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We present analyses of Saturn’s north pole using high-resolution images captured in late 2012 by the Cassini spacecraft’s Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) camera. The images reveal the presence of an intense cyclonic vortex centered at the north pole. In the red and green visible continuum wavelengths, the north polar region exhibits a cyclonically spiraling cloud morphology extending from the pole...
The brightness of the Enceladus plumes varies with position in the satellite's eccentric orbit, with altitude above the surface, and with time from one year to the next. Hedman et al. (2013, hereinafter H13) were the first to report these variations. They used data from Cassini's Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). Here we present brightness observations from Cassini's Imaging Science...
The first observations of Saturn’s visible-wavelength aurora were made by the Cassini camera. The aurora was observed between 2006 and 2013 in the northern and southern hemispheres. The color of the aurora changes from pink at a few hundred km above the horizon to purple at 1000–1500km above the horizon. The spectrum observed in 9 filters spanning wavelengths from 250nm to 1000nm has a prominent H-alpha...
We have mapped the locations of over 100,000 ice blocks across the south polar region of Saturn’s moon Enceladus, thus generating the first quantitative estimates of ice-block number density distribution in relation to major geological features. Ice blocks were manually identified and mapped from twenty of the highest resolution (4–25m per pixel) Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) narrow-angle...
We present the dynamics of the String of Pearls (SoPs) feature observed by the Cassini spacecraft’s Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) camera between 2007 and 2010. The SoPs was originally discovered in the 5μm images captured by Cassini VIMS instrument, where it appeared as a chain of infrared-bright spots (Momary, T.W., et al. [2006]. The Zoology of Saturn: The Bizarre Features Unveiled by the 5 Micron...
Visible lightning on Saturn was first detected by the Cassini camera in 2009 at ∼35° South latitude. We report more lightning observations at ∼35° South later in 2009, and lightning in the 2010–2011 giant lightning storm at ∼35° North. The 2009 lightning is detected on the night side of Saturn in a broadband clear filter. The 2011 lightning is detected on the day side in blue wavelengths only. In...
Saturn’s quasi-periodic planet-encircling storms are the largest convecting cumulus outbursts in the Solar System. The last eruption was in 1990 (Sánchez-Lavega, A. [1994]. Chaos 4, 341–353). A new eruption started in December 2010 and presented the first-ever opportunity to observe such episodic storms from a spacecraft in orbit around Saturn (Fischer, G. et al. [2011]. Nature 475, 75–77; Sánchez-Lavega,...
The eclipse mosaic (PIA08329) of the Saturn system, taken on September 15, 2006 when Cassini was in Saturn’s shadow, contains numerous color images of the Enceladus plume and the E ring at phase angles ranging from 173° to 179°. These forward-scattering observations sample the diffraction peak for particle radii in the 1–5μm range. The phase angle dependence and total brightness are sensitive indicators...
Observations made by the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS), Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) and the long-wavelength Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) aboard the Cassini spacecraft reveal that the large, long-lived cyclonic vortex at Saturn's south pole has a 4200-km-diameter cloud-free nearly circular region. This region has a 4 K warm core extending from the troposphere into the...
We report on Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) data correlated with Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) observations, which indicate lightning on Saturn. A rare bright cloud erupt at ∼35° South planetocentric latitude when radio emissions (Saturn Electrostatic Discharges, or SEDs) occur. The cloud consisting of few consecutive eruptions typically lasts for several weeks, and then both the cloud...
The Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) and Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) reported a North Equatorial Belt (NEB) wave in Jupiter's atmosphere from optical images [Porco, C.C., and 23 colleagues, 2003. Science 299, 1541–1547] and thermal maps [Flasar, F.M., and 39 colleagues, 2004. Nature 427, 132–135], respectively. The connection between the two waves remained uncertain because the two...
Using the sequence of 70-day continuum-band (751 nm) images from the Cassini Imaging Science System (ISS), we record over 500 compact oval spots and study their relation to the large-scale motions. The ~100 spots whose vorticity could be measured-the large spots in most cases-were all anticyclonic. We exclude cyclonic features (chaotic regions) because they do not have a compact oval shape, but we...
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