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Nature of the MHD and Kinetic Scale Turbulence in the Magnetosheath of Saturn: Cassini Observations
Dougherty, M. K.; Sahraoui, F.; Masters, A. +5 more
Low-frequency turbulence in Saturn’s magnetosheath is investigated using in situ measurements of the Cassini spacecraft. Focus is put on the magnetic energy spectra computed in the frequency range of ∼[10-4, 1]Hz. A set of 42 time intervals in the magnetosheath were analyzed, and three main results that contrast with known features of s…
Saturn's G and D Rings Provide Nearly Complete Measured Scattering Phase Functions of Nearby Debris Disks
Hedman, Matthew M.; Stark, Christopher C.
The appearance of debris disks around distant stars depends upon the scattering/phase function (SPF) of the material in the disk. However, characterizing the SPFs of these extrasolar debris disks is challenging because only a limited range of scattering angles are visible to Earth-based observers. By contrast, Saturn’s tenuous rings can be observe…
Evolution of the Far-infrared Cloud at Titan’s South Pole
Teanby, N. A.; de Kok, R.; Flasar, F. M. +17 more
A condensate cloud on Titan identified by its 220 cm-1 far-infrared signature continues to undergo seasonal changes at both the north and south poles. In the north, the cloud, which extends from 55 N to the pole, has been gradually decreasing in emission intensity since the beginning of the Cassini mission with a half-life of 3.8 years.…
Nanodust Detection between 1 and 5 AU Using Cassini Wave Measurements
Schippers, P.; André, N.; Kurth, W. S. +6 more
The solar system contains solids of all sizes, ranging from kilometer-sized bodies to nano-sized particles. Nanograins have been detected in situ in the Earth's atmosphere, near cometary and giant planet environments, and more recently in the solar wind at 1 AU. The latter nanograins are thought to be formed in the inner solar system dust cloud, m…
Faint Luminescent Ring over Saturn’s Polar Hexagon
Filacchione, Gianrico; Adriani, Alberto; Oliva, Fabrizio +2 more
Springtime insolation is presently advancing across Saturn's north polar region. Early solar radiation scattered through the gaseous giant's atmosphere gives a unique opportunity to sound the atmospheric structure at its upper troposphere/lower stratosphere at high latitudes. Here, we report the detection of a tenuous bright structure in Saturn's …
Titan's Upper Atmosphere from Cassini/UVIS Solar Occultations
Koskinen, Tommi T.; Yelle, Roger V.; Capalbo, Fernando J. +1 more
Titan’s atmosphere is composed mainly of molecular nitrogen, methane being the principal trace gas. From the analysis of 8 solar occultations measured by the Extreme Ultraviolet channel of the Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) on board Cassini, we derived vertical profiles of N2 in the range 1100-1600 km and vertical profiles of C…
Silicates on Iapetus from Cassini’s Composite Infrared Spectrometer
Clark, Roger N.; Spencer, John R.; Wray, James J. +5 more
We present the first spectral features obtained from Cassini’s Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) for any icy moon. The spectral region covered by CIRS focal planes (FP) 3 and 4 is rich in emissivity features, but previous studies at these wavelengths have been limited by low signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) for individual spectra. Our approach i…