Search Publications
Titan's highly dynamic magnetic environment: A systematic survey of Cassini magnetometer observations from flybys TA-T62
Dougherty, Michele K.; Saur, Joachim; Kriegel, Hendrik +5 more
We analyze the variability of the ambient magnetic field near Titan during Cassini encounters TA-T62 (October 2004-October 2009). Cassini magnetometer (MAG) data show that the moon's magnetic environment is strongly affected by its proximity to Saturn's warped and highly dynamic magnetodisk. In the nightside sector of Saturn's magnetosphere, the m…
In-flight calibration of the Cassini imaging science sub-system cameras
McEwen, Alfred; Porco, Carolyn; West, Robert +10 more
We describe in-flight calibration of the Cassini Imaging Science Sub-system narrow- and wide-angle cameras using data from 2004 to 2009. We report on the photometric performance of the cameras including the use of polarization filters, point spread functions over a dynamic range greater than 10 7, gain and loss of hot pixels, changes in…
Abundances of Jupiter's trace hydrocarbons from Voyager and Cassini
Zhang, X.; Irwin, P. G. J.; Teanby, N. A. +5 more
The flybys of Jupiter by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979, and over two decades later by Cassini in 2000, have provided us with unique datasets from two different epochs, allowing the investigation of seasonal change in the atmosphere. In this paper we model zonal averages of thermal infrared spectra from the two instruments, Voyager 1 IRIS and Cass…
Saturn's magnetospheric interaction with Titan as defined by Cassini encounters T9 and T18: New results
Coates, A. J.; Johnson, R. E.; Wahlund, J. -E. +8 more
We present new results of Cassini's T9 flyby with complementary observations from T18. Based on Cassini plasma spectrometer (CAPS) and Cassini magnetometer (MAG), compositional evidence shows the upstream flow for both T9 and T18 appears composed of light ions (H + and H 2+), with external pressures ∼30 times lower…
The photochemical model of Titan’s atmosphere and ionosphere: A version without hydrodynamic escape
Krasnopolsky, Vladimir A.
There are observational and theoretical evidences both in favor of and against hydrodynamic escape (HDE) on Titan, and the problem remains unsolved. A test presented here for a static thermosphere does not support HDE on Titan and Triton but favors HDE on Pluto. Cooling of the atmosphere by the HCN rotational lines is limited by rotational relaxat…
Electron temperatures in Saturn’s plasma disc
Wahlund, J. -E.; Gustafsson, G.
We present new results concerning electron temperature ( Te) mapping in the inner magnetosphere of Saturn (<7 R S). The data are obtained by the Langmuir Probe (LP) instrument of the Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) investigation on board Cassini. The study is based on the fourteen first orbits around Saturn, and focus…
The calibration of the Cassini-Huygens CAPS Electron Spectrometer
Schippers, P.; André, N.; Lewis, G. R. +15 more
We present the two-stage method used to calibrate the electron spectrometer (ELS), part of the plasma spectrometer (CAPS) on board the Cassini spacecraft currently in orbit around Saturn. The CAPS-ELS is a top-hat electrostatic analyser designed to measure electron fluxes between 0.5 eV and 26 keV. The on-ground calibration method described here i…
Statistical analysis of the energetic ion and ENA data for the Titan environment
Krupp, N.; Dandouras, I.; Garnier, P. +7 more
The MIMI experiment (Magnetosphere Imaging Instrument) onboard Cassini is dedicated to the study of energetic particles, with in particular LEMMS analyzing charged particles, or the INCA detector which can image the Energetic Neutral Atoms produced by charge exchange collisions between cold neutrals and energetic ions. The MIMI experiment is thus …
Racetrack and Bonnie Claire: southwestern US playa lakes as analogs for Ontario Lacus, Titan
Lorenz, Ralph D.; Hayes, Alex; Jackson, Brian
We note the geomorphological and meteorological processes at Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, as analogs for those at Ontario Lacus on Titan. Although Ontario is ∼50× larger, the planforms of the two features are nearly identical, both are extremely flat, and are in environments where infrequent rainfall occurs against a climate, where…
Dynamics of Saturn's magnetodisk near Titan's orbit: Comparison of Cassini magnetometer observations from real and virtual Titan flybys
Dougherty, Michele K.; Kriegel, Hendrik; Simon, Sven +4 more
We analyze the variability of the ambient magnetospheric field along Titan's orbit at 20.3 Saturn radii. However, while our preceding study ( Simon et al., 2010) focused on Cassini magnetometer observations from the 62 Titan flybys (TA-T62) between October 2004 and October 2009, the present work discusses magnetic field data that were collected ne…