IPB

Welcome Guest ( Log In | Register )

Sublimating Iapetus?
IM4
post Sep 30 2008, 11:55 AM
Post #1


Junior Member
**

Group: Members
Posts: 57
Joined: 21-September 06
Member No.: 1172



Two interesting reports were submitted this year to EGU'08 and DPS'08 conferences, "Magnetic signature of Iapetus’ interaction with the solar wind" and "Iapetus Is An Obstacle To The Solar Wind".

Abstract:
QUOTE
In September 2007 the Cassini spacecraft flew by Iapetus while the moon was in the solar wind, upstream of Saturn. The spacecraft approached from downstream and to the side, but did not pass through the moon's geometric wake. As Cassini reached a point where the interplanetary magnetic field would have connected the spacecraft to Iapetus, the magnetometer observed a strong, and unexpected, perturbation about the diameter of the moon in size. When mapped towards the moon, the perturbation rotates the magnetic field to avoid Iapetus. This perturbation was unlike other variations in the solar wind. Using a three-dimensional simulation of the solar wind-Iapetus interaction, we find that Cassini was too far from the moon to observe the signature due to an inert body. Two familiar sources of perturbations near planetary bodies are mass loading (ionization of neutral gas) and magnetization. Recent work has postulated that Iapetus loses material from the surface via sublimation, but no direct observations of this process have been made. The Earth’s Moon and Mars have crustal magnetization, but Jupiter’s Ganymede is the only non-planetary body confirmed to have a global magnetic field strong enough to deflect the surrounding plasma flow. We use the observations and results from simulation to explore the possibility of and place limits on any mass loading or magnetization at Iapetus.


What kind of material can be sublimating there? Maybe Cassini found a sign for iapetusian activity, geysers or something?
Go to the top of the page
 
+Quote Post

Posts in this topic
- IM4   Sublimating Iapetus?   Sep 30 2008, 11:55 AM
- - alan   QUOTE Recent work has postulated that Iapetus lose...   Sep 30 2008, 02:06 PM


Reply to this topicStart new topic

 



RSS Lo-Fi Version Time is now: 21st May 2024 - 04:21 AM
RULES AND GUIDELINES
Please read the Forum Rules and Guidelines before posting.

IMAGE COPYRIGHT
Images posted on UnmannedSpaceflight.com may be copyrighted. Do not reproduce without permission. Read here for further information on space images and 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.