Search Publications
Surface Temperatures on Titan during Northern Winter and Spring
Flasar, F. M.; Coustenis, A.; Achterberg, R. K. +9 more
Meridional brightness temperatures were measured on the surface of Titan during the 2004-2014 portion of the Cassini mission by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer. Temperatures mapped from pole to pole during five two-year periods show a marked seasonal dependence. The surface temperature near the south pole over this time decreased by 2 K from 9…
Acetylene on Titan’s Surface
Le Mouélic, S.; Cornet, T.; Rodriguez, S. +6 more
Titan’s atmosphere is opaque in the near-infrared due to gaseous absorptions, mainly by methane, and scattering by aerosols, except in a few “transparency windows.” Thus, the composition of Titan’s surface remains difficult to access from space and is still poorly constrained. Photochemical models suggest that most of the organic compounds formed …
Compositional Similarities and Distinctions between Titan’s Evaporitic Terrains
Barnes, Jason W.; MacKenzie, S. M.
We document the similarities in composition between the equatorial basins Tui Regio, Hotei Regio, and other 5-µm-bright materials, notably the north polar evaporites, by investigating the presence and extent of an absorption feature at 4.92 µm. In most observations, Woytchugga Lacuna, Ontario Lacus, MacKay Lacus, deposits near Fensal, …
Suprathermal Electrons at Saturn's Bow Shock
Coates, A. J.; Dougherty, M. K.; Fujimoto, M. +4 more
The leading explanation for the origin of galactic cosmic rays is particle acceleration at the shocks surrounding young supernova remnants (SNRs), although crucial aspects of the acceleration process are unclear. The similar collisionless plasma shocks frequently encountered by spacecraft in the solar wind are generally far weaker (lower Mach numb…
Suprathermal Electrons in Titan’s Sunlit Ionosphere: Model-Observation Comparisons
Coates, A. J.; Wahlund, J. -E.; Edberg, N. J. T. +8 more
The dayside ionosphere of the Saturnian satellite Titan is generated mainly from photoionization of N2 and CH4. We compare model-derived suprathermal electron intensities with spectra measured by the Cassini Plasma Spectrometer/Electron Spectrometer (CAPS/ELS) in Titan's sunlit ionosphere (altitudes of 970-1250 km) focusing o…