Search Publications
Comet 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak, 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, and 46P/Wirtanen: Water Production Activity over 21 yr with SOHO/SWAN
Bertaux, J. -L.; Combi, M. R.; Quémerais, E. +3 more
In 2017, 2018, and 2019, comets 46P/Wirtanen, 45P/Honda-Mrkos-Pajdusakova, and 41P/Tuttle-Giacobini-Kresak all had perihelion passages. Their hydrogen comae were observed by the Solar Wind ANisotropies (SWAN) all-sky hydrogen Lyα camera on the SOlar and Heliospheric Observer (SOHO) satellite: comet 46P for the fourth time and comets 45P and 41P fo…
Experimental Investigation of Oxidation of Pyroxene and Basalt: Implications for Spectroscopic Analyses of the Surface of Venus and the Ages of Lava Flows
Filiberto, J.; Cutler, K. S.; Treiman, A. H. +1 more
Alteration of basalt on the surface of Venus should be dominated by nanophase hematite and sulfate coatings, but the timescale of oxidation and how that affects spectroscopic measurements has not been extensively studied. The oxidation rate and the effect on reflectance spectroscopy are needed to constrain the age of lava flows with high emissivit…
Stellar Occultation by the Resonant Trans-Neptunian Object (523764) 2014 WC510 Reveals a Close Binary TNO
Buie, Marc W.; Wasserman, Lawrence H.; Leiva, Rodrigo +22 more
We report on the stellar occultation by (523764) 2014 WC510 observed on 2018 December 1 UT. This occultation campaign was part of the Research and Education Collaborative Occultation Network (RECON), a network of small telescopes spread over 2000 km in western USA and Canada. Light curves from six stations revealed three groups of two o…
Detection of a Satellite of the Trojan Asteroid (3548) Eurybates—A Lucy Mission Target
Marchi, S.; Weaver, H. A.; Buie, M. W. +8 more
We describe the discovery of a satellite of the Trojan asteroid (3548) Eurybates in images obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. The satellite was detected on three separate epochs, two in 2018 September and one in 2020 January. The satellite has a brightness in all three epochs consistent with an effective diameter of d2 = 1.2 ± 0.…
Possible Evidence of p-modes in Cassini Measurements of Saturn's Gravity Field
Iess, Luciano; Durante, Daniele; Markham, Steve +1 more
We analyze the range-rate residual data from Cassini's gravity experiment that cannot be explained with a static, zonally symmetric gravity field. We reproduce the data using a simple forward model of gravity perturbations from normal modes. To do this, we stack data from multiple flybys to improve sensitivity. We find a partially degenerate set o…
Saturn's Atmospheric Helium Abundance from Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer Data
Achterberg, Richard K.; Flasar, F. Michael
We use thermal infrared data from the Composite Infrared Spectrometer, which was on board the Cassini orbiter, to retrieve the helium abundance in Saturn's visible atmosphere. We find that the data is most consistent with a helium-to-hydrogen mole ratio in the range between 0.04 and 0.075, near the lower end of previous measurements, and implying …
HST UV Observations of Asteroid (16) Psyche
Roth, Lorenz; Feaga, Lori M.; Becker, Tracy M. +7 more
The Main Belt Asteroid (16) Psyche is the target object of the NASA Discovery Mission Psyche. We observed the asteroid at ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths (170-310 nm) using the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope during two separate observations. We report that the spectrum is very red in the UV, with a blue upturn shor…
Recurrent Cometary Activity in Near-Earth Object (3552) Don Quixote
Smith, Howard A.; Hora, Joseph L.; Agarwal, Jessica +12 more
We report on observations of activity in near-Earth object (3552) Don Quixote using the Spitzer Space Telescope and ground-based telescopes around its 2018 perihelion passage. Spitzer observations obtained six months before perihelion show extended emission around the target's nucleus that is most likely caused by molecular band emission from eith…
Tidal Currents Detected in Kraken Mare Straits from Cassini VIMS Sun Glitter Observations
Sotin, Christophe; Barnes, Jason W.; Soderblom, Jason M. +3 more
We present Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) observations of sun glitter—wave-induced reflections from a liquid surface offset from a specular point—on Kraken Mare. sun glitter reveals rough sea surfaces around Kraken Mare, namely the coasts and narrow straits. The sun glitter observations indicate wave activity driven by the…
Changes in a Dusty Ringlet in the Cassini Division after 2010
Bridges, Bill; Hedman, Mathew
A dusty ringlet designated R/2006 S3, also known as the "Charming Ringlet," is located around 119,940 km from the center of Saturn within the Laplace Gap in the Cassini Division. Prior to 2010, the ringlet had a simple radial profile and a predictable eccentric shape with two components, one forced by solar radiation pressure and the other freely …