Search Publications
The Lada Terra rise and Quetzalpetlatl Corona: A region of long-lived mantle upwelling and recent volcanic activity on Venus
Head, James W.; Ivanov, Mikhail A.
Quetzalpetlatl Corona (∼850 km in diameter) and Boala Corona (∼350 km×250 km in diameter), are both situated within the Lada Terra rise, a prominent ∼2000-km-wide circular topographic feature rising ∼2.5-3 km above the mean planetary radius in the southern hemisphere of Venus, south of the Lavinia Planitia lowlands. Together these features form a …
High spectral resolution infrared studies of Titan: Winds, temperature, and composition
Fast, Kelly E.; Sonnabend, Guido; Hewagama, Tilak +7 more
The Cassini Huygens mission provides a unique opportunity to combine ground-based and spacecraft investigations to increase our understanding of chemical and dynamical processes in Titan's atmosphere. Spectroscopic measurements from both vantage points enable retrieving global wind structure, temperature structure, and atmospheric composition. An …
Brightness of Saturn's rings with decreasing solar elevation
Altobelli, Nicolas; Flandes, Alberto; Spilker, Linda +5 more
Early ground-based and spacecraft observations suggested that the temperature of Saturn's main rings (A, B and C) varied with the solar elevation angle, B'. Data from the composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS) on board Cassini, which has been in orbit around Saturn for more than five years, confirm this variation and have been used to d…
NO emissions as observed by SPICAV during stellar occultations
Montmessin, Franck; Bertaux, Jean-Loup; Royer, Emilie
Ultraviolet (UV) nightglow data from the SPICAV instrument (SPectroscopy for the Investigation of the Characteristics of the Atmosphere of Venus) onboard the Venus Express spacecraft, currently in orbit around Venus, are presented. In its extended source mode, SPICAV has shown that the Venus nightglow in the UV contains essentially Lyman- α and Ni…
Magnetic field investigations during ROSETTA's 2867 Šteins flyby
Richter, I.; Glassmeier, K. H.; Carr, C. M. +3 more
During the 2867 Šteins flyby of the ROSETTA spacecraft on September 5, 2008 magnetic field measurements have been made with both the RPC orbiter magnetometer and the ROMAP lander magnetometer. These combined magnetic field measurements allow a detailed examination of any magnetic signatures caused either directly by the asteroid or indirectly by Š…
Morphology and origin of an evaporitic dome in the eastern Tithonium Chasma, Mars
Baioni, Davide; Wezel, Forese Carlo
A 3.4 km-high, dome-shaped upland in eastern Tithonium Chasma (TC) coincides with areas containing abundant surface signatures of the sulphate mineral kiersite, as identified by the OMEGA image spectrometer. The dome has surface features on its summit, flanks, and at its base that were apparently formed by liquid water released from melting ice. T…
A preliminary experience in the use of Chang’E-1 IIM data
Chen, Jun; Wu, Yunzhao; Zheng, Yongchun +7 more
The Interference Imaging Spectrometer (IIM) onboard the first lunar satellite of China, Chang'E-1, has acquired 84% of the area between south and north latitude 70°. To contribute to its usability, this paper presents our preliminary experience in the use of IIM data. Firstly, we provide one practicable method for the on-orbit correction of the in…
Cloud formation along mountain ridges on Titan
Barth, Erika L.
Cassini radar passes have shown a number of mountain ranges on Titan. Radar data covering approximately one quarter of Titan's surface places mountains in primarily equatorial regions with the mean height of about 900 m. The flow of air over topographic features can both trigger and enhance cloud formation. Orographically induced clouds near terre…
Sounding of Titan’s atmosphere at submillimeter wavelengths from an orbiting spacecraft
Hartogh, P.; Lellouch, E.; Coustenis, A. +7 more
An investigation of the capabilities and science goals of a submillimeter-wave heterodyne sounder onboard a Titan orbiter is presented. Based on a model of Titan's submillimeter spectrum, and including realistic instrumental performances, we show that passive limb observations of Titan's submillimeter radiation would bring novel and unique informa…
Sublimation of the Martian CO 2 Seasonal South Polar Cap
Bibring, Jean-Pierre; Langevin, Yves; Martin, Patrick +6 more
The polar condensation/sublimation of CO 2, that involve about one fourth of the atmosphere mass, is the major Martian climatic cycle. Early observations in visible and thermal infrared have shown that the sublimation of the Seasonal South Polar Cap (SSPC) is not symmetric around the geographic South Pole. Here we use observations by OM…