dione and Rhea or fit to the picture how spectral surface properties are expected to change from one satellite to the other within the inner Saturnian system. How…
Carbon monoxide observed in Venus' atmosphere with SOIR/VEx
Vandaele, A. C.; Thomas, I. R.; Trompet, L. +6 more
The SOIR instrument on board the ESA Venus Express mission has been operational during the complete duration of the mission, from April 2006 up to December 2014. Spectra were recorded in the IR spectral region (2.2-4.3 µm) using the solar occultation geometry, giving access to a vast number of ro-vibrational lines and bands of several key sp…
Small particles and self-gravity wakes in Saturn's rings from UVIS and VIMS stellar occultations
Nicholson, Philip D.; Hedman, Matthew M.; Colwell, Joshua E. +2 more
The distribution of particle sizes in Saturn's rings roughly follows a truncated inverse power-law. Though it is well known that differential optical depths provide a way to probe the parameters of size distribution (i.e. Zebker et al. [1985] Icarus, 64, 531-548), the technique is complicated by the presence of self-gravity wakes which introduce a…
A radiative transfer model to treat infrared molecular excitation in cometary atmospheres
Bockelée-Morvan, D.; Debout, V.; Zakharov, V.
The exospheres of small Solar System bodies are now observed with high spatial resolution from space missions. Interpreting infrared spectra of cometary gases obtained with the VIRTIS experiment onboard the Rosetta cometary mission requires detailed modeling of infrared fluorescence emission in optically thick conditions. Efficient computing metho…
Lava heating and loading of ice sheets on early Mars: Predictions for meltwater generation, groundwater recharge, and resulting landforms
Head, James W.; Cassanelli, James P.
Recent modeling studies of the early Mars climate predict a predominantly cold climate, characterized by the formation of regional ice sheets across the highland areas of Mars. Formation of the predicted "icy highlands" ice sheets is coincident with a peak in the volcanic flux of Mars involving the emplacement of the Late Noachian - Early Hesperia…
Saturn's northern auroras as observed using the Hubble Space Telescope
Badman, S. V.; Nichols, J. D.; Clarke, J. T. +4 more
We discuss the features of Saturn's northern FUV auroras as observed during a program of Hubble Space Telescope observations which executed over 2011-2013 and culminated, along with Cassini observations, in a comprehensive multi-spectral observing campaign. Our 2011-2013 observations of the northern aurora are also compared with those from our 200…
Cloud clearing in the wake of Saturn's Great Storm of 2010-2011 and suggested new constraints on Saturn's He/H2 ratio
Baines, K. H.; Sromovsky, L. A.; Momary, T. W. +1 more
Saturn's Great Storm of 2010-2011 produced a planet-encircling wake that slowly transitioned from a region that was mainly dark at 5 µm in February 2011 to a region that was almost entirely bright and remarkably uniform by December of 2012. The uniformity and high emission levels suggested that the entire wake region had been cleared not onl…