Planetary Rings
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Arxiv:1912.09192V2 [Astro-Ph.EP] 24 Feb 2020
Draft version February 25, 2020 Typeset using LATEX preprint style in AASTeX62 Photometric analyses of Saturn's small moons: Aegaeon, Methone and Pallene are dark; Helene and Calypso are bright. M. M. Hedman,1 P. Helfenstein,2 R. O. Chancia,1, 3 P. Thomas,2 E. Roussos,4 C. Paranicas,5 and A. J. Verbiscer6 1Department of Physics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID 83844 2Cornell Center for Astrophysics and Planetary Science, Cornell University, Ithaca NY 14853 3Center for Imaging Science, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester NY 14623 4Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, G¨ottingen,Germany 37077 5APL, John Hopkins University, Laurel MD 20723 6Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 ABSTRACT We examine the surface brightnesses of Saturn's smaller satellites using a photometric model that explicitly accounts for their elongated shapes and thus facilitates compar- isons among different moons. Analyses of Cassini imaging data with this model reveals that the moons Aegaeon, Methone and Pallene are darker than one would expect given trends previously observed among the nearby mid-sized satellites. On the other hand, the trojan moons Calypso and Helene have substantially brighter surfaces than their co-orbital companions Tethys and Dione. These observations are inconsistent with the moons' surface brightnesses being entirely controlled by the local flux of E-ring par- ticles, and therefore strongly imply that other phenomena are affecting their surface properties. The darkness of Aegaeon, Methone and Pallene is correlated with the fluxes of high-energy protons, implying that high-energy radiation is responsible for darkening these small moons. Meanwhile, Prometheus and Pandora appear to be brightened by their interactions with nearby dusty F ring, implying that enhanced dust fluxes are most likely responsible for Calypso's and Helene's excess brightness. -
Mission to Jupiter
This book attempts to convey the creativity, Project A History of the Galileo Jupiter: To Mission The Galileo mission to Jupiter explored leadership, and vision that were necessary for the an exciting new frontier, had a major impact mission’s success. It is a book about dedicated people on planetary science, and provided invaluable and their scientific and engineering achievements. lessons for the design of spacecraft. This The Galileo mission faced many significant problems. mission amassed so many scientific firsts and Some of the most brilliant accomplishments and key discoveries that it can truly be called one of “work-arounds” of the Galileo staff occurred the most impressive feats of exploration of the precisely when these challenges arose. Throughout 20th century. In the words of John Casani, the the mission, engineers and scientists found ways to original project manager of the mission, “Galileo keep the spacecraft operational from a distance of was a way of demonstrating . just what U.S. nearly half a billion miles, enabling one of the most technology was capable of doing.” An engineer impressive voyages of scientific discovery. on the Galileo team expressed more personal * * * * * sentiments when she said, “I had never been a Michael Meltzer is an environmental part of something with such great scope . To scientist who has been writing about science know that the whole world was watching and and technology for nearly 30 years. His books hoping with us that this would work. We were and articles have investigated topics that include doing something for all mankind.” designing solar houses, preventing pollution in When Galileo lifted off from Kennedy electroplating shops, catching salmon with sonar and Space Center on 18 October 1989, it began an radar, and developing a sensor for examining Space interplanetary voyage that took it to Venus, to Michael Meltzer Michael Shuttle engines. -
Dynamics of Saturn's Small Moons in Coupled First Order Planar Resonances
Dynamics of Saturn's small moons in coupled first order planar resonances Maryame El Moutamid Bruno Sicardy and St´efanRenner LESIA/IMCCE | Paris Observatory 26 juin 2012 Maryame El Moutamid ESLAB-2012 | ESA/ESTEC Noordwijk Saturn system Maryame El Moutamid ESLAB-2012 | ESA/ESTEC Noordwijk Very small moons Maryame El Moutamid ESLAB-2012 | ESA/ESTEC Noordwijk New satellites : Anthe, Methone and Aegaeon (Cooper et al., 2008 ; Hedman et al., 2009, 2010 ; Porco et al., 2005) Very small (0.5 km to 2 km) Vicinity of the Mimas orbit (outside and inside) The aims of the work A better understanding : - of the dynamics of this population of news satellites - of the scenario of capture into mean motion resonances Maryame El Moutamid ESLAB-2012 | ESA/ESTEC Noordwijk Dynamical structure of the system µ µ´ Mp We consider only : - The resonant terms - The secular terms causing the precessions of the orbit When µ ! 0 ) The symmetry is broken ) different kinds of resonances : - Lindblad Resonance - Corotation Resonance D'Alembert rules : 0 0 c = (m + 1)λ − mλ − $ 0 L = (m + 1)λ − mλ − $ Maryame El Moutamid ESLAB-2012 | ESA/ESTEC Noordwijk Corotation Resonance - Aegaeon (7/6) : c = 7λMimas − 6λAegaeon − $Mimas - Methone (14/15) : c = 15λMethone − 14λMimas − $Mimas - Anthe (10/11) : c = 11λAnthe − 10λMimas − $Mimas Maryame El Moutamid ESLAB-2012 | ESA/ESTEC Noordwijk Corotation resonances Mean motion resonance : n1 = m+q n2 m Particular case : Lagrangian Equilibrium Points Maryame El Moutamid ESLAB-2012 | ESA/ESTEC Noordwijk Adam's ring and Galatea Maryame -
7 Planetary Rings Matthew S
7 Planetary Rings Matthew S. Tiscareno Center for Radiophysics and Space Research, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA 1Introduction..................................................... 311 1.1 Orbital Elements ..................................................... 312 1.2 Roche Limits, Roche Lobes, and Roche Critical Densities .................... 313 1.3 Optical Depth ....................................................... 316 2 Rings by Planetary System .......................................... 317 2.1 The Rings of Jupiter ................................................... 317 2.2 The Rings of Saturn ................................................... 319 2.3 The Rings of Uranus .................................................. 320 2.4 The Rings of Neptune ................................................. 323 2.5 Unconfirmed Ring Systems ............................................. 324 2.5.1 Mars ............................................................... 324 2.5.2 Pluto ............................................................... 325 2.5.3 Rhea and Other Moons ................................................ 325 2.5.4 Exoplanets ........................................................... 327 3RingsbyType.................................................... 328 3.1 Dense Broad Disks ................................................... 328 3.1.1 Spiral Waves ......................................................... 329 3.1.2 Gap Edges and Moonlet Wakes .......................................... 333 3.1.3 Radial Structure ..................................................... -
JUICE Red Book
ESA/SRE(2014)1 September 2014 JUICE JUpiter ICy moons Explorer Exploring the emergence of habitable worlds around gas giants Definition Study Report European Space Agency 1 This page left intentionally blank 2 Mission Description Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer Key science goals The emergence of habitable worlds around gas giants Characterise Ganymede, Europa and Callisto as planetary objects and potential habitats Explore the Jupiter system as an archetype for gas giants Payload Ten instruments Laser Altimeter Radio Science Experiment Ice Penetrating Radar Visible-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging Spectrometer Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph Imaging System Magnetometer Particle Package Submillimetre Wave Instrument Radio and Plasma Wave Instrument Overall mission profile 06/2022 - Launch by Ariane-5 ECA + EVEE Cruise 01/2030 - Jupiter orbit insertion Jupiter tour Transfer to Callisto (11 months) Europa phase: 2 Europa and 3 Callisto flybys (1 month) Jupiter High Latitude Phase: 9 Callisto flybys (9 months) Transfer to Ganymede (11 months) 09/2032 – Ganymede orbit insertion Ganymede tour Elliptical and high altitude circular phases (5 months) Low altitude (500 km) circular orbit (4 months) 06/2033 – End of nominal mission Spacecraft 3-axis stabilised Power: solar panels: ~900 W HGA: ~3 m, body fixed X and Ka bands Downlink ≥ 1.4 Gbit/day High Δv capability (2700 m/s) Radiation tolerance: 50 krad at equipment level Dry mass: ~1800 kg Ground TM stations ESTRAC network Key mission drivers Radiation tolerance and technology Power budget and solar arrays challenges Mass budget Responsibilities ESA: manufacturing, launch, operations of the spacecraft and data archiving PI Teams: science payload provision, operations, and data analysis 3 Foreword The JUICE (JUpiter ICy moon Explorer) mission, selected by ESA in May 2012 to be the first large mission within the Cosmic Vision Program 2015–2025, will provide the most comprehensive exploration to date of the Jovian system in all its complexity, with particular emphasis on Ganymede as a planetary body and potential habitat. -
Moon Chosen Free
FREE MOON CHOSEN PDF P. C. Cast | 608 pages | 24 Oct 2016 | St Martin's Press | 9781250125781 | English | New York, United States How Far is the Moon? | Moon Facts Moons and rings are among the most fascinating objects in our solar system. Before the Space Race of the s, astronomers knew that Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Moon Chosen, and Neptune had moons; at that time, only Saturn was known to have rings. With the advent of better telescopes and space-based probes that could fly to distant worlds, scientists began to discover many more moons and rings. Moons and rings are typically categorized as "natural satellites" that orbit other worlds. It's not even the largest one. Jupiter's moon Ganymede has that honor. And in addition to the moons orbiting planets, nearly asteroids are known to have moons of their own. The technical term is "natural satellite", which differentiates them from the man-made satellites launched into space by space Moon Chosen. There are dozens of these natural satellites throughout the solar system. Different moons have different origin stories. However, Mars's moons Moon Chosen to be captured asteroids. Moon materials range from rocky material to icy bodies and mixtures of both. Earth's moon is made of rock Moon Chosen volcanic. Mars's moons are the same material as rocky asteroids. Jupiter's moons Moon Chosen largely icy, but with rocky cores. The exception is Io, which is a completely rocky, highly volcanic world. Saturn's moons are mostly ice with rocky cores. Its largest moon, Titan, is predominantly rocky with an icy surface. -
The Orbits of Saturn's Small Satellites Derived From
The Astronomical Journal, 132:692–710, 2006 August A # 2006. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. THE ORBITS OF SATURN’S SMALL SATELLITES DERIVED FROM COMBINED HISTORIC AND CASSINI IMAGING OBSERVATIONS J. N. Spitale CICLOPS, Space Science Institute, 4750 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Boulder, CO 80301; [email protected] R. A. Jacobson Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 C. C. Porco CICLOPS, Space Science Institute, 4750 Walnut Street, Suite 205, Boulder, CO 80301 and W. M. Owen, Jr. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109-8099 Received 2006 February 28; accepted 2006 April 12 ABSTRACT We report on the orbits of the small, inner Saturnian satellites, either recovered or newly discovered in recent Cassini imaging observations. The orbits presented here reflect improvements over our previously published values in that the time base of Cassini observations has been extended, and numerical orbital integrations have been performed in those cases in which simple precessing elliptical, inclined orbit solutions were found to be inadequate. Using combined Cassini and Voyager observations, we obtain an eccentricity for Pan 7 times smaller than previously reported because of the predominance of higher quality Cassini data in the fit. The orbit of the small satellite (S/2005 S1 [Daphnis]) discovered by Cassini in the Keeler gap in the outer A ring appears to be circular and coplanar; no external perturbations are appar- ent. Refined orbits of Atlas, Prometheus, Pandora, Janus, and Epimetheus are based on Cassini , Voyager, Hubble Space Telescope, and Earth-based data and a numerical integration perturbed by all the massive satellites and each other. -
Chapter 14. Saturn and Its Attendants
14. Saturn and Its Attendants 1 Chapter 14. Saturn and Its Attendants Figure 14.3. A Voyager portrait. Note. In this section we survey physical properties of Saturn. Note. Some general facts about Saturn include: Orbital Period 29.5 years Rotation Period 10 hours 40 minutes Tilt of Axis 26◦ Mass 95 times Earth’s mass Surface Gravity 1.13 of Earth’s Albedo 34% Satellites 17 known Galileo was the first to see Saturn’s rings. Huygens explained them as rings and discovered the moon Titan. Cassini observed gaps in the rings and discovered four satellites. Saturn also has differential rotation, and a composition similar to that of Jupiter. 14. Saturn and Its Attendants 2 Note. Saturn is similar to Jupiter, with belts and zones, but the contrast on Saturn is less extreme. Rising and descending gas combines with rapid rotation to form strips circling the planet, as on Jupiter. The interior is similar to Jupiter, with a very thick layer of clouds, a layer of liquid hydrogen and helium, a layer of liquid metallic hydrogen, and a rock-and-ice solid core. Saturn puts out 1.8 times as much energy as it takes in, the excess is from continued differentiation (the heavy stuff sinks and releases energy). Saturn has a magnetic field slightly stronger than Earth’s and its magnetosphere fluctuates in size with solar activity. Figure 14.7. The internal structure of Saturn. Note. There is evidence for as many as 22 satellites. Of primary concern are (in no particular order): Titan. It is only one of two satellites that has an atmosphere. -
Lecture 12 the Rings and Moons of the Outer Planets October 15, 2018
Lecture 12 The Rings and Moons of the Outer Planets October 15, 2018 1 2 Rings of Outer Planets • Rings are not solid but are fragments of material – Saturn: Ice and ice-coated rock (bright) – Others: Dusty ice, rocky material (dark) • Very thin – Saturn rings ~0.05 km thick! • Rings can have many gaps due to small satellites – Saturn and Uranus 3 Rings of Jupiter •Very thin and made of small, dark particles. 4 Rings of Saturn Flash movie 5 Saturn’s Rings Ring structure in natural color, photographed by Cassini probe July 23, 2004. Click on image for Astronomy Picture of the Day site, or here for JPL information 6 Saturn’s Rings (false color) Photo taken by Voyager 2 on August 17, 1981. Click on image for more information 7 Saturn’s Ring System (Cassini) Mars Mimas Janus Venus Prometheus A B C D F G E Pandora Enceladus Epimetheus Earth Tethys Moon Wikipedia image with annotations On July 19, 2013, in an event celebrated the world over, NASA's Cassini spacecraft slipped into Saturn's shadow and turned to image the planet, seven of its moons, its inner rings -- and, in the background, our home planet, Earth. 8 Newly Discovered Saturnian Ring • Nearly invisible ring in the plane of the moon Pheobe’s orbit, tilted 27° from Saturn’s equatorial plane • Discovered by the infrared Spitzer Space Telescope and announced 6 October 2009 • Extends from 128 to 207 Saturnian radii and is about 40 radii thick • Contributes to the two-tone coloring of the moon Iapetus • Click here for more info about the artist’s rendering 9 Rings of Uranus • Uranus -- rings discovered through stellar occultation – Rings block light from star as Uranus moves by. -
The Rings and Inner Moons of Uranus and Neptune: Recent Advances and Open Questions
Workshop on the Study of the Ice Giant Planets (2014) 2031.pdf THE RINGS AND INNER MOONS OF URANUS AND NEPTUNE: RECENT ADVANCES AND OPEN QUESTIONS. Mark R. Showalter1, 1SETI Institute (189 Bernardo Avenue, Mountain View, CA 94043, mshowal- [email protected]! ). The legacy of the Voyager mission still dominates patterns or “modes” seem to require ongoing perturba- our knowledge of the Uranus and Neptune ring-moon tions. It has long been hypothesized that numerous systems. That legacy includes the first clear images of small, unseen ring-moons are responsible, just as the nine narrow, dense Uranian rings and of the ring- Ophelia and Cordelia “shepherd” ring ε. However, arcs of Neptune. Voyager’s cameras also first revealed none of the missing moons were seen by Voyager, sug- eleven small, inner moons at Uranus and six at Nep- gesting that they must be quite small. Furthermore, the tune. The interplay between these rings and moons absence of moons in most of the gaps of Saturn’s rings, continues to raise fundamental dynamical questions; after a decade-long search by Cassini’s cameras, sug- each moon and each ring contributes a piece of the gests that confinement mechanisms other than shep- story of how these systems formed and evolved. herding might be viable. However, the details of these Nevertheless, Earth-based observations have pro- processes are unknown. vided and continue to provide invaluable new insights The outermost µ ring of Uranus shares its orbit into the behavior of these systems. Our most detailed with the tiny moon Mab. Keck and Hubble images knowledge of the rings’ geometry has come from spanning the visual and near-infrared reveal that this Earth-based stellar occultations; one fortuitous stellar ring is distinctly blue, unlike any other ring in the solar alignment revealed the moon Larissa well before Voy- system except one—Saturn’s E ring. -
Abstracts of the 50Th DDA Meeting (Boulder, CO)
Abstracts of the 50th DDA Meeting (Boulder, CO) American Astronomical Society June, 2019 100 — Dynamics on Asteroids break-up event around a Lagrange point. 100.01 — Simulations of a Synthetic Eurybates 100.02 — High-Fidelity Testing of Binary Asteroid Collisional Family Formation with Applications to 1999 KW4 Timothy Holt1; David Nesvorny2; Jonathan Horner1; Alex B. Davis1; Daniel Scheeres1 Rachel King1; Brad Carter1; Leigh Brookshaw1 1 Aerospace Engineering Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder 1 Centre for Astrophysics, University of Southern Queensland (Boulder, Colorado, United States) (Longmont, Colorado, United States) 2 Southwest Research Institute (Boulder, Connecticut, United The commonly accepted formation process for asym- States) metric binary asteroids is the spin up and eventual fission of rubble pile asteroids as proposed by Walsh, Of the six recognized collisional families in the Jo- Richardson and Michel (Walsh et al., Nature 2008) vian Trojan swarms, the Eurybates family is the and Scheeres (Scheeres, Icarus 2007). In this theory largest, with over 200 recognized members. Located a rubble pile asteroid is spun up by YORP until it around the Jovian L4 Lagrange point, librations of reaches a critical spin rate and experiences a mass the members make this family an interesting study shedding event forming a close, low-eccentricity in orbital dynamics. The Jovian Trojans are thought satellite. Further work by Jacobson and Scheeres to have been captured during an early period of in- used a planar, two-ellipsoid model to analyze the stability in the Solar system. The parent body of the evolutionary pathways of such a formation event family, 3548 Eurybates is one of the targets for the from the moment the bodies initially fission (Jacob- LUCY spacecraft, and our work will provide a dy- son and Scheeres, Icarus 2011). -
CLARK PLANETARIUM SOLAR SYSTEM FACT SHEET Data Provided by NASA/JPL and Other Official Sources
CLARK PLANETARIUM SOLAR SYSTEM FACT SHEET Data provided by NASA/JPL and other official sources. This handout ©July 2013 by Clark Planetarium (www.clarkplanetarium.org). May be freely copied by professional educators for classroom use only. The known satellites of the Solar System shown here next to their planets with their sizes (mean diameter in km) in parenthesis. The planets and satellites (with diameters above 1,000 km) are depicted in relative size (with Earth = 0.500 inches) and are arranged in order by their distance from the planet, with the closest at the top. Distances from moon to planet are not listed. Mercury Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto • 1- Metis (44) • 26- Hermippe (4) • 54- Hegemone (3) • 1- S/2009 S1 (1) • 33- Erriapo (10) • 1- Cordelia (40.2) (Dwarf Planet) (no natural satellites) • 2- Adrastea (16) • 27- Praxidike (6.8) • 55- Aoede (4) • 2- Pan (26) • 34- Siarnaq (40) • 2- Ophelia (42.8) • Charon (1186) • 3- Bianca (51.4) Venus • 3- Amalthea (168) • 28- Thelxinoe (2) • 56- Kallichore (2) • 3- Daphnis (7) • 35- Skoll (6) • Nix (60?) • 4- Thebe (98) • 29- Helike (4) • 57- S/2003 J 23 (2) • 4- Atlas (32) • 36- Tarvos (15) • 4- Cressida (79.6) • Hydra (50?) • 5- Desdemona (64) • 30- Iocaste (5.2) • 58- S/2003 J 5 (4) • 5- Prometheus (100.2) • 37- Tarqeq (7) • Kerberos (13-34?) • 5- Io (3,643.2) • 6- Pandora (83.8) • 38- Greip (6) • 6- Juliet (93.6) • 1- Naiad (58) • 31- Ananke (28) • 59- Callirrhoe (7) • Styx (??) • 7- Epimetheus (119) • 39- Hyrrokkin (8) • 7- Portia (135.2) • 2- Thalassa (80) • 6- Europa (3,121.6)