Rev 213, February 26th to March 28th |
Rev 213, February 26th to March 28th |
Feb 17 2015, 09:06 PM
Post
#1
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 655 Joined: 22-January 06 Member No.: 655 |
Details for the next Cassini revolution are now available here. This orbit includes yet another ring occultation, high-res observations of the F-ring, studies of the environment between the inner D-ring and Saturn's cloud tops (proximal orbits anyone?), and a nice Titan flyby focussing primarily on atmosphere and temperature gradients. Also featured, a final glimpse of Iapetus, with a ~1,000,000km flyby which should improve cartography of the northern regions a little. The Iapetus observations are at a similar range to the best Voyager 2 images of that moon, but with a much better camera - the flyby should fill some gaps at medium resolution in the north polar areas.
Much to look forward to! |
|
|
Mar 16 2015, 01:21 PM
Post
#2
|
|
Rover Driver Group: Members Posts: 1015 Joined: 4-March 04 Member No.: 47 |
Nice clump + spirals in the F-ring http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawi...?imageID=326202
|
|
|
Mar 17 2015, 08:31 PM
Post
#3
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 655 Joined: 22-January 06 Member No.: 655 |
|
|
|
Mar 17 2015, 08:40 PM
Post
#4
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 655 Joined: 22-January 06 Member No.: 655 |
Incidentally, there seems to be a large moonlet, or clump of material right at the core of the F-ring in the latest raws.
I don't have the tools to do an mpeg, but images N00236275 to N00236279 show it moving with the ring. It's darker than the ring-material, as it appears to be in the foreground. I'm pretty sure it's not an artifact. Below is one of the images, with the 'moonlet' highlighted |
|
|
Mar 17 2015, 09:36 PM
Post
#5
|
|
Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 3108 Joined: 21-December 05 From: Canberra, Australia Member No.: 615 |
|
|
|
Mar 18 2015, 12:44 AM
Post
#6
|
||
Lord Of The Uranian Rings Group: Members Posts: 798 Joined: 18-July 05 From: Plymouth, UK Member No.: 437 |
Fitting that these were taken on the Ides of March, given that Prometheus looks like a dagger blade here:
-------------------- |
|
|
||
Mar 18 2015, 08:04 PM
Post
#7
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 655 Joined: 22-January 06 Member No.: 655 |
Further to my post above suggesting a moonlet or clump in the vicinity of the F ring, I'm wondering if this is S/2004 S6, a discovery made just after Cassini arrived in the Saturn system.
It's size was constrained at a maximum of ~5km, but it was not recovered in later searches. The object is certainly raising a wake in the F-ring as it orbits, so must have appreciable mass. It must also be very strongly perturbed by both Prometheus and Pandora, making its orbital mechanics difficult to pin down. |
|
|
Mar 18 2015, 08:34 PM
Post
#8
|
|
Solar System Cartographer Group: Members Posts: 10192 Joined: 5-April 05 From: Canada Member No.: 227 |
Some descriptions of these things suggest they form as loose collections of material, dissipate and reform, so it may not really be the same object at all.
Phil -------------------- ... because the Solar System ain't gonna map itself.
Also to be found posting similar content on https://mastodon.social/@PhilStooke Maps for download (free PD: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...Cartography.pdf NOTE: everything created by me which I post on UMSF is considered to be in the public domain (NOT CC, public domain) |
|
|
Mar 19 2015, 07:59 PM
Post
#9
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 655 Joined: 22-January 06 Member No.: 655 |
There's definitely a huge amount of dynamism in and around the F-ring. Perhaps there is a basic 'core' of material to this moonlet (clump) that is fairly constant, but which sheds and re-accretes material as it is shunted, somewhat like a pinball through the core of the F-ring by Prometheus and Pandora, accounting for the 'braiding' which has been apparent since we have been able to observe it (i.e .early-eighties Voyager imagery).
If there's one example of this, then there are likely others too - perhaps a number of transient clumps exist, at various points around the F-ring. This is activity on a scale of years and decades, rather than millennia/aeons, and might explain the observed activity better than as has been suggested, recent impacts onto the F-ring. The F-ring orbits towards the end of the mission will no doubt give us a better insight into these processes. |
|
|
Mar 20 2015, 08:46 PM
Post
#10
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
Anybody know what's going on with the raw images at the the Cassini website? In recent weeks 'search raw images' has not been working and now on the latest few pages there are no images at all, only filenames or placemarkers (whatever the right term is).
|
|
|
Mar 20 2015, 09:28 PM
Post
#11
|
|
Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
Nope. I just sent an email to Alice Wessen.
-------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
|
|
|
Mar 20 2015, 10:31 PM
Post
#12
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 914 Joined: 4-September 06 From: Boston Member No.: 1102 |
Carolyn Porco is going to San Francisco to head up some new projects, so there may be changes in who oversees the image pipeline?
-------------------- |
|
|
Mar 21 2015, 06:58 AM
Post
#13
|
|
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3516 Joined: 4-November 05 From: North Wales Member No.: 542 |
|
|
|
Mar 29 2015, 03:46 PM
Post
#14
|
|
Member Group: Members Posts: 241 Joined: 16-May 06 From: Geneva, Switzerland Member No.: 773 |
And finally, the North Pole of Iapetus. For the first time, craters Roland and Tibbald are fully illuminated. Turgis and Falsaron basins are also visible.
An additional basin in Roncevaux Terra seems also confirmed (upper right). http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/imag...8/N00236614.jpg Regards, Marc. |
|
|
Mar 29 2015, 06:20 PM
Post
#15
|
||
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1645 Joined: 5-March 05 From: Boulder, CO Member No.: 184 |
Indeed, here is how the new image fits into my previous map:
The blinking animation has two frames: 1) New image on top of Voyager map 2) My previous map with Cassini and Voyager -------------------- Steve [ my home page and planetary maps page ]
|
|
|
||
Lo-Fi Version | Time is now: 14th June 2024 - 02:11 AM |
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. |