Search Publications
The composition of Titan's stratosphere from Cassini/CIRS mid-infrared spectra
Bézard, Bruno; Vinatier, Sandrine; Lellouch, Emmanuel +22 more
We have analyzed data recorded by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) aboard the Cassini spacecraft during the Titan flybys T0-T10 (July 2004-January 2006). The spectra characterize various regions on Titan from 70° S to 70° N with a variety of emission angles. We study the molecular signatures observed in the mid-infrared CIRS detector arr…
Ion chemistry and N-containing molecules in Titan's upper atmosphere
Yelle, R. V.; Vuitton, V.; McEwan, M. J.
High-energy photons, electrons, and ions initiate ion-neutral chemistry in Titan's upper atmosphere by ionizing the major neutral species (nitrogen and methane). The Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) onboard the Cassini spacecraft performed the first composition measurements of Titan's ionosphere. INMS revealed that Titan has the most compo…
Antarctic dry valleys: Microclimate zonation, variable geomorphic processes, and implications for assessing climate change on Mars
Head, James W.; Marchant, David R.
The Antarctic Dry Valleys (ADV) are generally classified as a hyper-arid, cold-polar desert. The region has long been considered an important terrestrial analog for Mars because of its generally cold and dry climate and because it contains a suite of landforms at macro-, meso-, and microscales that closely resemble those occurring on the martian s…
Cryovolcanic features on Titan's surface as revealed by the Cassini Titan Radar Mapper
Soderblom, L. A.; Ostro, S. J.; West, R. D. +41 more
The Cassini Titan Radar Mapper obtained Synthetic Aperture Radar images of Titan's surface during four fly-bys during the mission's first year. These images show that Titan's surface is very complex geologically, showing evidence of major planetary geologic processes, including cryovolcanism. This paper discusses the variety of cryovolcanic featur…
The dynamics of Jupiter and Saturn in the gaseous protoplanetary disk
Morbidelli, Alessandro; Crida, Aurélien
We study the possibility that the mutual interactions between Jupiter and Saturn prevented Type II migration from driving these planets much closer to the Sun. Our work extends previous results by Masset and Snellgrove [Masset, F., Snellgrove, M., 2001. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 320, L55-L59], by exploring a wider set of initial conditions and dis…
Vertical abundance profiles of hydrocarbons in Titan's atmosphere at 15° S and 80° N retrieved from Cassini/CIRS spectra
Bézard, Bruno; Vinatier, Sandrine; Nixon, Conor A. +8 more
Limb spectra recorded by the Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) on Cassini provide information on abundance vertical profiles of C 2H 2, C 2H 4, C 2H 6, CH 3C 2H, C 3H 8, C 4H 2, C 6H 6 and H…
Martian gullies in the southern mid-latitudes of Mars: Evidence for climate-controlled formation of young fluvial features based upon local and global topography
Head, James W.; Kreslavsky, Mikhail; Dickson, James L.
A new survey of Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) narrow-angle images of gullies in the 30°-45° S latitude band includes their distribution, morphology, local topographic setting, orientation, elevation, and slopes. These new data show that gully formation is favored over a specific range of conditions: elevation (-5000 to +3000 m), slope (>10°), and o…
Hydrocarbon lakes on Titan
Showman, Adam P.; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Lunine, Jonathan I. +1 more
The Huygens Probe detected dendritic drainage-like features, methane clouds and a high surface relative humidity (∼50% ) on Titan in the vicinity of its landing site [Tomasko, M.G., and 39 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 765-778; Niemann, H.B., and 17 colleagues, 2005. Nature 438, 779-784], suggesting sources of methane that replenish this gas again…
Tidal heating in Enceladus
Meyer, Jennifer; Wisdom, Jack
The heating in Enceladus in an equilibrium resonant configuration with other saturnian satellites can be estimated independently of the physical properties of Enceladus. We find that equilibrium tidal heating cannot account for the heat that is observed to be coming from Enceladus. Equilibrium heating in possible past resonances likewise cannot ex…
Shapes of the saturnian icy satellites and their significance
Burns, J. A.; Denk, T.; Porco, C. +10 more
The sizes and shapes of six icy saturnian satellites have been measured from Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) data, employing limb coordinates and stereogrammetric control points. Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione and Rhea are well described by triaxial ellipsoids; Iapetus is best represented by an oblate spheroid. All satellites appear to ha…