Iapetus - Black on white or white on black? |
Iapetus - Black on white or white on black? |
Sep 14 2007, 07:40 AM
Post
#1
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 813 Joined: 8-February 04 From: Arabia Terra Member No.: 12 |
Seems to be a lot of dispute on this subject... I think it's ice from the interior, but what does everyone else think?
Edit: This world seems very complex so the question could perhaps be phrased as 'which of these options is most responsible for the Iapetan dichotomy?' |
|
|
Sep 15 2007, 04:59 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 903 Joined: 30-January 05 Member No.: 162 |
I would pick transparent material everywhere, keyed to orbital position relative to Saturn, that only darkens upon exposure to sufficient heat/light from sun.
|
|
|
Sep 15 2007, 08:34 PM
Post
#3
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 809 Joined: 11-March 04 Member No.: 56 |
I would pick transparent material everywhere, keyed to orbital position relative to Saturn, that only darkens upon exposure to sufficient heat/light from sun. I don't think this is possible; where black and white regions are adjacent, the white regions appear to be definitely higher in relief than the black (in some places high enough to cast shadows). Now, that in itself doesn't decide white on black or black on white, because it could be produced either by icy material condensing and/or flowing over a dark background, or by a dark material heating up and causing the ice beneath it to sublimate until it ends up lower than the surrounding lighter regions. However, it's not consistent with the same material merely undergoing a color change -- then you'd expect continuity in relief (and probably not such sharp boundarie, too). Are we going to get information about the chemical composition of the surface materials from this pass? |
|
|
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 23rd September 2024 - 10:26 PM |
RULES AND GUIDELINES Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting. IMAGE COPYRIGHT |
OPINIONS AND MODERATION Opinions expressed on UnmannedSpaceflight.com are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of UnmannedSpaceflight.com or The Planetary Society. The all-volunteer UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderation team is wholly independent of The Planetary Society. The Planetary Society has no influence over decisions made by the UnmannedSpaceflight.com moderators. |
SUPPORT THE FORUM Unmannedspaceflight.com is funded by the Planetary Society. Please consider supporting our work and many other projects by donating to the Society or becoming a member. |