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Detection of H3+ on Jupiter
Atreya, S. K.; Drossart, P.; Clarke, J. T. +9 more
SINCE their detection in the high latitudes of Jupiter, first by the Voyager Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) experiment1,2, then by the International Ultraviolet Explorer (IDE) satellite3, the auroral particle precipitations have been associated with various phenomena in the jovian environment. In the magnetosphere, the H…
Probable detection of organic-dust-borne aromatic C3H3+ ions in the coma of comet Halley
Anderson, K. A.; Reme, H.; Korth, A. +9 more
The heavy-ion analyser PICCA1,2 on the Giotto spacecraft was used to determine the composition and energy distribution of positively charged ions in the coma of comet Halley. Here we argue that the distinct peak observed at mass 39 AMU is due to the aromatic cation C3H3+ (cyclopropenyl). Laboratory mass …
Deuterium content of the Venus atmosphere
Bertaux, J. -L.; Clarke, J. T.
THERE is no liquid water on Venus. The water vapour in its atmosphere would, if condensed, form a layer only 20 cm deep which means, in contrast to the 3-km-deep oceans that cover its sister planet Earth, that Venus is very dry indeed. It is not known with certainty whether Venus has lacked water since its formation, or if water once present has b…