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Related papers: Saturn's internal structure and carbon enrichment

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Interior models of Jupiter and Saturn are calculated and compared in the framework of the three-layer assumption, which rely on the perception that both planets consist of three globally homogeneous regions: a dense core, a metallic…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-10-31 Tristan Guillot

The gravity field of a giant planet is typically our best window into its interior structure and composition. Through comparison of a model planet's calculated gravitational potential with the observed potential, inferences can be made…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2020-03-18 Naor Movshovitz , Jonathan J. Fortney , Chris Mankovich , Daniel Thorngren , Ravit Helled

Using astrometric observations spanning more than a century and including a large set of Cassini data, we determine Saturn's tidal parameters through their current effects on the orbits of the eight main and four coorbital moons. We have…

The formation of Saturn is modeled by detailed numerical simulations according to the core-nucleated accretion scenario. Previous models are enhanced to include the dissolution of accreting planetesimals, composed of water ice, rock, and…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2025-04-25 Peter Bodenheimer , David J. Stevenson , Jack J. Lissauer , Gennaro D'Angelo

A clustering algorithm is applied to Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem continuum and methane band images of Saturns northern hemisphere to objectively classify regional albedo features and aid in their dynamical interpretation. The…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2017-09-26 Anthony D. Del Genio , John M. Barbara

The incredible longevity of Cassini's orbital mission at Saturn has provided the most comprehensive exploration of a seasonal giant planet to date. This review explores Saturn's changing global temperatures, composition, and aerosol…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2023-05-09 L. N. Fletcher , L. Sromovsky , V. Hue , J. I. Moses , S. Guerlet , R. A. West , T. Koskinen

The aim of this short contribution is to report some preliminary results on a theoretical model of the internal structure of Titan, the satellite of Saturn. All the calculations were performed within the SK theory of dense matter. The…

Astrophysics · Physics 2011-02-19 G. Pavicic , V. Celebonovic

The Cassini spacecraft's Grand Finale orbits provided a unique opportunity to probe Saturn's gravity field and interior structure. Doppler measurements yielded unexpectedly large values for the gravity harmonics J_6, J_8, and J_10 that…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2019-07-17 B. Militzer , S. Wahl , W. B. Hubbard

We present 'empirical' models (pressure vs. density) of Saturn's interior constrained by the gravitational coefficients J_2, J_4, and J_6 for different assumed rotation rates of the planet. The empirical pressure-density profile is…

Astrophysics · Physics 2009-11-13 Ravit Helled , Gerald Schubert , John D. Anderson

The Voyager 1 and 2 Ultraviolet Spectrometer (UVS) solar and stellar occultation dataset represents one of the primary, pre-Cassini sources of information that we have on the neutral upper atmosphere of Saturn. Despite its importance,…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2015-07-15 Ronald J. Vervack , Julianne I. Moses

During the Grand Finale stage of the Cassini mission, organic-rich ring material was discovered to be flowing into Saturn's equatorial upper atmosphere at a surprisingly large rate. Through a series of photochemical models, we have examined…

As they keep cooling and contracting, Solar System giant planets radiate more energy than they receive from the Sun. Applying the first and second principles of thermodynamics, one can determine their cooling rate, luminosity, and…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2013-04-24 Jérémy Leconte , Gilles Chabrier

A multi-decade record of ground-based mid-infrared (7-25 $\mu$m) images of Saturn is used to explore seasonal and non-seasonal variability in thermal emission over more than a Saturnian year (1984-2022). Thermal emission measured by 3-m and…

The details of the Solar system's formation are still heavily debated. Questions remain about the formation locations of the giant planets, and the degree to which volatile material was mixed throughout the proto-planetary system. One…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2013-02-20 Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer , Jeremy Bailey , Jonathan Horner

The origin and evolution of Saturn's rings is critical to understanding the Saturnian system as a whole. Here, we discuss the physical and chemical composition of the rings, as a foundation for evolutionary models described in subsequent…

The Cassini/Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument has been observing the middle atmosphere of Titan over almost half a Saturnian year. We used the CIRS dataset processed through the up-to-date calibration pipeline to…

We use solar occultations observed by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the Cassini Spacecraft to extract the 1 to 5 micron transmission spectrum of Saturn, as if it were a transiting exoplanet. We detect absorption from…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2015-12-09 Paul A. Dalba , Philip S. Muirhead , Jonathan J. Fortney , Matthew M. Hedman , Philip D. Nicholson , Mark J. Veyette

A planet's Lyman-{\alpha} (Ly{\alpha}) emission is sensitive to its thermospheric structure. Here, we report joint Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and Cassini cross-calibration observations of the Saturn Ly{\alpha} emission made two weeks…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2023-11-27 Lotfi Ben-Jaffel , Julie Moses , Robert A. West , M-K. aye , Eric T. Bradley , John T. Clarke , Jay B. Holber , Gilda E. Ballester

A comprehensive exploration of Uranus and Neptune is essential to understand the formation and evolution of the giant planets, in particular, solar system, in general, and, by extension, a vast population of exoplanets. Though core…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2020-06-25 Sushil K. Atreya , Mark H. Hofstadter , Joong Hyun In , Olivier Mousis , Kim Reh , Michael H. Wong

The abundance of deuterium in giant planet atmospheres provides constraints on the reservoirs of ices incorporated into these worlds during their formation and evolution. Motivated by discrepancies in the measured deuterium-hydrogen ratio…