On the Irrelevance of Being a PLUTO! Size Scale of Stars and Planets
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The Geology of the Rocky Bodies Inside Enceladus, Europa, Titan, and Ganymede
49th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference 2018 (LPI Contrib. No. 2083) 2905.pdf THE GEOLOGY OF THE ROCKY BODIES INSIDE ENCELADUS, EUROPA, TITAN, AND GANYMEDE. Paul K. Byrne1, Paul V. Regensburger1, Christian Klimczak2, DelWayne R. Bohnenstiehl1, Steven A. Hauck, II3, Andrew J. Dombard4, and Douglas J. Hemingway5, 1Planetary Research Group, Department of Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA ([email protected]), 2Department of Geology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA, 3Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA, 4Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607, USA, 5Department of Earth & Planetary Science, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. Introduction: The icy satellites of Jupiter and horizontal stresses, respectively, Pp is pore fluid Saturn have been the subjects of substantial geological pressure (found from (3)), and μ is the coefficient of study. Much of this work has focused on their outer friction [12]. Finally, because equations (4) and (5) shells [e.g., 1–3], because that is the part most readily assess failure in the brittle domain, we also considered amenable to analysis. Yet many of these satellites ductile deformation with the relation n –E/RT feature known or suspected subsurface oceans [e.g., 4– ε̇ = C1σ exp , (6) 6], likely situated atop rocky interiors [e.g., 7], and where ε̇ is strain rate, C1 is a constant, σ is deviatoric several are of considerable astrobiological significance. stress, n is the stress exponent, E is activation energy, R For example, chemical reactions at the rock–water is the universal gas constant, and T is temperature [13]. -
Demoting Pluto Presentation
WWhhaatt HHaappppeenneedd ttoo PPlluuttoo??!!!! Scale in the Solar System, New Discoveries, and the Nature of Science Mary L. Urquhart, Ph.D. Department of Science/Mathematics Education Marc Hairston, Ph.D. William B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences FFrroomm NNiinnee ttoo EEiigghhtt?? On August 24th Pluto was reclassified by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) as a “dwarf planet”. So what happens to “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas”? OOffifficciiaall IAIAUU DDeefifinniittiioonn A planet: (a) is in orbit around the Sun, (b) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape, and (c) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. A dwarf planet must satisfy only the first two criteria. WWhhaatt iiss SScciieennccee?? National Science Education Standards (National Research Council, 1996) “…science reflects its history and is an ongoing, changing enterprise.” BBeeyyoonndd MMnneemmoonniiccss Science is “ not a collection of facts but an ongoing process, with continual revisions and refinements of concepts necessary in order to arrive at the best current views of the Universe.” - American Astronomical Society AA BBiitt ooff HHiiststoorryy • How have planets been historically defined? • Has a planet ever been demoted before? Planet (from Greek “planetes” meaning wanderer) This was the first definition of “planet” planet Latin English Spanish Italian French Sun Solis Sunday domingo domenica dimanche Moon Lunae Monday lunes lunedì lundi Mars Martis -
A Deeper Look at the Colors of the Saturnian Irregular Satellites Arxiv
A deeper look at the colors of the Saturnian irregular satellites Tommy Grav Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, MS51, 60 Garden St., Cambridge, MA02138 and Instiute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, 2680 Woodlawn Dr., Honolulu, HI86822 [email protected] James Bauer Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology 4800 Oak Grove Dr., MS183-501, Pasadena, CA91109 [email protected] September 13, 2018 arXiv:astro-ph/0611590v2 8 Mar 2007 Manuscript: 36 pages, with 11 figures and 5 tables. 1 Proposed running head: Colors of Saturnian irregular satellites Corresponding author: Tommy Grav MS51, 60 Garden St. Cambridge, MA02138 USA Phone: (617) 384-7689 Fax: (617) 495-7093 Email: [email protected] 2 Abstract We have performed broadband color photometry of the twelve brightest irregular satellites of Saturn with the goal of understanding their surface composition, as well as their physical relationship. We find that the satellites have a wide variety of different surface colors, from the negative spectral slopes of the two retrograde satellites S IX Phoebe (S0 = −2:5 ± 0:4) and S XXV Mundilfari (S0 = −5:0 ± 1:9) to the fairly red slope of S XXII Ijiraq (S0 = 19:5 ± 0:9). We further find that there exist a correlation between dynamical families and spectral slope, with the prograde clusters, the Gallic and Inuit, showing tight clustering in colors among most of their members. The retrograde objects are dynamically and physically more dispersed, but some internal structure is apparent. Keywords: Irregular satellites; Photometry, Satellites, Surfaces; Saturn, Satellites. 3 1 Introduction The satellites of Saturn can be divided into two distinct groups, the regular and irregular, based on their orbital characteristics. -
Current State of Knowledge of the Magnetospheres of Uranus and Neptune
Current State of Knowledge of the Magnetospheres of Uranus and Neptune 28 July 2014 Abigail Rymer [email protected] What does a ‘normal’ magnetosphere look like? . N-S dipole field perpendicular to SW . Solar wind driven circulation system . Well defined central tail plasmasheet . Loaded flux tubes lost via substorm activity . Trapped radiation on closed (dipolar) field lines close to the planet. …but then what is normal…. Mercury Not entirely at the mercy of the solar wind after all . Jupiter . More like its own little solar system . Sub-storm activity maybe totally internally driven …but then what is normal…. Saturn Krimigis et al., 2007 What is an ice giant (as distinct from a gas giant) planet? Consequenses for the magnetic field Soderlund et al., 2012 Consequenses for the magnetic field Herbert et al., 2009 Are Neptune and Uranus the same? URANUS NEPTUNE Equatorial radius 25 559 km 24 622 km Mass 14.5 ME 17.14 ME Sidereal spin period 17h12m36s (retrograde) 16h6m36s Obliquity (axial tilt to ecliptic) -97.77º 28.32 Semi-major axis 19.2 AU 30.1 AU Orbital period 84.3 Earth years 164.8 Earth years Dipole moment 50 ME 25 ME Magnetic field Highly complex with a surface Highly complex with a surface field up to 110 000 nT field up to 60 000 nT Dipole tilt -59º -47 Natural satellites 27 (9 irregular) 14 (inc Triton at 14.4 RN) Spacecraft at Uranus and Neptune – Voyager 2 Voyager 2 observations - Uranus Stone et al., 1986 Voyager 2 observations - Uranus Voyager 2 made excellent plasma measurements with PLS, a Faraday cup type instrument. -
Solar Illumination Conditions at 4 Vesta: Predictions Using the Digital Elevation Model Derived from Hst Images
42nd Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2011) 2506.pdf SOLAR ILLUMINATION CONDITIONS AT 4 VESTA: PREDICTIONS USING THE DIGITAL ELEVATION MODEL DERIVED FROM HST IMAGES. T. J. Stubbs 1,2,3 and Y. Wang 1,2,3 , 1Goddard Earth Science and Technology Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA, 2NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA, 3NASA Lunar Science Institute, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA, USA. Corresponding email address: Timothy.J.Stubbs[at]NASA.gov . Introduction: As with other airless bodies in the plane), the longitude of the ascending node is 103.91° Solar System, the surface of 4 Vesta is directly exposed and the argument of perihelion is 149.83°. Based on to the full solar spectrum. The degree of solar illumina- current estimates, Vesta’s orbital plane is believed to tion plays a major role in processes at the surface, in- have a precession period of 81,730 years [6]. cluding heating (surface temperature), space weather- For the shape of Vesta we use the 5 × 5° DEM ing, surface charging, surface chemistry, and exo- based on HST images [5], which is publicly available spheric production via photon-stimulated desorption. from the Planetary Data System (PDS). To our knowl- The characterization of these processes is important for edge, this is the best DEM of Vesta currently available. interepreting various surface properties. It is likely that The orbital information for Vesta is obtained from the solar illumination also controls the transport and depo- Dawn SPICE kernel, which currently limits us to the sition of volatiles at Vesta, as has been proposed at the current epoch (1900 to present). -
The Blurring Distinction Between Asteroids and Comets
Answers Research Journal 8 (2015):203–208. www.answersingenesis.org/arj/v8/asteroids-and-comets.pdf The Blurring Distinction between Asteroids and Comets Danny R. Faulkner, Answers in Genesis, PO Box 510, Hebron, Kentucky, 41048. Abstract Asteroids and comets long had been viewed as distinct objects with regards to orbits and composition. However, discoveries made in recent years have blurred those distinctions. Whether there is a continuum on which our older conception of asteroids and comets are extremes or if there still is a gap between them is not entirely clear yet. Some of the newer views of comets and asteroids may challenge the evolutionary theory of the solar system. Additionally, the new information may challenge the idea that the solar system is billions of years old. For readers not versed in nomenclature of small solar system bodies, I discuss that in the appendix. Keywords: small solar system objects, comets, asteroids (minor planets) Introduction the sun, and their orbits frequently are inclined The differences between asteroids and comets considerably to the orbits of the planets. Because of At one time, we thought of asteroids and comets as their highly elliptical orbits, most comets alternately being two very different groups of objects. Comets and are very close to the sun when near perihelion and asteroids certainly looked different. Comets can be very far from the sun when near aphelion. Comets visible to the naked eye, and have been known since spend most of the time near aphelion far from the ancient times. They have a hazy, fuzzy appearance. sun, so that their ices remain frozen. -
CHORUS: Let's Go Meet the Dwarf Planets There Are Five in Our Solar
Meet the Dwarf Planet Lyrics: CHORUS: Let’s go meet the dwarf planets There are five in our solar system Let’s go meet the dwarf planets Now I’ll go ahead and list them I’ll name them again in case you missed one There’s Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea They haven’t broken free from all the space debris There’s Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea They’re smaller than Earth’s moon and they like to roam free I’m the famous Pluto – as many of you know My orbit’s on a different path in the shape of an oval I used to be planet number 9, But I break the rules; I’m one of a kind I take my time orbiting the sun It’s a long, long trip, but I’m having fun! Five moons keep me company On our epic journey Charon’s the biggest, and then there’s Nix Kerberos, Hydra and the last one’s Styx 248 years we travel out Beyond the other planet’s regular rout We hang out in the Kuiper Belt Where the ice debris will never melt CHORUS My name is Ceres, and I’m closest to the sun They found me in the Asteroid Belt in 1801 I’m the only known dwarf planet between Jupiter and Mars They thought I was an asteroid, but I’m too round and large! I’m Eris the biggest dwarf planet, and the slowest one… It takes me 557 years to travel around the sun I have one moon, Dysnomia, to orbit along with me We go way out past the Kuiper Belt, there’s so much more to see! CHORUS My name is Makemake, and everyone thought I was alone But my tiny moon, MK2, has been with me all along It takes 310 years for us to orbit ‘round the sun But out here in the Kuiper Belt… our adventures just begun Hello my name’s Haumea, I’m not round shaped like my friends I rotate fast, every 4 hours, which stretched out both my ends! Namaka and Hi’iaka are my moons, I have just 2 And we live way out past Neptune in the Kuiper Belt it’s true! CHORUS Now you’ve met the dwarf planets, there are 5 of them it’s true But the Solar System is a great big place, with more exploring left to do Keep watching the skies above us with a telescope you look through Because the next person to discover one… could be me or you… . -
Dwarf Planet Ceres
Dwarf Planet Ceres drishtiias.com/printpdf/dwarf-planet-ceres Why in News As per the data collected by NASA’s Dawn spacecraft, dwarf planet Ceres reportedly has salty water underground. Dawn (2007-18) was a mission to the two most massive bodies in the main asteroid belt - Vesta and Ceres. Key Points 1/3 Latest Findings: The scientists have given Ceres the status of an “ocean world” as it has a big reservoir of salty water underneath its frigid surface. This has led to an increased interest of scientists that the dwarf planet was maybe habitable or has the potential to be. Ocean Worlds is a term for ‘Water in the Solar System and Beyond’. The salty water originated in a brine reservoir spread hundreds of miles and about 40 km beneath the surface of the Ceres. Further, there is an evidence that Ceres remains geologically active with cryovolcanism - volcanoes oozing icy material. Instead of molten rock, cryovolcanoes or salty-mud volcanoes release frigid, salty water sometimes mixed with mud. Subsurface Oceans on other Celestial Bodies: Jupiter’s moon Europa, Saturn’s moon Enceladus, Neptune’s moon Triton, and the dwarf planet Pluto. This provides scientists a means to understand the history of the solar system. Ceres: It is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. It was the first member of the asteroid belt to be discovered when Giuseppe Piazzi spotted it in 1801. It is the only dwarf planet located in the inner solar system (includes planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars). Scientists classified it as a dwarf planet in 2006. -
Visible and Near-Infrared Colors of Transneptunian Objects and Centaurs from the Second ESO Large Program
A&A 493, 283–290 (2009) Astronomy DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:200810561 & c ESO 2008 Astrophysics Visible and near-infrared colors of Transneptunian objects and Centaurs from the second ESO large program F. E. DeMeo1, S. Fornasier1,2, M. A. Barucci1,D.Perna1,3,4, S. Protopapa5, A. Alvarez-Candal1, A. Delsanti1, A. Doressoundiram1, F. Merlin1, and C. de Bergh1 1 LESIA, Observatoire de Paris, 92195 Meudon Principal Cedex, France e-mail: [email protected] 2 Université de Paris 7 Denis Diderot, Paris, France 3 INAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, via Frascati 33, 00040 Monte Porzio Catone, Italy 4 Università di Roma Tor Vergata, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Roma, Italy 5 Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Lindau, Germany Received 10 July 2008 / Accepted 9 October 2008 ABSTRACT Aims. We investigate color properties and define or check taxonomic classifications of objects observed in our survey. Methods. All observations were performed between October 2006 and September 2007 at the European Southern Observatory 8 m Very Large Telescope, UT1 and UT2 at the Paranal Observatory in Chile. For visible photometry, we used the FORS1 instrument, and for near-infrared, ISAAC. Taxonomic classifications from the Barucci system were assigned using G-mode analysis. Results. We present photometric observations of 23 TNOs and Centaurs, nine of which have never been previously observed. Eighteen of these objects were assigned taxonomic classifications: six BB, four BR, two RR, and six that are given two or more categories due to insufficient data. Three objects that had been previously observed and classified, changed classes most likely due to surface vari- ation: 26375 (1999 DE9), 28978 (Ixion), and 32532 (Thereus). -
Jjmonl 1712.Pmd
alactic Observer John J. McCarthy Observatory G Volume 10, No. 12 December 2017 Holiday Theme Park See page 19 for more information The John J. McCarthy Observatory Galactic Observer New Milford High School Editorial Committee 388 Danbury Road Managing Editor New Milford, CT 06776 Bill Cloutier Phone/Voice: (860) 210-4117 Production & Design Phone/Fax: (860) 354-1595 www.mccarthyobservatory.org Allan Ostergren Website Development JJMO Staff Marc Polansky Technical Support It is through their efforts that the McCarthy Observatory Bob Lambert has established itself as a significant educational and recreational resource within the western Connecticut Dr. Parker Moreland community. Steve Barone Jim Johnstone Colin Campbell Carly KleinStern Dennis Cartolano Bob Lambert Route Mike Chiarella Roger Moore Jeff Chodak Parker Moreland, PhD Bill Cloutier Allan Ostergren Doug Delisle Marc Polansky Cecilia Detrich Joe Privitera Dirk Feather Monty Robson Randy Fender Don Ross Louise Gagnon Gene Schilling John Gebauer Katie Shusdock Elaine Green Paul Woodell Tina Hartzell Amy Ziffer In This Issue "OUT THE WINDOW ON YOUR LEFT"............................... 3 REFERENCES ON DISTANCES ................................................ 18 SINUS IRIDUM ................................................................ 4 INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION/IRIDIUM SATELLITES ............. 18 EXTRAGALACTIC COSMIC RAYS ........................................ 5 SOLAR ACTIVITY ............................................................... 18 EQUATORIAL ICE ON MARS? ........................................... -
Mass of the Kuiper Belt · 9Th Planet PACS 95.10.Ce · 96.12.De · 96.12.Fe · 96.20.-N · 96.30.-T
Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy manuscript No. (will be inserted by the editor) Mass of the Kuiper Belt E. V. Pitjeva · N. P. Pitjev Received: 13 December 2017 / Accepted: 24 August 2018 The final publication ia available at Springer via http://doi.org/10.1007/s10569-018-9853-5 Abstract The Kuiper belt includes tens of thousands of large bodies and millions of smaller objects. The main part of the belt objects is located in the annular zone between 39.4 au and 47.8 au from the Sun, the boundaries correspond to the average distances for orbital resonances 3:2 and 2:1 with the motion of Neptune. One-dimensional, two-dimensional, and discrete rings to model the total gravitational attraction of numerous belt objects are consid- ered. The discrete rotating model most correctly reflects the real interaction of bodies in the Solar system. The masses of the model rings were determined within EPM2017—the new version of ephemerides of planets and the Moon at IAA RAS—by fitting spacecraft ranging observations. The total mass of the Kuiper belt was calculated as the sum of the masses of the 31 largest trans-neptunian objects directly included in the simultaneous integration and the estimated mass of the model of the discrete ring of TNO. The total mass −2 is (1.97 ± 0.30) · 10 m⊕. The gravitational influence of the Kuiper belt on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune exceeds at times the attraction of the hypothetical 9th planet with a mass of ∼ 10 m⊕ at the distances assumed for it. -
What Is the Color of Pluto? - Universe Today
What is the Color of Pluto? - Universe Today space and astronomy news Universe Today Home Members Guide to Space Carnival Photos Videos Forum Contact Privacy Login NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft captured this high-resolution enhanced color view of http://www.universetoday.com/13866/color-of-pluto/[29-Mar-17 13:18:37] What is the Color of Pluto? - Universe Today Pluto on July 14, 2015. Credit: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI WHAT IS THE COLOR OF PLUTO? Article Updated: 28 Mar , 2017 by Matt Williams When Pluto was first discovered by Clybe Tombaugh in 1930, astronomers believed that they had found the ninth and outermost planet of the Solar System. In the decades that followed, what little we were able to learn about this distant world was the product of surveys conducted using Earth-based telescopes. Throughout this period, astronomers believed that Pluto was a dirty brown color. In recent years, thanks to improved observations and the New Horizons mission, we have finally managed to obtain a clear picture of what Pluto looks like. In addition to information about its surface features, composition and tenuous atmosphere, much has been learned about Pluto’s appearance. Because of this, we now know that the one-time “ninth planet” of the Solar System is rich and varied in color. Composition: With a mean density of 1.87 g/cm3, Pluto’s composition is differentiated between an icy mantle and a rocky core. The surface is composed of more than 98% nitrogen ice, with traces of methane and carbon monoxide. Scientists also suspect that Pluto’s internal structure is differentiated, with the rocky material having settled into a dense core surrounded by a mantle of water ice.