Journal ArticleDOI
Io on the eve of the galileo mission
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Io, the innermost of Jupiter's large moons, is one of the most unusual objects in the Solar System as discussed by the authors, which produces a global heat flux 40 times the terrestrial value, producing intense volcanic activity and a global resurfacing rate averaging perhaps 1 cm yr−1.Abstract:
▪ Abstract Io, innermost of Jupiter's large moons, is one of the most unusual objects in the Solar System. Tidal heating of the interior produces a global heat flux 40 times the terrestrial value, producing intense volcanic activity and a global resurfacing rate averaging perhaps 1 cm yr−1. The volcanoes may erupt mostly silicate lavas, but the uppermost surface is dominated by sulfur compounds including SO2 frost. The volcanoes and frost support a thin, patchy SO2 atmosphere with peak pressure near 10−8 bars. Self-sustaining bombardment of the surface and atmosphere by Io-derived plasma trapped in Jupiter's magnetosphere causes escape of material from Io (predominantly sulfur, oxygen, and sodium atoms, ions, and molecules) at a rate of about 103 kg s−1. The resulting Jupiter-encircling torus of ionized sulfur and oxygen dominates the Jovian magnetosphere and, together with an extended cloud of neutral sodium, is readily observable from Earth.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Vegetation's red edge: a possible spectroscopic biosignature of extraterrestrial plants.
TL;DR: This work presents Earthshine observations from Apache Point Observatory to emphasize that time variability is key to detecting weak surface biosignatures such as the vegetation red edge, and implies that future terrestrial-planet-characterizing space missions should obtain data that allow time-varying, sharp spectral features at unknown wavelengths to be identified.
Journal ArticleDOI
The sub-Alfvénic interaction of the Galilean satellites with the Jovian magnetosphere
TL;DR: In this article, it was shown that the sub-Alfvenic, low-beta interaction can be described by an anisotropic conducting atmosphere joined to an Alfven wing as one extreme case and the Jovian ionosphere as the other extreme case.
Journal ArticleDOI
Active Volcanism on Io as Seen by Galileo SSI
Alfred S. McEwen,Laszlo P. Keszthelyi,Paul Geissler,Damon P. Simonelli,Michael H. Carr,Torrence V. Johnson,Kenneth P. Klaasen,H. Herbert Breneman,Todd J. Jones,James M. Kaufman,K. Magee,David A. Senske,M. J. S. Belton,Gerald Schubert +13 more
TL;DR: Io has been monitored during the nominal Galileo satellite tour from mid 1996 through late 1997 by the Solid State Imaging (SSI) experiment, which was able to observe many manifestations of active volcanism, including changes in the color and albedo of the surface, active airborne plumes, and glowing vents seen in eclipse as discussed by the authors.
BookDOI
Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets
TL;DR: The Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets (CCP) as discussed by the authors is a collection of more than sixty leading experts in the field that sets forth the foundations for this emerging new science and brings the reader to the forefront of our current understanding of atmospheric formation and climate evolution.
Journal ArticleDOI
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy and Spectral Mapping of Jupiter and the Galilean Satellites: Results from Galileo's Initial Orbit
Robert W. Carlson,William D. Smythe,Kevin H. Baines,E. Barbinis,Kris J. Becker,R. Burns,S. B. Calcutt,Wendy M. Calvin,Roger N. Clark,G. E. Danielson,A. G. Davies,Pierre Drossart,T. Encrenaz,Fraser P. Fanale,J. Granahan,Gary B. Hansen,P. Herrera,Charles A. Hibbitts,J. Hui,Patrick G. J. Irwin,Torrence V. Johnson,L. W. Kamp,Hugh H. Kieffer,F. Leader,Emmanuel Lellouch,R. Lopes-Gautier,Dennis L. Matson,Thomas B. McCord,R. Mehlman,Adriana C. Ocampo,Glenn S. Orton,M. Roos-Serote,M. Segura,James H. Shirley,L. A. Soderblom,A. Stevenson,Fredric W. Taylor,J. Torson,Alex A. S. Weir,Paul R. Weissman +39 more
TL;DR: Spectra for a 5-micrometer hot spot on Jupiter are consistent with the absence of a significant water cloud above 8 bars and with a depletion of water compared to that predicted for solar composition, corroborating results from the Galileo probe.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Low-resolution spectra of the Io plasma torus 2 days after the Ulysses encounter☆
TL;DR: In this article, low-resolution spectra of the Io plasma torus have been obtained on 10 and 11 February 1992 (2 days after the Ulysses encounter) using the 2 m telescope of the Bulgarian National Observatory.
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Periodic intensity variations in sulfur emissions from the Io plasma torus
TL;DR: Roesler et al. as mentioned in this paper used 157 spectra of (S II) lambda 6731 emissions from the Io torus with a Fabry-Perot interferometer at the McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope facility on Kitt Peak.
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The Jovian sodium nebula: Two years of ground‐based observations
TL;DR: The 1000-R(sub J)-wide neutral sodium nebula of Jupiter has now been observed on four separate occasions from late 1989 to early 1992 as mentioned in this paper, and the observations have consisted of both low-dispersion spectroscopy and direct imaging.
Journal ArticleDOI
Volcanic Activity on lo at the Time of the Ulysses Encounter.
TL;DR: Groundbased infrared observations of lo between October 1991 and March 1992, contemporaneous with the 8 February 1992 Ulysses observations of the lo torus, show that volcanic thermal emission was at the low end of the normal range at all lo longitudes during this period.
Journal ArticleDOI
SO2-Rich Equatorial Basins and Epeirogeny of Io
TL;DR: The most concentrated deposits of SO 2 frost on Io occur within a series of large equatorial basins, where bright areas are frequently buried by the fallout from the large Pele-type plumes as discussed by the authors.