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Helium is one of the first elements clearly identified in the lunar exosphere (Hoffman, J.H., Hodges, R.R., Johnson, F.S., Evans, D.E. [1973]. Proc. Lunar Sci. Conf. 3, 2865–2875). Apollo 17 measured the He density at the surface during four lunations. It confirmed the expected day to night asymmetry of the He exosphere with a maximum density near the dawn terminator on the nightside. Few years later,...
The Kelvin–Helmholtz instability gained scientific attention after observations at Venus by the spacecraft Pioneer Venus Orbiter gave rise to speculations that the instability contributes to the loss of planetary ions through the formation of plasma clouds. Since then, a handful of studies were devoted to the Kelvin–Helmholtz instability at the ionopause and its implications for Venus. The aim of...
In the present study, the temperature- and pressure-dependent transport and thermal properties, i.e., viscosity, phonon thermal conductivity, thermal expansivity and heat capacities, as well as electronic and radiative thermal conductivities, have been derived for the mantles of super-Earths. These properties are necessary to understand the interior dynamics and the thermal evolution of those planets...
The moment of inertia of a giant planet reveals important information about the planet’s internal density structure and this information is not identical to that contained in the gravitational moments. The forthcoming Juno mission to Jupiter might determine Jupiter’s normalized moment of inertia NMoI=C/MR 2 by measuring Jupiter’s pole precession and the Lense–Thirring acceleration of the spacecraft...
We present methods for terrain classification on 4 Vesta using Dawn Framing Camera (FC) color information derived from laboratory spectra of HED meteorites and other Vesta-related assemblages. Color and spectral parameters have been derived using publicly available spectra of these analog materials to identify the best criteria for distinguishing various terrains. We list the relevant parameters for...
Due to a large solar radiation effect, the sodium exosphere exhibits many interesting effects, including the formation of an extended corona and a tail-like structure. The current suite of observations allows us to study some physical properties of the sodium exosphere, such as the source rates and the interaction with the surface, both experimentally and theoretically. In order to quantify the complex...
We have modeled the near and post-terminator thermosphere/ionosphere of Venus with a view toward understanding the relative importance of EUV solar fluxes and downward fluxes of atomic ions transported from the dayside in producing the mean ionosphere. We have constructed one-dimensional thermosphere/ionosphere models for high solar activity for seven solar zenith angles (SZAs) in the dusk sector:...
A three-dimensional hybrid code is used to study the electromagnetic disturbances in the solar wind that arise due to the absorption effect of the Moon. Due to the nearly insulating nature of the Moon, interplanetary magnetic fields (IMFs) can move through the interior without hindrance. However, the near-vacuum created in the wake region due to the lunar absorption effect will lead to enhancement...
We report a comprehensive review of the UV–visible spectrum and rotational lightcurve of Vesta combining new observations by Hubble Space Telescope and Swift Gamma-ray Burst Observatory with archival International Ultraviolet Explorer observations. The geometric albedos of Vesta from 220nm to 953nm are derived by carefully comparing these observations from various instruments at different times and...
Stellar occultations observed by the Cassini/UVIS instrument provide unique data that probe the mesosphere and lower thermosphere of Titan at altitudes between 400 and 1400km. This region is a site of complex photochemistry that forms hydrocarbon and nitrile species, and plays a crucial role in the formation of the organic hazes observed in the stratosphere, but has yet to be adequately characterized...
SWAN, the all-sky hydrogen Lyman-alpha camera on the SOHO spacecraft, designed primarily to image the interplanetary neutral hydrogen around the Sun, also observes comets continuously over large portions of their apparitions to the north and south of the ecliptic and at small solar elongation angles. Because of SOHO’s location at the L1 Lagrange point, analysis of SWAN images provides excellent temporal...
In Simpson’s (Simpson, G.C. [1927]. Mem. R. Meteorol. Soc. II (16), 69–95) classical derivation of the temperature of the Earth in the semi-gray model, the surface temperature diverges as the fourth root of the thermal radiation’s optical depth. No resolution to this apparent paradox was yet obtained under the strict semi-gray approximation. Using this approximation and a simplified approach, we study...
With the advent of wide-field imagers, it has become possible to conduct a photometric lightcurve survey of many asteroids simultaneously, either for that single purpose (e.g., Dermawan, B., Nakamura, T., Yoshida, F. [2011]. Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan 63, S555–S576; Masiero, J., Jedicke, R., Ďurech, J., Gwyn, S., Denneau, L., Larsen, J. [2009]. Icarus 204, 145–171), or as a part of a multipurpose survey...
The Howardite–Eucrite–Diogenite (HED) suite is a family of differentiated meteorites that provide a unique opportunity to study the differentiation of small bodies. The likely parent-body of this meteorite group, (4) Vesta is presently under study by the Dawn mission, scrutinizing its surface in the visible and NIR infrared range. Here, we discuss how well the magmatic trends observed in HED might...
The intensity of Saturn’s infrared H3+ aurora is investigated using Cassini VIMS images acquired during October 2006–February 2009. Polar and main oval auroral regions were defined in both hemispheres, which extend between 0–10° and 10–25° co-latitude, respectively. Average intensities were computed for these regions and compared. While the northern and southern main oval regions covered a similar...
Isotopic and chemical compositions of meteorites, coupled with dynamical simulations, suggest that the main belt of asteroids between Mars and Jupiter contains objects formed in situ as well as a population of interlopers. These interlopers are predicted to include the building blocks of the terrestrial planets as well as objects that formed beyond Neptune (Bottke et al. 2006, Levison et al. 2009,...
Determining whether or not Pluto possesses, or once possessed, a subsurface ocean is crucial to understanding its astrobiological potential. In this study we use a 3D convection model to investigate Pluto’s thermal and spin evolution, and the present-day observational consequences of different evolutionary pathways. We test the sensitivity of our model results to different initial temperature profiles,...
Bodies with water, ammonia or ethane oceans are possible in interstellar space. This may happen for optically thick atmospheres of methane, ethane and carbon dioxide.
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...
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