1
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Li JY, Hirabayashi M, Farnham TL, Sunshine JM, Knight MM, Tancredi G, Moreno F, Murphy B, Opitom C, Chesley S, Scheeres DJ, Thomas CA, Fahnestock EG, Cheng AF, Dressel L, Ernst CM, Ferrari F, Fitzsimmons A, Ieva S, Ivanovski SL, Kareta T, Kolokolova L, Lister T, Raducan SD, Rivkin AS, Rossi A, Soldini S, Stickle AM, Vick A, Vincent JB, Weaver HA, Bagnulo S, Bannister MT, Cambioni S, Campo Bagatin A, Chabot NL, Cremonese G, Daly RT, Dotto E, Glenar DA, Granvik M, Hasselmann PH, Herreros I, Jacobson S, Jutzi M, Kohout T, La Forgia F, Lazzarin M, Lin ZY, Lolachi R, Lucchetti A, Makadia R, Mazzotta Epifani E, Michel P, Migliorini A, Moskovitz NA, Ormö J, Pajola M, Sánchez P, Schwartz SR, Snodgrass C, Steckloff J, Stubbs TJ, Trigo-Rodríguez JM. Ejecta from the DART-produced active asteroid Dimorphos. Nature 2023; 616:452-456. [PMID: 36858074 PMCID: PMC10115637 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05811-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Some active asteroids have been proposed to be formed as a result of impact events1. Because active asteroids are generally discovered by chance only after their tails have fully formed, the process of how impact ejecta evolve into a tail has, to our knowledge, not been directly observed. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission of NASA2, in addition to having successfully changed the orbital period of Dimorphos3, demonstrated the activation process of an asteroid resulting from an impact under precisely known conditions. Here we report the observations of the DART impact ejecta with the Hubble Space Telescope from impact time T + 15 min to T + 18.5 days at spatial resolutions of around 2.1 km per pixel. Our observations reveal the complex evolution of the ejecta, which are first dominated by the gravitational interaction between the Didymos binary system and the ejected dust and subsequently by solar radiation pressure. The lowest-speed ejecta dispersed through a sustained tail that had a consistent morphology with previously observed asteroid tails thought to be produced by an impact4,5. The evolution of the ejecta after the controlled impact experiment of DART thus provides a framework for understanding the fundamental mechanisms that act on asteroids disrupted by a natural impact1,6.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Masatoshi Hirabayashi
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, Department of Geosciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA
| | - Tony L Farnham
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | | | - Matthew M Knight
- Physics Department, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD, USA
| | - Gonzalo Tancredi
- Departamento de Astronomía, Facultad de Ciencias, Udelar, Uruguay
| | | | - Brian Murphy
- University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Steve Chesley
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Daniel J Scheeres
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Eugene G Fahnestock
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Andrew F Cheng
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Linda Dressel
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Carolyn M Ernst
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Fabio Ferrari
- Department of Aerospace Science and Technology, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Alan Fitzsimmons
- School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK
| | - Simone Ieva
- INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Theodore Kareta
- Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | | | - Tim Lister
- Las Cumbres Observatory, Goleta, CA, USA
| | - Sabina D Raducan
- Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew S Rivkin
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Stefania Soldini
- Department of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Angela M Stickle
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | - Alison Vick
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Harold A Weaver
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - Michele T Bannister
- School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Te Kura Matū, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - Saverio Cambioni
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Adriano Campo Bagatin
- Instituto de Física Aplicada a las Ciencias y las Tecnologías, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
- Departamento de Física, Ingeniería de Sistemas y Teoría de la Señal, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Nancy L Chabot
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - R Terik Daly
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA
| | | | - David A Glenar
- Center for Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | - Mikael Granvik
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Asteroid Engineering Laboratory, Luleå University of Technology, Kiruna, Sweden
| | | | - Isabel Herreros
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | - Seth Jacobson
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Martin Jutzi
- Space Research and Planetary Sciences, Physikalisches Institut, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tomas Kohout
- Institute of Geology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Monica Lazzarin
- Dipartimento di Fisica e, Astronomia-Padova University, Padua, Italy
| | - Zhong-Yi Lin
- Institute of Astronomy, National Central University, Taoyuan City, Taiwan
| | - Ramin Lolachi
- Center for Space Science and Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
| | | | - Rahil Makadia
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
| | | | - Patrick Michel
- Laboratoire Lagrange, Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CNRS, Nice, France
| | | | | | - Jens Ormö
- Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), CSIC-INTA, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Paul Sánchez
- Aerospace Engineering Sciences, Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | - Timothy J Stubbs
- Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA
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2
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Singer KN, White OL, Schmitt B, Rader EL, Protopapa S, Grundy WM, Cruikshank DP, Bertrand T, Schenk PM, McKinnon WB, Stern SA, Dhingra RD, Runyon KD, Beyer RA, Bray VJ, Ore CD, Spencer JR, Moore JM, Nimmo F, Keane JT, Young LA, Olkin CB, Lauer TR, Weaver HA, Ennico-Smith K. Large-scale cryovolcanic resurfacing on Pluto. Nat Commun 2022; 13:1542. [PMID: 35351895 PMCID: PMC8964750 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29056-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The New Horizons spacecraft returned images and compositional data showing that terrains on Pluto span a variety of ages, ranging from relatively ancient, heavily cratered areas to very young surfaces with few-to-no impact craters. One of the regions with very few impact craters is dominated by enormous rises with hummocky flanks. Similar features do not exist anywhere else in the imaged solar system. Here we analyze the geomorphology and composition of the features and conclude this region was resurfaced by cryovolcanic processes, of a type and scale so far unique to Pluto. Creation of this terrain requires multiple eruption sites and a large volume of material (>104 km3) to form what we propose are multiple, several-km-high domes, some of which merge to form more complex planforms. The existence of these massive features suggests Pluto’s interior structure and evolution allows for either enhanced retention of heat or more heat overall than was anticipated before New Horizons, which permitted mobilization of water-ice-rich materials late in Pluto’s history. Giant icy volcanos (cryovolcanos) on Pluto are unique in the imaged solar system and provide evidence for unexpected, active geology late in Pluto’s history.
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3
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Spencer JR, Stern SA, Moore JM, Weaver HA, Singer KN, Olkin CB, Verbiscer AJ, McKinnon WB, Parker JW, Beyer RA, Keane JT, Lauer TR, Porter SB, White OL, Buratti BJ, El-Maarry MR, Lisse CM, Parker AH, Throop HB, Robbins SJ, Umurhan OM, Binzel RP, Britt DT, Buie MW, Cheng AF, Cruikshank DP, Elliott HA, Gladstone GR, Grundy WM, Hill ME, Horanyi M, Jennings DE, Kavelaars JJ, Linscott IR, McComas DJ, McNutt RL, Protopapa S, Reuter DC, Schenk PM, Showalter MR, Young LA, Zangari AM, Abedin AY, Beddingfield CB, Benecchi SD, Bernardoni E, Bierson CJ, Borncamp D, Bray VJ, Chaikin AL, Dhingra RD, Fuentes C, Fuse T, Gay PL, Gwyn SDJ, Hamilton DP, Hofgartner JD, Holman MJ, Howard AD, Howett CJA, Karoji H, Kaufmann DE, Kinczyk M, May BH, Mountain M, Pätzold M, Petit JM, Piquette MR, Reid IN, Reitsema HJ, Runyon KD, Sheppard SS, Stansberry JA, Stryk T, Tanga P, Tholen DJ, Trilling DE, Wasserman LH. The geology and geophysics of Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth. Science 2020; 367:science.aay3999. [PMID: 32054694 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay3999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The Cold Classical Kuiper Belt, a class of small bodies in undisturbed orbits beyond Neptune, is composed of primitive objects preserving information about Solar System formation. In January 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft flew past one of these objects, the 36-kilometer-long contact binary (486958) Arrokoth (provisional designation 2014 MU69). Images from the flyby show that Arrokoth has no detectable rings, and no satellites (larger than 180 meters in diameter) within a radius of 8000 kilometers. Arrokoth has a lightly cratered, smooth surface with complex geological features, unlike those on previously visited Solar System bodies. The density of impact craters indicates the surface dates from the formation of the Solar System. The two lobes of the contact binary have closely aligned poles and equators, constraining their accretion mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Spencer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.
| | - S A Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J M Moore
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA
| | - H A Weaver
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - K N Singer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - C B Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A J Verbiscer
- Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - W B McKinnon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - J Wm Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - R A Beyer
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.,NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA
| | - J T Keane
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - T R Lauer
- National Science Foundation's National Optical Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, Tucson, AZ 26732, USA
| | - S B Porter
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - O L White
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA.,NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA
| | - B J Buratti
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M R El-Maarry
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK.,University College London, Gower St, Bloomsbury, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - C M Lisse
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A H Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H B Throop
- Independent Consultant, Washington, D.C., USA
| | - S J Robbins
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - O M Umurhan
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA
| | - R P Binzel
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - D T Britt
- Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
| | - M W Buie
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A F Cheng
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D P Cruikshank
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035-1000, USA
| | - H A Elliott
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - G R Gladstone
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - W M Grundy
- Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.,Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
| | - M E Hill
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M Horanyi
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - D E Jennings
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - J J Kavelaars
- National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
| | - I R Linscott
- Independent Consultant, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - D J McComas
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - R L McNutt
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S Protopapa
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D C Reuter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - P M Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | | | - L A Young
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A M Zangari
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A Y Abedin
- National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
| | | | - S D Benecchi
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - E Bernardoni
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - C J Bierson
- Earth and Planetary Science Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - D Borncamp
- Decipher Technology Studios, Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
| | - V J Bray
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - A L Chaikin
- Independent Science Writer, Arlington, VT 05250, USA
| | | | - C Fuentes
- Universidad de Chile, Centro de Astrofísica y Tecnologías Afines, Santiago, Chile
| | - T Fuse
- Kashima Space Technology Center, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Kashima, Ibaraki 314-8501, Japan
| | - P L Gay
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - S D J Gwyn
- National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
| | - D P Hamilton
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - J D Hofgartner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M J Holman
- Center for Astrophysics, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - A D Howard
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - C J A Howett
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H Karoji
- National Institutes of Natural Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
| | - D E Kaufmann
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - M Kinczyk
- Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - B H May
- Independent Collaborator, Windlesham GU20 6YW, UK
| | - M Mountain
- Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Washington, DC 20004, USA
| | - M Pätzold
- Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung an der Universität zu Köln, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - J M Petit
- Institut Univers, Temps-fréquence, Interfaces, Nanostructures, Atmosphère et environnement, Molécules, Unité Mixte de Recherche, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Universite Bourgogne Franche Comte, F-25000 Besancon, France
| | - M R Piquette
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - I N Reid
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | | | - K D Runyon
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S S Sheppard
- Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution for Science, Washington, DC 20015, USA
| | - J A Stansberry
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - T Stryk
- Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - P Tanga
- Université Côte d'Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Laboratoire Lagrange/ Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7293, 06304 Nice Cedex 4, France
| | - D J Tholen
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
| | - D E Trilling
- Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA
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4
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Grundy WM, Bird MK, Britt DT, Cook JC, Cruikshank DP, Howett CJA, Krijt S, Linscott IR, Olkin CB, Parker AH, Protopapa S, Ruaud M, Umurhan OM, Young LA, Dalle Ore CM, Kavelaars JJ, Keane JT, Pendleton YJ, Porter SB, Scipioni F, Spencer JR, Stern SA, Verbiscer AJ, Weaver HA, Binzel RP, Buie MW, Buratti BJ, Cheng A, Earle AM, Elliott HA, Gabasova L, Gladstone GR, Hill ME, Horanyi M, Jennings DE, Lunsford AW, McComas DJ, McKinnon WB, McNutt RL, Moore JM, Parker JW, Quirico E, Reuter DC, Schenk PM, Schmitt B, Showalter MR, Singer KN, Weigle GE, Zangari AM. Color, composition, and thermal environment of Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth. Science 2020; 367:science.aay3705. [PMID: 32054693 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay3705] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The outer Solar System object (486958) Arrokoth (provisional designation 2014 MU69) has been largely undisturbed since its formation. We studied its surface composition using data collected by the New Horizons spacecraft. Methanol ice is present along with organic material, which may have formed through irradiation of simple molecules. Water ice was not detected. This composition indicates hydrogenation of carbon monoxide-rich ice and/or energetic processing of methane condensed on water ice grains in the cold, outer edge of the early Solar System. There are only small regional variations in color and spectra across the surface, which suggests that Arrokoth formed from a homogeneous or well-mixed reservoir of solids. Microwave thermal emission from the winter night side is consistent with a mean brightness temperature of 29 ± 5 kelvin.
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Affiliation(s)
- W M Grundy
- Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA. .,Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - M K Bird
- Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, University of Bonn, D-53121 Bonn, Germany.,Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung, Universität zu Köln, 50931 Cologne, Germany
| | - D T Britt
- University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
| | - J C Cook
- Pinhead Institute, Telluride, CO 81435, USA
| | | | - C J A Howett
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S Krijt
- Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | | | - C B Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A H Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S Protopapa
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - M Ruaud
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - O M Umurhan
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - L A Young
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - C M Dalle Ore
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - J J Kavelaars
- National Research Council, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
| | - J T Keane
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Y J Pendleton
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - S B Porter
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - F Scipioni
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - J R Spencer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S A Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A J Verbiscer
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - H A Weaver
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - R P Binzel
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - M W Buie
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - B J Buratti
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - A Cheng
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A M Earle
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - H A Elliott
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - L Gabasova
- Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - G R Gladstone
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - M E Hill
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M Horanyi
- University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - D E Jennings
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - A W Lunsford
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - D J McComas
- Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | | | - R L McNutt
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J M Moore
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - J W Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - E Quirico
- Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - D C Reuter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - P M Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - B Schmitt
- Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Grenoble Alpes, Grenoble, France
| | - M R Showalter
- Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - K N Singer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - G E Weigle
- Big Head Endian LLC, Leawood, KS 67019, USA
| | - A M Zangari
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
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5
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McKinnon WB, Richardson DC, Marohnic JC, Keane JT, Grundy WM, Hamilton DP, Nesvorný D, Umurhan OM, Lauer TR, Singer KN, Stern SA, Weaver HA, Spencer JR, Buie MW, Moore JM, Kavelaars JJ, Lisse CM, Mao X, Parker AH, Porter SB, Showalter MR, Olkin CB, Cruikshank DP, Elliott HA, Gladstone GR, Parker JW, Verbiscer AJ, Young LA. The solar nebula origin of (486958) Arrokoth, a primordial contact binary in the Kuiper Belt. Science 2020; 367:science.aay6620. [PMID: 32054695 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay6620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The New Horizons spacecraft's encounter with the cold classical Kuiper Belt object (486958) Arrokoth (provisional designation 2014 MU69) revealed a contact-binary planetesimal. We investigated how Arrokoth formed and found that it is the product of a gentle, low-speed merger in the early Solar System. Its two lenticular lobes suggest low-velocity accumulation of numerous smaller planetesimals within a gravitationally collapsing cloud of solid particles. The geometric alignment of the lobes indicates that they were a co-orbiting binary that experienced angular momentum loss and subsequent merger, possibly because of dynamical friction and collisions within the cloud or later gas drag. Arrokoth's contact-binary shape was preserved by the benign dynamical and collisional environment of the cold classical Kuiper Belt and therefore informs the accretion processes that operated in the early Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- W B McKinnon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
| | - D C Richardson
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - J C Marohnic
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - J T Keane
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - W M Grundy
- Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.,Department of Astronomy and Planetary Science, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - D P Hamilton
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - D Nesvorný
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - O M Umurhan
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - T R Lauer
- National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory, National Science Foundation, Tucson, AZ 85726, USA
| | - K N Singer
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S A Stern
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H A Weaver
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J R Spencer
- National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
| | - M W Buie
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J M Moore
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - J J Kavelaars
- National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
| | - C M Lisse
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - X Mao
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - A H Parker
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S B Porter
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - C B Olkin
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D P Cruikshank
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - H A Elliott
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - G R Gladstone
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - J Wm Parker
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A J Verbiscer
- Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - L A Young
- Division of Space Science and Engineering, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
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6
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Cruikshank DP, Materese CK, Pendleton YJ, Boston PJ, Grundy WM, Schmitt B, Lisse CM, Runyon KD, Keane JT, Beyer RA, Summers ME, Scipioni F, Stern SA, Dalle Ore CM, Olkin CB, Young LA, Ennico K, Weaver HA, Bray VJ. Prebiotic Chemistry of Pluto. Astrobiology 2019; 19:831-848. [PMID: 30907634 DOI: 10.1089/ast.2018.1927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We present the case for the presence of complex organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleobases, formed by abiotic processes on the surface and in near-subsurface regions of Pluto. Pluto's surface is tinted with a range of non-ice substances with colors ranging from light yellow to red to dark brown; the colors match those of laboratory organic residues called tholins. Tholins are broadly characterized as complex, macromolecular organic solids consisting of a network of aromatic structures connected by aliphatic bridging units (e.g., Imanaka et al., 2004; Materese et al., 2014, 2015). The synthesis of tholins in planetary atmospheres and in surface ices has been explored in numerous laboratory experiments, and both gas- and solid-phase varieties are found on Pluto. A third variety of tholins, exposed at a site of tectonic surface fracturing called Virgil Fossae, appears to have come from a reservoir in the subsurface. Eruptions of tholin-laden liquid H2O from a subsurface aqueous repository appear to have covered portions of Virgil Fossae and its surroundings with a uniquely colored deposit (D.P. Cruikshank, personal communication) that is geographically correlated with an exposure of H2O ice that includes spectroscopically detected NH3 (C.M. Dalle Ore, personal communication). The subsurface organic material could have been derived from presolar or solar nebula processes, or might have formed in situ. Photolysis and radiolysis of a mixture of ices relevant to Pluto's surface composition (N2, CH4, CO) have produced strongly colored, complex organics with a significant aromatic content having a high degree of nitrogen substitution similar to the aromatic heterocycles pyrimidine and purine (Materese et al., 2014, 2015; Cruikshank et al., 2016). Experiments with pyrimidines and purines frozen in H2O-NH3 ice resulted in the formation of numerous nucleobases, including the biologically relevant guanine, cytosine, adenine, uracil, and thymine (Materese et al., 2017). The red material associated with the H2O ice may contain nucleobases resulting from energetic processing on Pluto's surface or in the interior. Some other Kuiper Belt objects also exhibit red colors similar to those found on Pluto and may therefore carry similar inventories of complex organic materials. The widespread and ubiquitous nature of similarly complex organic materials observed in a variety of astronomical settings drives the need for additional laboratory and modeling efforts to explain the origin and evolution of organic molecules. Pluto observations reveal complex organics on a small body that remains close to its place of origin in the outermost regions of the Solar System.
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Affiliation(s)
- D P Cruikshank
- 1NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - C K Materese
- 2Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA
| | - Y J Pendleton
- 1NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - P J Boston
- 1NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - W M Grundy
- 3Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
| | - B Schmitt
- 4Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, Grenoble, France
| | - C M Lisse
- 5Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - K D Runyon
- 5Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - J T Keane
- 6California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
| | - R A Beyer
- 1NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - M E Summers
- 7Department of Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
| | - F Scipioni
- 1NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - S A Stern
- 8Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - C M Dalle Ore
- 1NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - C B Olkin
- 8Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - L A Young
- 8Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - K Ennico
- 1NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California, USA
| | - H A Weaver
- 5Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA
| | - V J Bray
- 9Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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7
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Stern SA, Weaver HA, Spencer JR, Olkin CB, Gladstone GR, Grundy WM, Moore JM, Cruikshank DP, Elliott HA, McKinnon WB, Parker JW, Verbiscer AJ, Young LA, Aguilar DA, Albers JM, Andert T, Andrews JP, Bagenal F, Banks ME, Bauer BA, Bauman JA, Bechtold KE, Beddingfield CB, Behrooz N, Beisser KB, Benecchi SD, Bernardoni E, Beyer RA, Bhaskaran S, Bierson CJ, Binzel RP, Birath EM, Bird MK, Boone DR, Bowman AF, Bray VJ, Britt DT, Brown LE, Buckley MR, Buie MW, Buratti BJ, Burke LM, Bushman SS, Carcich B, Chaikin AL, Chavez CL, Cheng AF, Colwell EJ, Conard SJ, Conner MP, Conrad CA, Cook JC, Cooper SB, Custodio OS, Dalle Ore CM, Deboy CC, Dharmavaram P, Dhingra RD, Dunn GF, Earle AM, Egan AF, Eisig J, El-Maarry MR, Engelbrecht C, Enke BL, Ercol CJ, Fattig ED, Ferrell CL, Finley TJ, Firer J, Fischetti J, Folkner WM, Fosbury MN, Fountain GH, Freeze JM, Gabasova L, Glaze LS, Green JL, Griffith GA, Guo Y, Hahn M, Hals DW, Hamilton DP, Hamilton SA, Hanley JJ, Harch A, Harmon KA, Hart HM, Hayes J, Hersman CB, Hill ME, Hill TA, Hofgartner JD, Holdridge ME, Horányi M, Hosadurga A, Howard AD, Howett CJA, Jaskulek SE, Jennings DE, Jensen JR, Jones MR, Kang HK, Katz DJ, Kaufmann DE, Kavelaars JJ, Keane JT, Keleher GP, Kinczyk M, Kochte MC, Kollmann P, Krimigis SM, Kruizinga GL, Kusnierkiewicz DY, Lahr MS, Lauer TR, Lawrence GB, Lee JE, Lessac-Chenen EJ, Linscott IR, Lisse CM, Lunsford AW, Mages DM, Mallder VA, Martin NP, May BH, McComas DJ, McNutt RL, Mehoke DS, Mehoke TS, Nelson DS, Nguyen HD, Núñez JI, Ocampo AC, Owen WM, Oxton GK, Parker AH, Pätzold M, Pelgrift JY, Pelletier FJ, Pineau JP, Piquette MR, Porter SB, Protopapa S, Quirico E, Redfern JA, Regiec AL, Reitsema HJ, Reuter DC, Richardson DC, Riedel JE, Ritterbush MA, Robbins SJ, Rodgers DJ, Rogers GD, Rose DM, Rosendall PE, Runyon KD, Ryschkewitsch MG, Saina MM, Salinas MJ, Schenk PM, Scherrer JR, Schlei WR, Schmitt B, Schultz DJ, Schurr DC, Scipioni F, Sepan RL, Shelton RG, Showalter MR, Simon M, Singer KN, Stahlheber EW, Stanbridge DR, Stansberry JA, Steffl AJ, Strobel DF, Stothoff MM, Stryk T, Stuart JR, Summers ME, Tapley MB, Taylor A, Taylor HW, Tedford RM, Throop HB, Turner LS, Umurhan OM, Van Eck J, Velez D, Versteeg MH, Vincent MA, Webbert RW, Weidner SE, Weigle GE, Wendel JR, White OL, Whittenburg KE, Williams BG, Williams KE, Williams SP, Winters HL, Zangari AM, Zurbuchen TH. Initial results from the New Horizons exploration of 2014 MU 69, a small Kuiper Belt object. Science 2019; 364:364/6441/eaaw9771. [PMID: 31097641 DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw9771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The Kuiper Belt is a distant region of the outer Solar System. On 1 January 2019, the New Horizons spacecraft flew close to (486958) 2014 MU69, a cold classical Kuiper Belt object approximately 30 kilometers in diameter. Such objects have never been substantially heated by the Sun and are therefore well preserved since their formation. We describe initial results from these encounter observations. MU69 is a bilobed contact binary with a flattened shape, discrete geological units, and noticeable albedo heterogeneity. However, there is little surface color or compositional heterogeneity. No evidence for satellites, rings or other dust structures, a gas coma, or solar wind interactions was detected. MU69's origin appears consistent with pebble cloud collapse followed by a low-velocity merger of its two lobes.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.
| | - H A Weaver
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J R Spencer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - C B Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - G R Gladstone
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - W M Grundy
- Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
| | - J M Moore
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - D P Cruikshank
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - H A Elliott
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA.,Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Texas, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - W B McKinnon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - J Wm Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A J Verbiscer
- Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - L A Young
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D A Aguilar
- Independent consultant, Carbondale, CO 81623, USA
| | - J M Albers
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - T Andert
- Universität der Bundeswehr München, Neubiberg 85577, Germany
| | - J P Andrews
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - F Bagenal
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - M E Banks
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - B A Bauer
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - K E Bechtold
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C B Beddingfield
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - N Behrooz
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - K B Beisser
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S D Benecchi
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - E Bernardoni
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - R A Beyer
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - S Bhaskaran
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - C J Bierson
- Earth and Planetary Science Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - R P Binzel
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - E M Birath
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - M K Bird
- Argelander-Institut für Astronomie, University of Bonn, Bonn D-53121, Germany.,Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung, Universität zu Köln, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - D R Boone
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - A F Bowman
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - V J Bray
- Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - D T Britt
- Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA
| | - L E Brown
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M R Buckley
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M W Buie
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - B J Buratti
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - L M Burke
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S S Bushman
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - B Carcich
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.,Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - A L Chaikin
- Independent science writer, Arlington, VT 05250, USA
| | - C L Chavez
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - A F Cheng
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - E J Colwell
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S J Conard
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M P Conner
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C A Conrad
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J C Cook
- Pinhead Institute, Telluride, CO 81435, USA
| | - S B Cooper
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - O S Custodio
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C M Dalle Ore
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - C C Deboy
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - P Dharmavaram
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - G F Dunn
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - A M Earle
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A F Egan
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J Eisig
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M R El-Maarry
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK
| | - C Engelbrecht
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - B L Enke
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - C J Ercol
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - E D Fattig
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - C L Ferrell
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - T J Finley
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J Firer
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - W M Folkner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M N Fosbury
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - G H Fountain
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J M Freeze
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - L Gabasova
- University Grenoble Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - L S Glaze
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - J L Green
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - G A Griffith
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - Y Guo
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M Hahn
- Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung, Universität zu Köln, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - D W Hals
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D P Hamilton
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - S A Hamilton
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J J Hanley
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - A Harch
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - K A Harmon
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - H M Hart
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J Hayes
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C B Hersman
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M E Hill
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - T A Hill
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J D Hofgartner
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M E Holdridge
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M Horányi
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - A Hosadurga
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A D Howard
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - C J A Howett
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S E Jaskulek
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D E Jennings
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - J R Jensen
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M R Jones
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - H K Kang
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D J Katz
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D E Kaufmann
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J J Kavelaars
- National Research Council of Canada, Victoria, BC V9E 2E7, Canada
| | - J T Keane
- Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - G P Keleher
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M Kinczyk
- Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - M C Kochte
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - P Kollmann
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S M Krimigis
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - G L Kruizinga
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - D Y Kusnierkiewicz
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M S Lahr
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - T R Lauer
- National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 26732, USA
| | - G B Lawrence
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J E Lee
- NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812, USA
| | | | - I R Linscott
- Independent consultant, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - C M Lisse
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A W Lunsford
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - D M Mages
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - V A Mallder
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - N P Martin
- Independent consultant, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - B H May
- Independent collaborator, Windlesham GU20 6YW, UK
| | - D J McComas
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA.,Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - R L McNutt
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D S Mehoke
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - T S Mehoke
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - H D Nguyen
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J I Núñez
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A C Ocampo
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - W M Owen
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - G K Oxton
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A H Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - M Pätzold
- Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung, Universität zu Köln, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | | | | | - J P Pineau
- Stellar Solutions, Palo Alto, CA 94306, USA
| | - M R Piquette
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - S B Porter
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S Protopapa
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - E Quirico
- University Grenoble Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - J A Redfern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A L Regiec
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - D C Reuter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - D C Richardson
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - J E Riedel
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M A Ritterbush
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - S J Robbins
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D J Rodgers
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - G D Rogers
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D M Rose
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - P E Rosendall
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - K D Runyon
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M G Ryschkewitsch
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M M Saina
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - P M Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - J R Scherrer
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - W R Schlei
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - B Schmitt
- University Grenoble Alpes, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Planétologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble, 38000 Grenoble, France
| | - D J Schultz
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D C Schurr
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - F Scipioni
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - R L Sepan
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - R G Shelton
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - M Simon
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - K N Singer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - E W Stahlheber
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - J A Stansberry
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - A J Steffl
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D F Strobel
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - M M Stothoff
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - T Stryk
- Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - J R Stuart
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M E Summers
- George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
| | - M B Tapley
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - A Taylor
- KinetX Aerospace, Tempe, AZ 85284, USA
| | - H W Taylor
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - R M Tedford
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H B Throop
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - L S Turner
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - O M Umurhan
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - J Van Eck
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D Velez
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - M H Versteeg
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - M A Vincent
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - R W Webbert
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S E Weidner
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - G E Weigle
- Independent consultant, Burden, KS 67019, USA
| | - J R Wendel
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - O L White
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.,SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - K E Whittenburg
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | | | - S P Williams
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - H L Winters
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A M Zangari
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
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8
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Singer KN, McKinnon WB, Gladman B, Greenstreet S, Bierhaus EB, Stern SA, Parker AH, Robbins SJ, Schenk PM, Grundy WM, Bray VJ, Beyer RA, Binzel RP, Weaver HA, Young LA, Spencer JR, Kavelaars JJ, Moore JM, Zangari AM, Olkin CB, Lauer TR, Lisse CM, Ennico K. Impact craters on Pluto and Charon indicate a deficit of small Kuiper belt objects. Science 2019; 363:955-959. [PMID: 30819958 DOI: 10.1126/science.aap8628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The flyby of Pluto and Charon by the New Horizons spacecraft provided high-resolution images of cratered surfaces embedded in the Kuiper belt, an extensive region of bodies orbiting beyond Neptune. Impact craters on Pluto and Charon were formed by collisions with other Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) with diameters from ~40 kilometers to ~300 meters, smaller than most KBOs observed directly by telescopes. We find a relative paucity of small craters ≲13 kilometers in diameter, which cannot be explained solely by geological resurfacing. This implies a deficit of small KBOs (≲1 to 2 kilometers in diameter). Some surfaces on Pluto and Charon are likely ≳4 billion years old, thus their crater records provide information on the size-frequency distribution of KBOs in the early Solar System.
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9
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Moore JM, McKinnon WB, Spencer JR, Howard AD, Schenk PM, Beyer RA, Nimmo F, Singer KN, Umurhan OM, White OL, Stern SA, Ennico K, Olkin CB, Weaver HA, Young LA, Binzel RP, Buie MW, Buratti BJ, Cheng AF, Cruikshank DP, Grundy WM, Linscott IR, Reitsema HJ, Reuter DC, Showalter MR, Bray VJ, Chavez CL, Howett CJA, Lauer TR, Lisse CM, Parker AH, Porter SB, Robbins SJ, Runyon K, Stryk T, Throop HB, Tsang CCC, Verbiscer AJ, Zangari AM, Chaikin AL, Wilhelms DE. The geology of Pluto and Charon through the eyes of New Horizons. Science 2016; 351:1284-93. [PMID: 26989245 DOI: 10.1126/science.aad7055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft has revealed the complex geology of Pluto and Charon. Pluto's encounter hemisphere shows ongoing surface geological activity centered on a vast basin containing a thick layer of volatile ices that appears to be involved in convection and advection, with a crater retention age no greater than ~10 million years. Surrounding terrains show active glacial flow, apparent transport and rotation of large buoyant water-ice crustal blocks, and pitting, the latter likely caused by sublimation erosion and/or collapse. More enigmatic features include tall mounds with central depressions that are conceivably cryovolcanic and ridges with complex bladed textures. Pluto also has ancient cratered terrains up to ~4 billion years old that are extensionally faulted and extensively mantled and perhaps eroded by glacial or other processes. Charon does not appear to be currently active, but experienced major extensional tectonism and resurfacing (probably cryovolcanic) nearly 4 billion years ago. Impact crater populations on Pluto and Charon are not consistent with the steepest impactor size-frequency distributions proposed for the Kuiper belt.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey M Moore
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA.
| | - William B McKinnon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | | | - Alan D Howard
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Paul M Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - Ross A Beyer
- The SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | | | | | - Orkan M Umurhan
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - Oliver L White
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - S Alan Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - Kimberly Ennico
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - Cathy B Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - Harold A Weaver
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | | | - Marc W Buie
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - Andrew F Cheng
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - Dale P Cruikshank
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Carrie L Chavez
- The SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | | | - Tod R Lauer
- National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Carey M Lisse
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - S B Porter
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - Kirby Runyon
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - Ted Stryk
- Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | | | | | - Anne J Verbiscer
- Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | | | | | - Don E Wilhelms
- U.S. Geological Survey, Retired, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA
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10
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Weaver HA, Buie MW, Buratti BJ, Grundy WM, Lauer TR, Olkin CB, Parker AH, Porter SB, Showalter MR, Spencer JR, Stern SA, Verbiscer AJ, McKinnon WB, Moore JM, Robbins SJ, Schenk P, Singer KN, Barnouin OS, Cheng AF, Ernst CM, Lisse CM, Jennings DE, Lunsford AW, Reuter DC, Hamilton DP, Kaufmann DE, Ennico K, Young LA, Beyer RA, Binzel RP, Bray VJ, Chaikin AL, Cook JC, Cruikshank DP, Dalle Ore CM, Earle AM, Gladstone GR, Howett CJA, Linscott IR, Nimmo F, Parker JW, Philippe S, Protopapa S, Reitsema HJ, Schmitt B, Stryk T, Summers ME, Tsang CCC, Throop HHB, White OL, Zangari AM. The small satellites of Pluto as observed by New Horizons. Science 2016; 351:aae0030. [PMID: 26989256 DOI: 10.1126/science.aae0030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The New Horizons mission has provided resolved measurements of Pluto's moons Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. All four are small, with equivalent spherical diameters of ~40 kilometers for Nix and Hydra and ~10 kilometers for Styx and Kerberos. They are also highly elongated, with maximum to minimum axis ratios of ~2. All four moons have high albedos (~50 to 90%) suggestive of a water-ice surface composition. Crater densities on Nix and Hydra imply surface ages of at least 4 billion years. The small moons rotate much faster than synchronous, with rotational poles clustered nearly orthogonal to the common pole directions of Pluto and Charon. These results reinforce the hypothesis that the small moons formed in the aftermath of a collision that produced the Pluto-Charon binary.
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Weaver
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.
| | - M W Buie
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - B J Buratti
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - W M Grundy
- Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA
| | - T R Lauer
- National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 26732, USA
| | - C B Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A H Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S B Porter
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - J R Spencer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S A Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A J Verbiscer
- Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - W B McKinnon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - J M Moore
- Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - S J Robbins
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - P Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - K N Singer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - O S Barnouin
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A F Cheng
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C M Ernst
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C M Lisse
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D E Jennings
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - A W Lunsford
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - D C Reuter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - D P Hamilton
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - D E Kaufmann
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - K Ennico
- Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - L A Young
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - R A Beyer
- SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - R P Binzel
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - V J Bray
- University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - A L Chaikin
- Independent science writer, Arlington, VT, USA
| | - J C Cook
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D P Cruikshank
- Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - C M Dalle Ore
- Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - A M Earle
- University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - G R Gladstone
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
| | - C J A Howett
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - F Nimmo
- University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - J Wm Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S Philippe
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - S Protopapa
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - H J Reitsema
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - B Schmitt
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - T Stryk
- Roane State Community College, Oak Ridge, TN 37830, USA
| | - M E Summers
- George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
| | - C C C Tsang
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H H B Throop
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - O L White
- Space Science Division, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - A M Zangari
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
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11
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Bagenal F, Horányi M, McComas DJ, McNutt RL, Elliott HA, Hill ME, Brown LE, Delamere PA, Kollmann P, Krimigis SM, Kusterer M, Lisse CM, Mitchell DG, Piquette M, Poppe AR, Strobel DF, Szalay JR, Valek P, Vandegriff J, Weidner S, Zirnstein EJ, Stern SA, Ennico K, Olkin CB, Weaver HA, Young LA. Pluto's interaction with its space environment: Solar wind, energetic particles, and dust. Science 2016; 351:aad9045. [PMID: 26989259 DOI: 10.1126/science.aad9045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The New Horizons spacecraft carried three instruments that measured the space environment near Pluto as it flew by on 14 July 2015. The Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument revealed an interaction region confined sunward of Pluto to within about 6 Pluto radii. The region's surprisingly small size is consistent with a reduced atmospheric escape rate, as well as a particularly high solar wind flux. Observations from the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instrument suggest that ions are accelerated and/or deflected around Pluto. In the wake of the interaction region, PEPSSI observed suprathermal particle fluxes equal to about 1/10 of the flux in the interplanetary medium and increasing with distance downstream. The Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter, which measures grains with radii larger than 1.4 micrometers, detected one candidate impact in ±5 days around New Horizons' closest approach, indicating an upper limit of <4.6 kilometers(-3) for the dust density in the Pluto system.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Bagenal
- Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80600, USA.
| | - M Horányi
- Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80600, USA
| | - D J McComas
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78228, USA. University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - R L McNutt
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - H A Elliott
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78228, USA
| | - M E Hill
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - L E Brown
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - P Kollmann
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S M Krimigis
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA. Academy of Athens, 28 Panapistimiou, 10679 Athens, Greece
| | - M Kusterer
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C M Lisse
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D G Mitchell
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M Piquette
- Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80600, USA
| | - A R Poppe
- Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - D F Strobel
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - J R Szalay
- Laboratory of Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80600, USA. Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - P Valek
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78228, USA
| | - J Vandegriff
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S Weidner
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78228, USA
| | - E J Zirnstein
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78228, USA
| | - S A Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - K Ennico
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - C B Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H A Weaver
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - L A Young
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
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12
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Gladstone GR, Stern SA, Ennico K, Olkin CB, Weaver HA, Young LA, Summers ME, Strobel DF, Hinson DP, Kammer JA, Parker AH, Steffl AJ, Linscott IR, Parker JW, Cheng AF, Slater DC, Versteeg MH, Greathouse TK, Retherford KD, Throop H, Cunningham NJ, Woods WW, Singer KN, Tsang CCC, Schindhelm E, Lisse CM, Wong ML, Yung YL, Zhu X, Curdt W, Lavvas P, Young EF, Tyler GL, Bagenal F, Grundy WM, McKinnon WB, Moore JM, Spencer JR, Andert T, Andrews J, Banks M, Bauer B, Bauman J, Barnouin OS, Bedini P, Beisser K, Beyer RA, Bhaskaran S, Binzel RP, Birath E, Bird M, Bogan DJ, Bowman A, Bray VJ, Brozovic M, Bryan C, Buckley MR, Buie MW, Buratti BJ, Bushman SS, Calloway A, Carcich B, Conard S, Conrad CA, Cook JC, Cruikshank DP, Custodio OS, Ore CMD, Deboy C, Dischner ZJB, Dumont P, Earle AM, Elliott HA, Ercol J, Ernst CM, Finley T, Flanigan SH, Fountain G, Freeze MJ, Green JL, Guo Y, Hahn M, Hamilton DP, Hamilton SA, Hanley J, Harch A, Hart HM, Hersman CB, Hill A, Hill ME, Holdridge ME, Horanyi M, Howard AD, Howett CJA, Jackman C, Jacobson RA, Jennings DE, Kang HK, Kaufmann DE, Kollmann P, Krimigis SM, Kusnierkiewicz D, Lauer TR, Lee JE, Lindstrom KL, Lunsford AW, Mallder VA, Martin N, McComas DJ, McNutt RL, Mehoke D, Mehoke T, Melin ED, Mutchler M, Nelson D, Nimmo F, Nunez JI, Ocampo A, Owen WM, Paetzold M, Page B, Pelletier F, Peterson J, Pinkine N, Piquette M, Porter SB, Protopapa S, Redfern J, Reitsema HJ, Reuter DC, Roberts JH, Robbins SJ, Rogers G, Rose D, Runyon K, Ryschkewitsch MG, Schenk P, Sepan B, Showalter MR, Soluri M, Stanbridge D, Stryk T, Szalay JR, Tapley M, Taylor A, Taylor H, Umurhan OM, Verbiscer AJ, Versteeg MH, Vincent M, Webbert R, Weidner S, Weigle GE, White OL, Whittenburg K, Williams BG, Williams K, Williams S, Zangari AM, Zirnstein E. The atmosphere of Pluto as observed by New Horizons. Science 2016; 351:aad8866. [PMID: 26989258 DOI: 10.1126/science.aad8866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 179] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- G. Randall Gladstone
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - S. Alan Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - Kimberly Ennico
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | | | - Harold A. Weaver
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | | | | | - David P. Hinson
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Andrew F. Cheng
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | | | | | - Kurt D. Retherford
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Henry Throop
- The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Carey M. Lisse
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - Yuk L. Yung
- California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Xun Zhu
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - Werner Curdt
- Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany
| | - Panayotis Lavvas
- Groupe de Spectroscopie Moléculaire et Atmosphérique, Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, 51687 Reims, France
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13
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Spencer JR, Stern SA, Cheng AF, Weaver HA, Reuter DC, Retherford K, Lunsford A, Moore JM, Abramov O, Lopes RMC, Perry JE, Kamp L, Showalter M, Jessup KL, Marchis F, Schenk PM, Dumas C. Io volcanism seen by new horizons: a major eruption of the Tvashtar volcano. Science 2007; 318:240-3. [PMID: 17932290 DOI: 10.1126/science.1147621] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Jupiter's moon Io is known to host active volcanoes. In February and March 2007, the New Horizons spacecraft obtained a global snapshot of Io's volcanism. A 350-kilometer-high volcanic plume was seen to emanate from the Tvashtar volcano (62 degrees N, 122 degrees W), and its motion was observed. The plume's morphology and dynamics support nonballistic models of large Io plumes and also suggest that most visible plume particles condensed within the plume rather than being ejected from the source. In images taken in Jupiter eclipse, nonthermal visible-wavelength emission was seen from individual volcanoes near Io's sub-Jupiter and anti-Jupiter points. Near-infrared emission from the brightest volcanoes indicates minimum magma temperatures in the 1150- to 1335-kelvin range, consistent with basaltic composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- J R Spencer
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.
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14
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Grundy WM, Buratti BJ, Cheng AF, Emery JP, Lunsford A, McKinnon WB, Moore JM, Newman SF, Olkin CB, Reuter DC, Schenk PM, Spencer JR, Stern SA, Throop HB, Weaver HA. New horizons mapping of Europa and Ganymede. Science 2007; 318:234-7. [PMID: 17932288 DOI: 10.1126/science.1147623] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The New Horizons spacecraft observed Jupiter's icy satellites Europa and Ganymede during its flyby in February and March 2007 at visible and infrared wavelengths. Infrared spectral images map H2O ice absorption and hydrated contaminants, bolstering the case for an exogenous source of Europa's "non-ice" surface material and filling large gaps in compositional maps of Ganymede's Jupiter-facing hemisphere. Visual wavelength images of Europa extend knowledge of its global pattern of arcuate troughs and show that its surface scatters light more isotropically than other icy satellites.
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Affiliation(s)
- W M Grundy
- Lowell Observatory, 1400 West Mars Hill Road, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, USA.
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15
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Reuter DC, Simon-Miller AA, Lunsford A, Baines KH, Cheng AF, Jennings DE, Olkin CB, Spencer JR, Stern SA, Weaver HA, Young LA. Jupiter cloud composition, stratification, convection, and wave motion: a view from new horizons. Science 2007; 318:223-5. [PMID: 17932284 DOI: 10.1126/science.1147618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Several observations of Jupiter's atmosphere made by instruments on the New Horizons spacecraft have implications for the stability and dynamics of Jupiter's weather layer. Mesoscale waves, first seen by Voyager, have been observed at a spatial resolution of 11 to 45 kilometers. These waves have a 300-kilometer wavelength and phase velocities greater than the local zonal flow by 100 meters per second, much higher than predicted by models. Additionally, infrared spectral measurements over five successive Jupiter rotations at spatial resolutions of 200 to 140 kilometers have shown the development of transient ammonia ice clouds (lifetimes of 40 hours or less) in regions of strong atmospheric upwelling. Both of these phenomena serve as probes of atmospheric dynamics below the visible cloud tops.
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Affiliation(s)
- D C Reuter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
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16
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Baines KH, Simon-Miller AA, Orton GS, Weaver HA, Lunsford A, Momary TW, Spencer J, Cheng AF, Reuter DC, Jennings DE, Gladstone GR, Moore J, Stern SA, Young LA, Throop H, Yanamandra-Fisher P, Fisher BM, Hora J, Ressler ME. Polar Lightning and Decadal-Scale Cloud Variability on Jupiter. Science 2007; 318:226-9. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1147912] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin H. Baines
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Amy A. Simon-Miller
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Glenn S. Orton
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Harold A. Weaver
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Allen Lunsford
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Thomas W. Momary
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - John Spencer
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Andrew F. Cheng
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Dennis C. Reuter
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Donald E. Jennings
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - G. R. Gladstone
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Jeffrey Moore
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - S. Alan Stern
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Leslie A. Young
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Henry Throop
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Padma Yanamandra-Fisher
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Brendan M. Fisher
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Joseph Hora
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
| | - Michael E. Ressler
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena CA 91109, USA
- NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 1110 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 6220 Culebra Road, San Antonio, TX 78238. USA
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17
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Showalter MR, Cheng AF, Weaver HA, Stern SA, Spencer JR, Throop HB, Birath EM, Rose D, Moore JM. Clump Detections and Limits on Moons in Jupiter's Ring System. Science 2007; 318:232-4. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1147647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark R. Showalter
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
| | - Andrew F. Cheng
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
| | - Harold A. Weaver
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
| | - S. Alan Stern
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
| | - John R. Spencer
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
| | - Henry B. Throop
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
| | - Emma M. Birath
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
| | - Debi Rose
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
| | - Jeffrey M. Moore
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- Synthsys-D, 1200 South Riverbend Court, Superior, CO 80027, USA
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18
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Gladstone GR, Stern SA, Slater DC, Versteeg M, Davis MW, Retherford KD, Young LA, Steffl AJ, Throop H, Parker JW, Weaver HA, Cheng AF, Orton GS, Clarke JT, Nichols JD. Jupiter's Nightside Airglow and Aurora. Science 2007; 318:229-31. [DOI: 10.1126/science.1147613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- G. Randall Gladstone
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - S. Alan Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - David C. Slater
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Maarten Versteeg
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Michael W. Davis
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Kurt D. Retherford
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Leslie A. Young
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Andrew J. Steffl
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Henry Throop
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Joel Wm. Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Harold A. Weaver
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Andrew F. Cheng
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Glenn S. Orton
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - John T. Clarke
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
| | - Jonathan D. Nichols
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 78238, USA
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA
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Dello Russo N, Vervack RJ, Weaver HA, Biver N, Bockelée-Morvan D, Crovisier J, Lisse CM. Compositional homogeneity in the fragmented comet 73P/Schwassmann–Wachmann 3. Nature 2007; 448:172-5. [PMID: 17625560 DOI: 10.1038/nature05908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2007] [Accepted: 05/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The remarkable compositional diversity of volatile ices within comets can plausibly be attributed to several factors, including differences in the chemical, thermal and radiation environments in comet-forming regions, chemical evolution during their long storage in reservoirs far from the Sun, and thermal processing by the Sun after removal from these reservoirs. To determine the relevance of these factors, measurements of the chemistry as a function of depth in cometary nuclei are critical. Fragmenting comets expose formerly buried material, but observational constraints have in the past limited the ability to assess the importance of formative conditions and the effects of evolutionary processes on measured composition. Here we report the chemical composition of two distinct fragments of 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3. The fragments are remarkably similar in composition, in marked contrast to the chemical diversity within the overall comet population and contrary to the expectation that short-period comets should show strong compositional variation with depth in the nucleus owing to evolutionary processing from numerous close passages to the Sun. Comet 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 is also depleted in the most volatile ices compared to other comets, suggesting that the depleted carbon-chain chemistry seen in some comets from the Kuiper belt reservoir is primordial and not evolutionary.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Dello Russo
- Space Department, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, Maryland 20723-6099, USA.
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Stern SA, Weaver HA, Steffl AJ, Mutchler MJ, Merline WJ, Buie MW, Young EF, Young LA, Spencer JR. A giant impact origin for Pluto's small moons and satellite multiplicity in the Kuiper belt. Nature 2006; 439:946-8. [PMID: 16495992 DOI: 10.1038/nature04548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2005] [Accepted: 12/20/2005] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The two newly discovered satellites of Pluto (P1 and P2) have masses that are small compared to both Pluto and Charon-that is, between 5 x 10(-4) and 1 x 10(-5) of Pluto's mass, and between 5 x 10(-3) and 1 x 10(-4) of Charon's mass. This discovery, combined with the constraints on the absence of more distant satellites of Pluto, reveal that Pluto and its moons comprise an unusual, highly compact, quadruple system. These facts naturally raise the question of how this puzzling satellite system came to be. Here we show that P1 and P2's proximity to Pluto and Charon, the fact that P1 and P2 are on near-circular orbits in the same plane as Pluto's large satellite Charon, along with their apparent locations in or near high-order mean-motion resonances, all probably result from their being constructed from collisional ejecta that originated from the Pluto-Charon formation event. We also argue that dust-ice rings of variable optical depths form sporadically in the Pluto system, and that rich satellite systems may be found--perhaps frequently--around other large Kuiper belt objects.
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Affiliation(s)
- S A Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 400, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA.
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21
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Weaver HA, Stern SA, Mutchler MJ, Steffl AJ, Buie MW, Merline WJ, Spencer JR, Young EF, Young LA. Discovery of two new satellites of Pluto. Nature 2006; 439:943-5. [PMID: 16495991 DOI: 10.1038/nature04547] [Citation(s) in RCA: 128] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2005] [Accepted: 12/22/2005] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Pluto's first known satellite, Charon, was discovered in 1978. It has a diameter (approximately 1,200 km) about half that of Pluto, which makes it larger, relative to its primary, than any other moon in the Solar System. Previous searches for other satellites around Pluto have been unsuccessful, but they were not sensitive to objects less, similar150 km in diameter and there are no fundamental reasons why Pluto should not have more satellites. Here we report the discovery of two additional moons around Pluto, provisionally designated S/2005 P 1 (hereafter P1) and S/2005 P 2 (hereafter P2), which makes Pluto the first Kuiper belt object known to have multiple satellites. These new satellites are much smaller than Charon, with estimates of P1's diameter ranging from 60 km to 165 km, depending on the surface reflectivity; P2 is about 20 per cent smaller than P1. Although definitive orbits cannot be derived, both new satellites appear to be moving in circular orbits in the same orbital plane as Charon, with orbital periods of approximately 38 days (P1) and approximately 25 days (P2).
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Weaver
- The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Space Department, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, Maryland 20723-6099, USA.
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Meech KJ, Ageorges N, A'Hearn MF, Arpigny C, Ates A, Aycock J, Bagnulo S, Bailey J, Barber R, Barrera L, Barrena R, Bauer JM, Belton MJS, Bensch F, Bhattacharya B, Biver N, Blake G, Bockelée-Morvan D, Boehnhardt H, Bonev BP, Bonev T, Buie MW, Burton MG, Butner HM, Cabanac R, Campbell R, Campins H, Capria MT, Carroll T, Chaffee F, Charnley SB, Cleis R, Coates A, Cochran A, Colom P, Conrad A, Coulson IM, Crovisier J, deBuizer J, Dekany R, de Léon J, Dello Russo N, Delsanti A, DiSanti M, Drummond J, Dundon L, Etzel PB, Farnham TL, Feldman P, Fernández YR, Filipovic MD, Fisher S, Fitzsimmons A, Fong D, Fugate R, Fujiwara H, Fujiyoshi T, Furusho R, Fuse T, Gibb E, Groussin O, Gulkis S, Gurwell M, Hadamcik E, Hainaut O, Harker D, Harrington D, Harwit M, Hasegawa S, Hergenrother CW, Hirst P, Hodapp K, Honda M, Howell ES, Hutsemékers D, Iono D, Ip WH, Jackson W, Jehin E, Jiang ZJ, Jones GH, Jones PA, Kadono T, Kamath UW, Käufl HU, Kasuga T, Kawakita H, Kelley MS, Kerber F, Kidger M, Kinoshita D, Knight M, Lara L, Larson SM, Lederer S, Lee CF, Levasseur-Regourd AC, Li JY, Li QS, Licandro J, Lin ZY, Lisse CM, LoCurto G, Lovell AJ, Lowry SC, Lyke J, Lynch D, Ma J, Magee-Sauer K, Maheswar G, Manfroid J, Marco O, Martin P, Melnick G, Miller S, Miyata T, Moriarty-Schieven GH, Moskovitz N, Mueller BEA, Mumma MJ, Muneer S, Neufeld DA, Ootsubo T, Osip D, Pandea SK, Pantin E, Paterno-Mahler R, Patten B, Penprase BE, Peck A, Petitas G, Pinilla-Alonso N, Pittichova J, Pompei E, Prabhu TP, Qi C, Rao R, Rauer H, Reitsema H, Rodgers SD, Rodriguez P, Ruane R, Ruch G, Rujopakarn W, Sahu DK, Sako S, Sakon I, Samarasinha N, Sarkissian JM, Saviane I, Schirmer M, Schultz P, Schulz R, Seitzer P, Sekiguchi T, Selman F, Serra-Ricart M, Sharp R, Snell RL, Snodgrass C, Stallard T, Stecklein G, Sterken C, Stüwe JA, Sugita S, Sumner M, Suntzeff N, Swaters R, Takakuwa S, Takato N, Thomas-Osip J, Thompson E, Tokunaga AT, Tozzi GP, Tran H, Troy M, Trujillo C, Van Cleve J, Vasundhara R, Vazquez R, Vilas F, Villanueva G, von Braun K, Vora P, Wainscoat RJ, Walsh K, Watanabe J, Weaver HA, Weaver W, Weiler M, Weissman PR, Welsh WF, Wilner D, Wolk S, Womack M, Wooden D, Woodney LM, Woodward C, Wu ZY, Wu JH, Yamashita T, Yang B, Yang YB, Yokogawa S, Zook AC, Zauderer A, Zhao X, Zhou X, Zucconi JM. Deep Impact: observations from a worldwide Earth-based campaign. Science 2005; 310:265-9. [PMID: 16150977 DOI: 10.1126/science.1118978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
On 4 July 2005, many observatories around the world and in space observed the collision of Deep Impact with comet 9P/Tempel 1 or its aftermath. This was an unprecedented coordinated observational campaign. These data show that (i) there was new material after impact that was compositionally different from that seen before impact; (ii) the ratio of dust mass to gas mass in the ejecta was much larger than before impact; (iii) the new activity did not last more than a few days, and by 9 July the comet's behavior was indistinguishable from its pre-impact behavior; and (iv) there were interesting transient phenomena that may be correlated with cratering physics.
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Affiliation(s)
- K J Meech
- Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2680 Woodlawn Drive, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold A Weaver
- Space Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723-6099, USA.
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Bockelée-Morvan D, Biver N, Moreno R, Colom P, Crovisier J, Gérard E, Henry F, Lis DC, Matthews H, Weaver HA, Womack M, Festou MC. Outgassing behavior and composition of comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) during its disruption. Science 2001; 292:1339-43. [PMID: 11359003 DOI: 10.1126/science.1058512] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The gas activity of comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) was monitored at radio wavelengths during its disruption. A runaway fragmentation of the nucleus may have begun around 18 July 2000 and proceeded until 23 July. The mass in small icy debris (</=30-centimeter radius) was comparable to the mass in the large fragments seen in optical images. The mass budget after breakup suggests a small nucleus ( approximately 100- to 300-meter radius) that had been losing debris for weeks. The HNC, H2CO, H2S, and CS abundances relative to H2O measured during breakup are consistent with those obtained in other comets. However, a deficiency in CH3OH and CO is observed.
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Weaver HA, Sekanina Z, Toth I, Delahodde CE, Hainaut OR, Lamy PL, Bauer JM, A'Hearn MF, Arpigny C, Combi MR, Davies JK, Feldman PD, Festou MC, Hook R, Jorda L, Keesey MS, Lisse CM, Marsden BG, Meech KJ, Tozzi GP, West R. HST and VLT investigations of the fragments of comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR). Science 2001; 292:1329-33. [PMID: 11359001 DOI: 10.1126/science.1058606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
At least 16 fragments were detected in images of comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) taken on 5 August 2000 with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) and on 6 August with the Very Large Telescope (VLT). Photometric analysis of the fragments indicates that the largest ones have effective spherical diameters of about 100 meters, which implies that the total mass in the observed fragments was about 2 x 10(9) kilograms. The comet's dust tail, which was the most prominent optical feature in August, was produced during a major fragmentation event, whose activity peaked on UT 22.8 +/- 0.2 July 2000. The mass of small particles (diameters less than about 230 micrometers) in the tail was about 4 x 10(8) kilograms, which is comparable to the mass contained in a large fragment and to the total mass lost from water sublimation after 21 July 2000 (about 3 x 10(8) kilograms). HST spectroscopic observations during 5 and 6 July 2000 demonstrate that the nucleus contained little carbon monoxide ice (ratio of carbon monoxide to water is less than or equal to 0.4%), which suggests that this volatile species did not play a role in the fragmentation of C/1999 S4 (LINEAR).
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Weaver
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21218-2686, USA
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Abstract
Using soft x-ray observations of the bright new comet C/1999 S4 (LINEAR) with the Chandra x-ray observatory, we have detected x-ray line emission created by charge exchange between highly ionized solar wind minor ions and neutral gases in the comet's coma. The emission morphology was symmetrically crescent shaped and extended out to 300,000 kilometers from the nucleus. The emission spectrum contains 6 lines at 320, 400, 490, 560, 600, and 670 electron volts, attributable to electron capture and radiative deexcitation by the solar wind species C(+5), C(+6), N(+7), O(+7), and O(+8). A contemporaneous 7-day soft x-ray light curve obtained using the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer demonstrates a large increase in the comet's emission coincident with a strong solar flare on 14 and 15 July 2000.
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Affiliation(s)
- C M Lisse
- University of Maryland, Department of Astronomy, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
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Weaver HA, Feldman PD, A'Hearn MF, Arpigny C, Brandt JC, Festou MC, Haken M, McPhate JB, Stern SA, Tozzi GP. The activity and size of the nucleus of comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) [see comment]. Science 1997; 275:1900-4. [PMID: 9072959 DOI: 10.1126/science.275.5308.1900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Analysis of Hubble Space Telescope (HST) images of comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) suggests that the effective diameter of the nucleus is between 27 to 42 kilometers, which is at least three times larger than that of comet P/Halley. The International Ultraviolet Explorer and HST spectra showed emissions from OH (a tracer of H2O) and CS (a tracer of CS2) starting in April 1996, and from the CO Cameron system (which primarily traces CO2) starting in June 1996. The variation of the H2O production rate with heliocentric distance was consistent with sublimation of an icy body near its subsolar point. The heliocentric variation in the production rates of CS2 and dust was different from that of H2O, which implies that H2O sublimation did not control the CS2 or dust production during these observations.
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Weaver
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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Abstract
Comets are rich in volatile materials, of which roughly 80% (by number) are water molecules. Considerable progress is being made in identifying the other volatile species, the abundances of which should enable us to determine whether comets formed primarily from ice-covered interstellar grains, or from material that was chemically processed in the early solar nebula. Here we report the detection of acetylene (C2H2) in the infrared spectrum of comet C/1996 B2 (Hyakutake). The estimated abundance is 0.3-0.9%, relative to water, which is comparable to the predicted solid-phase abundance in cold interstellar clouds. This suggests that the volatiles in comet Hyakotake may have come from ice-covered interstellar grains, rather than material processed in the accretion disk out of which the Solar System formed.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Y Brooke
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California 91109, USA
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Abstract
An absorption band at 260 nanometers on the trailing hemisphere of Ganymede, identified as the Hartley band of Ozone (O3), was measured with the Hubble Space Telescope. The column abundance of ozone, 4.5 x 10(16) per square centimeter, can be produced by ion impacts or by photochemical equilibrium with previously detected molecular oxygen (O2). An estimated number density ratio of [O3]/[O2] = 10(-4) to 10(-3) requires an atmospheric density orders of magnitude higher than upper limits from spacecraft occultation experiments. Apparently, this O2-O3 "atmosphere" is trapped in Ganymede's surface ice, an inference consistent with the shift and broadening of the band compared with the gas-phase O3 band.
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Affiliation(s)
- K S Noll
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
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McGrath MA, Hall DT, Matheson PL, Weaver HA, Trauger JT, Smith TE, Thomas N, Gladstone R, Schneider NM, Harris WM. Response of the Io plasma torus to comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. Science 1995; 267:1313-7. [PMID: 7871429 DOI: 10.1126/science.7871429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Spectroscopic and imaging observations of the Io plasma torus were made in June and July 1994 in conjunction with the encounter of periodic comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter. Characteristic emissions from sulfur and oxygen ions showed a decline of about 30 percent in the extreme ultraviolet and an increase of about 40 percent in the far ultraviolet relative to preimpact observations. Changes in the extreme ultraviolet may be indicative of small changes in the torus electron temperature as a result of quenching of electrons by dust associated with the comet passage. However, no new emission features indicative of fragment dust within the torus were detected. The characteristic torus morphology seen in ground-based imaging was typical of that observed in the past.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A McGrath
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218
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Noll KS, McGrath MA, Trafton LM, Atreya SK, Caldwell JJ, Weaver HA, Yelle RV, Barnet C, Edgington S. HST spectroscopic observations of Jupiter after the collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. Science 1995; 267:1307-13. [PMID: 7871428 DOI: 10.1126/science.7871428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 103] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Ultraviolet spectra obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope identified at least 10 molecules and atoms in the perturbed stratosphere near the G impact site, most never before observed in Jupiter. The large mass of sulfur-containing material, more than 10(14) grams in S2 alone, indicates that many of the sulfur-containing molecules S2, CS2, CS, H2S, and S+ may be derived from a sulfur-bearing parent molecule native to Jupiter. If so, the fragment must have penetrated at least as deep as the predicted NH4SH cloud at a pressure of approximately 1 to 2 bars. Stratospheric NH3 was also observed, which is consistent with fragment penetration below the cloud tops. Approximately 10(7) grams of neutral and ionized metals were observed in emission, including Mg II, Mg I, Si I, Fe I, and Fe II. Oxygen-containing molecules were conspicuous by their absence; upper limits for SO2, SO, CO, SiO, and H2O are derived.
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Affiliation(s)
- K S Noll
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218
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Weaver HA, A'Hearn MF, Arpigny C, Boice DC, Feldman PD, Larson SM, Lamy P, Levy DH, Marsden BG, Meech KJ. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) observing campaign on comet Shoemaker-Levy 9. Science 1995; 267:1282-8. [PMID: 7871424 DOI: 10.1126/science.7871424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The Hubble Space Telescope made systematic observations of the split comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) (P designates a periodic comet) starting in July 1993 and continuing through mid-July 1994 when the fragments plunged into Jupiter's atmosphere. Deconvolutions of Wide Field Planetary Camera images indicate that the diameters of some fragments may have been as large as approximately 2 to 4 kilometers, assuming a geometric albedo of 4 percent, but significantly smaller values (that is, < 1 kilometer) cannot be ruled out. Most of the fragments (or nuclei) were embedded in circularly symmetric inner comae from July 1993 until late June 1994, implying that there was continuous, but weak, cometary activity. At least a few nuclei fragmented into separate, condensed objects well after the breakup of the SL9 parent body, which argues against the hypothesis that the SL9 fragments were swarms of debris with no dominant, central bodies. Spectroscopic observations taken on 14 July 1994 showed an outburst in magnesium ion emission that was followed closely by a threefold increase in continuum emission, which may have been caused by the electrostatic charging and subsequent explosion of dust as the comet passed from interplanetary space into the jovian magnetosphere. No OH emission was detected, but the derived upper limit on the H2O production rate of approximately 10(27) molecules per second does not necessarily imply that the object was water-poor.
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Affiliation(s)
- H A Weaver
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218
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Abstract
Europa, the second large satellite out from Jupiter, is roughly the size of Earth's Moon, but unlike the Moon, it has water ice on its surface. There have been suggestions that an oxygen atmosphere should accumulate around such a body, through reactions which break up the water molecules and form molecular hydrogen and oxygen. The lighter H2 molecules would escape from Europa relatively easily, leaving behind an atmosphere rich in oxygen. Here we report the detection of atomic oxygen emission from Europa, which we interpret as being produced by the simultaneous dissociation and excitation of atmospheric O2 by electrons from Jupiter's magnetosphere. Europa's molecular oxygen atmosphere is very tenuous, with a surface pressure about 10(-11) that of the Earth's atmosphere at sea level.
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Affiliation(s)
- D T Hall
- Center for Astrophysical Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218
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Weaver HA, Feldman PD, A'hearn MF, Arpigny C, Brown RA, Helin EF, Levy DH, Marsden BG, Meech KJ, Larson SM, Noll KS, Scotti JV, Sekanina Z, Shoemaker CS, Shoemaker EM, Smith TE, Storrs AD, Yeomans DK, Zellner B. Hubble Space Telescope Observations of Comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 (1993e). Science 1994; 263:787-91. [PMID: 17770832 DOI: 10.1126/science.263.5148.787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The Hubble Space Telescope observed the fragmented comet P/Shoemaker-Levy 9 (1993e) (P indicates that it is a periodic comet) on 1 July 1993. Approximately 20 individual nuclei and their comae were observed in images taken with the Planetary Camera. After subtraction of the comae light, the 11 brightest nuclei have magnitudes between approximately 23.7 and 24.8. Assuming that the geometric albedo is 0.04, these magnitudes imply that the nuclear diameters are in the range approximately 2.5 to 4.3 kilometers. If the density of each nucleus is 1 gram per cubic centimeter, the total energy deposited by the impact of these 11 nuclei into Jupiter's atmosphere next July will be approximately 4 x 10(30) ergs ( approximately 10(8) megatons of TNT). This latter number should be regarded as an upper limit because the nuclear magnitudes probably contain a small residual coma contribution. The Faint Object Spectrograph was used to search for fluorescence from OH, which is usually an excellent indicator of cometary activity. No OH emission was detected, and this can be translated into an upper limit on the water production rate of approximately 2 x 10(27) molecules per second.
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Abstract
Gaseous, neutral H(2)O was detected in the coma of comet Halley on 22.1 and 24.1 December 1985 Universal Time. Nine spectral lines of thev(3) band (2.65 micrometers) were found by means of a Fourier transform spectrometer (lambda/triangle uplambda approximately 10(5)) on the NASA-Kuiper Airborne Observatory. The water production rate was approximately 6 x 10(28) molecules per second on 22.1 December and 1.7 x 10(29) molecules per second on 24.1 December UT. The numbers of spectral lines and their intensities are in accord with nonthermal-equilibrium cometary models. Rotational populations are derived from the observed spectral line intensities and excitation conditions are discussed. The ortho-para ratio was found to be 2.66+/-0.13, corresponding to a nuclear-spin temperature of 32 K (+5 K, -2 K), possibly indicating that the observed water vapor originated from a low-temperature ice.
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Weaver HA, Mumma MJ, Faris JL, Kostiuk T, Hillman JJ. Infrared heterodyne spectroscopy of seven gases in the vicinity of chlorine monoxide lines. Appl Opt 1983; 22:1562. [PMID: 18195999 DOI: 10.1364/ao.22.001562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
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