1
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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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2
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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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3
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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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Kollmann P, Hill ME, Allen RC, McNutt RL, Brown LE, Barnes NP, Delamere P, Clark G, Andrews GB, Salazar N, Westlake J, Romeo G, Vandegriff J, Kusterer M, Smith D, Nelson K, Jaskulek S, Decker RB, Cheng AF, Krimigis SM, Lisse CM, Mitchell DG, Weaver HA, Elliott HA, Fattig E, Gladstone GR, Valek PW, Weidner S, Kammer J, Bagenal F, Horanyi M, Kaufmann D, Harch A, Olkin CB, Piquette MR, Spencer JR, Young LA, Ennico K, Summers ME, Stern SA. Pluto's Interaction With Energetic Heliospheric Ions. J Geophys Res Space Phys 2019; 124:7413-7424. [PMID: 35860291 PMCID: PMC9285724 DOI: 10.1029/2019ja026830] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Pluto energies of a few kiloelectron volts and suprathermal ions with tens of kiloelectron volts and above. We measure this population using the Pluto Energetic Particle Spectrometer Science Investigation (PEPSSI) instrument on board the New Horizons spacecraft that flew by Pluto in 2015. Even though the measured ions have gyroradii larger than the size of Pluto and the cross section of its magnetosphere, we find that the boundary of the magnetosphere is depleting the energetic ion intensities by about an order of magnitude close to Pluto. The intensity is increasing exponentially with distance to Pluto and reaches nominal levels of the interplanetary medium at about 190R P distance. Inside the wake of Pluto, we observe oscillations of the ion intensities with a periodicity of about 0.2 hr. We show that these can be quantitatively explained by the electric field of an ultralow-frequency wave and discuss possible physical drivers for such a field. We find no evidence for the presence of plutogenic ions in the considered energy range.
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5
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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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6
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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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7
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Dalle Ore CM, Cruikshank DP, Protopapa S, Scipioni F, McKinnon WB, Cook JC, Grundy WM, Schmitt B, Stern SA, Moore JM, Verbiscer A, Parker AH, Singer KN, Umurhan OM, Weaver HA, Olkin CB, Young LA, Ennico K. Detection of ammonia on Pluto's surface in a region of geologically recent tectonism. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaav5731. [PMID: 31608308 PMCID: PMC6771079 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav5731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2018] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
We report the detection of ammonia (NH3) on Pluto's surface in spectral images obtained with the New Horizons spacecraft that show absorption bands at 1.65 and 2.2 μm. The ammonia signature is spatially coincident with a region of past extensional tectonic activity (Virgil Fossae) where the presence of H2O ice is prominent. Ammonia in liquid water profoundly depresses the freezing point of the mixture. Ammoniated ices are believed to be geologically short lived when irradiated with ultraviolet photons or charged particles. Thus, the presence of NH3 on a planetary surface is indicative of a relatively recent deposition or possibly through exposure by some geological process. In the present case, the areal distribution is more suggestive of cryovolcanic emplacement, however, adding to the evidence for ongoing geological activity on Pluto and the possible presence of liquid water at depth today.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. M. Dalle Ore
- SETI Institute, Mountain View CA, USA
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA, USA
| | | | | | - F. Scipioni
- SETI Institute, Mountain View CA, USA
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA, USA
| | - W. B. McKinnon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and the McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | | | | | - B. Schmitt
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - S. A. Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder CO, USA
| | - J. M. Moore
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA, USA
| | - A. Verbiscer
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel MD, USA
| | | | | | - O. M. Umurhan
- SETI Institute, Mountain View CA, USA
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA, USA
| | - H. A. Weaver
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - C. B. Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder CO, USA
| | - L. A. Young
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder CO, USA
| | - K. Ennico
- NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field CA, 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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Zirnstein EJ, McComas DJ, Kumar R, Elliott HA, Szalay JR, Olkin CB, Spencer J, Stern SA, Young LA. In Situ Observations of Preferential Pickup Ion Heating at an Interplanetary Shock. Phys Rev Lett 2018; 121:075102. [PMID: 30169088 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.121.075102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Nonthermal pickup ions (PUIs) are created in the solar wind (SW) by charge-exchange between SW ions (SWIs) and slow interstellar neutral atoms. It has long been theorized, but not directly observed that PUIs should be preferentially heated at quasiperpendicular shocks compared to thermal SWIs. We present in situ observations of interstellar hydrogen (H^{+}) PUIs at an interplanetary shock by the New Horizons' Solar Wind Around Pluto (SWAP) instrument at ∼34 au from the Sun. At this shock, H^{+} PUIs are only a few percent of the total proton density but contain most of the internal particle pressure. A gradual reduction in SW flow speed and simultaneous heating of H^{+} SWIs is observed ahead of the shock, suggesting an upstream energetic particle pressure gradient. H^{+} SWIs lose ∼85% of their energy flux across the shock and H^{+} PUIs are preferentially heated. Moreover, a PUI tail is observed downstream of the shock, such that the energy flux of all H^{+} PUIs is approximately six times that of H^{+} SWIs. We find that H^{+} PUIs, including their suprathermal tail, contain almost half of the total downstream energy flux in the shock frame.
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Affiliation(s)
- E J Zirnstein
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - D J McComas
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
| | - R Kumar
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - H A Elliott
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas 78238, USA
| | - J R Szalay
- Department of Astrophysical Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - C B Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA
| | - J Spencer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA
| | - S A Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA
| | - L A Young
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado 80302, USA
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10
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Nimmo F, Hamilton DP, McKinnon WB, Schenk PM, Binzel RP, Bierson CJ, Beyer RA, Moore JM, Stern SA, Weaver HA, Olkin CB, Young LA, Smith KE. Reorientation of Sputnik Planitia implies a subsurface ocean on Pluto. Nature 2016; 540:94-96. [DOI: 10.1038/nature20148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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11
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McKinnon WB, Nimmo F, Wong T, Schenk PM, White OL, Roberts JH, Moore JM, Spencer JR, Howard AD, Umurhan OM, Stern SA, Weaver HA, Olkin CB, Young LA, Smith KE. Erratum: Corrigendum: Convection in a volatile nitrogen-ice-rich layer drives Pluto’s geological vigour. Nature 2016; 537:122. [DOI: 10.1038/nature18937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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12
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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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13
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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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14
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Grundy WM, Binzel RP, Buratti BJ, Cook JC, Cruikshank DP, Dalle Ore CM, Earle AM, Ennico K, Howett CJA, Lunsford AW, Olkin CB, Parker AH, Philippe S, Protopapa S, Quirico E, Reuter DC, Schmitt B, Singer KN, Verbiscer AJ, Beyer RA, Buie MW, Cheng AF, Jennings DE, Linscott IR, Parker JW, Schenk PM, Spencer JR, Stansberry JA, Stern SA, Throop HB, Tsang CCC, Weaver HA, Weigle GE, Young LA. Surface compositions across Pluto and Charon. Science 2016; 351:aad9189. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aad9189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 209] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.1] [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)
| | - R. P. Binzel
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - B. J. Buratti
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - J. C. Cook
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D. P. Cruikshank
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - C. M. Dalle Ore
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - A. M. Earle
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - K. Ennico
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | | | - A. W. Lunsford
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - C. B. Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A. H. 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
| | - E. Quirico
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - D. C. Reuter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - B. Schmitt
- Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, IPAG, F-38000 Grenoble, France
| | - K. N. Singer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - A. J. Verbiscer
- Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - R. A. Beyer
- NASA Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
- Carl Sagan Center, SETI Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, 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. E. Jennings
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | | | - J. Wm. Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - P. M. Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - J. R. Spencer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - S. A. Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | | | - H. A. Weaver
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - G. E. Weigle
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - L. A. Young
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
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15
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Stern SA, Bagenal F, Ennico K, Gladstone GR, Grundy WM, McKinnon WB, Moore JM, Olkin CB, Spencer JR, Weaver HA, Young LA, 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, Cheng AF, Conard S, Conrad CA, Cook JC, Cruikshank DP, Custodio OS, Dalle Ore CM, Deboy C, Dischner ZJB, Dumont P, Earle AM, Elliott HA, Ercol J, Ernst CM, Finley T, Flanigan SH, Fountain G, Freeze MJ, Greathouse T, Green JL, Guo Y, Hahn M, Hamilton DP, Hamilton SA, Hanley J, Harch A, Hart HM, Hersman CB, Hill A, Hill ME, Hinson DP, Holdridge ME, Horanyi M, Howard AD, Howett CJA, Jackman C, Jacobson RA, Jennings DE, Kammer JA, Kang HK, Kaufmann DE, Kollmann P, Krimigis SM, Kusnierkiewicz D, Lauer TR, Lee JE, Lindstrom KL, Linscott IR, Lisse CM, 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, Parker AH, Parker JW, 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, Retherford KD, Ryschkewitsch MG, Schenk P, Schindhelm E, Sepan B, Showalter MR, Singer KN, Soluri M, Stanbridge D, Steffl AJ, Strobel DF, Stryk T, Summers ME, Szalay JR, Tapley M, Taylor A, Taylor H, Throop HB, Tsang CCC, Tyler GL, Umurhan OM, Verbiscer AJ, Versteeg MH, Vincent M, Webbert R, Weidner S, Weigle GE, White OL, Whittenburg K, Williams BG, Williams K, Williams S, Woods WW, Zangari AM, Zirnstein E. The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons. Science 2015; 350:aad1815. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aad1815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 367] [Impact Index Per Article: 40.8] [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)
- S. A. Stern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - F. Bagenal
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - K. Ennico
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | | | | | - W. B. McKinnon
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - J. M. Moore
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - C. B. Olkin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J. R. Spencer
- 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
| | - T. Andert
- Universität der Bundeswehr München, Neubiberg 85577, Germany
| | - J. Andrews
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - M. Banks
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - B. Bauer
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - J. Bauman
- KinetX Aerospace, Tempe, AZ 85284, USA
| | - O. S. Barnouin
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - P. Bedini
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - K. Beisser
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - R. A. Beyer
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - S. Bhaskaran
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - R. P. Binzel
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - E. Birath
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - M. Bird
- University of Bonn, Bonn D-53113, Germany
| | - D. J. Bogan
- NASA Headquarters (retired), Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - A. Bowman
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - V. J. Bray
- University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
| | - M. Brozovic
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - C. Bryan
- KinetX Aerospace, Tempe, AZ 85284, 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
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - S. S. Bushman
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A. Calloway
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - B. Carcich
- Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - A. F. Cheng
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S. Conard
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C. A. Conrad
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J. C. Cook
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D. P. Cruikshank
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - O. S. Custodio
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C. M. Dalle Ore
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - C. Deboy
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | - P. Dumont
- KinetX Aerospace, Tempe, AZ 85284, USA
| | - A. M. Earle
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - H. A. Elliott
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - J. Ercol
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C. M. Ernst
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - T. Finley
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - S. H. Flanigan
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - G. Fountain
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M. J. Freeze
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - T. Greathouse
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - J. L. Green
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - Y. Guo
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M. Hahn
- Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung an der Universität zu Köln, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - 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. Hanley
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - A. Harch
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H. M. Hart
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - C. B. Hersman
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A. Hill
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M. E. Hill
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D. P. Hinson
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - M. E. Holdridge
- 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
| | - A. D. Howard
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | | | | | - R. A. Jacobson
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - D. E. Jennings
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - J. A. Kammer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - H. K. Kang
- 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
| | - D. Kusnierkiewicz
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - T. R. Lauer
- National Optical Astronomy Observatory, Tucson, AZ 26732, USA
| | - J. E. Lee
- NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL 35812, USA
| | - K. L. Lindstrom
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, 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
| | - V. A. Mallder
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - N. Martin
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - D. J. McComas
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - R. L. McNutt
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D. Mehoke
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - T. Mehoke
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - E. D. Melin
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M. Mutchler
- Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - D. Nelson
- KinetX Aerospace, Tempe, AZ 85284, USA
| | - F. Nimmo
- University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - J. I. Nunez
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - A. Ocampo
- NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC 20546, USA
| | - W. M. Owen
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011, USA
| | - M. Paetzold
- Rheinisches Institut für Umweltforschung an der Universität zu Köln, Cologne 50931, Germany
| | - B. Page
- KinetX Aerospace, Tempe, AZ 85284, USA
| | - A. H. Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - J. W. Parker
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - J. Peterson
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - N. Pinkine
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M. 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
- Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - J. Redfern
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - D. C. Reuter
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
| | - J. H. Roberts
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S. J. Robbins
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - G. Rogers
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - D. Rose
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - K. Runyon
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | | | - P. Schenk
- Lunar and Planetary Institute, Houston, TX 77058, USA
| | - E. Schindhelm
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - B. Sepan
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - M. R. Showalter
- Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA
| | - K. N. Singer
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - M. Soluri
- Michael Soluri Photography, New York, NY 10014, USA
| | | | - A. J. Steffl
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | | | - T. Stryk
- Roane State Community College, Jamestown, TN 38556, USA
| | | | - J. R. Szalay
- Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
| | - M. Tapley
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - A. Taylor
- KinetX Aerospace, Tempe, AZ 85284, USA
| | - H. Taylor
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - H. B. Throop
- Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | | | - G. L. Tyler
- Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - O. M. Umurhan
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - A. J. Verbiscer
- Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - M. H. Versteeg
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - M. Vincent
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - R. Webbert
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - S. Weidner
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - G. E. Weigle
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
| | - O. L. White
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Ames Research Center, Space Science Division, Moffett Field, CA 94035, USA
| | - K. Whittenburg
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | | | | | - S. Williams
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
| | - W. W. Woods
- Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - A. M. Zangari
- Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
| | - E. Zirnstein
- Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX 28510, USA
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16
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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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17
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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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18
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Elliot JL, Ates A, Babcock BA, Bosh AS, Buie MW, Clancy KB, Dunham EW, Eikenberry SS, Hall DT, Kern SD, Leggett SK, Levine SE, Moon DS, Olkin CB, Osip DJ, Pasachoff JM, Penprase BE, Person MJ, Qu S, Rayner JT, Roberts LC, Salyk CV, Souza SP, Stone RC, Taylor BW, Tholen DJ, Thomas-Osip JE, Ticehurst DR, Wasserman LH. The recent expansion of Pluto's atmosphere. Nature 2003; 424:165-8. [PMID: 12853949 DOI: 10.1038/nature01762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2003] [Accepted: 05/27/2003] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Stellar occultations--the passing of a relatively nearby body in front of a background star--can be used to probe the atmosphere of the closer body with a spatial resolution of a few kilometres (ref. 1). Such observations can yield the scale height, temperature profile, and other information about the structure of the occulting atmosphere. Occultation data acquired for Pluto's atmosphere in 1988 revealed a nearly isothermal atmosphere above a radius of approximately 1,215 km. Below this level, the data could be interpreted as indicating either an extinction layer or the onset of a large thermal gradient, calling into question the fundamental structure of this atmosphere. Another question is to what extent Pluto's atmosphere might be collapsing as it recedes from the Sun (passing perihelion in 1989 in its 248-year orbital period), owing to the extreme sensitivity of the equilibrium surface pressure to the surface temperature. Here we report observations at a variety of visible and infrared wavelengths of an occultation of a star by Pluto in August 2002. These data reveal evidence for extinction in Pluto's atmosphere and show that it has indeed changed, having expanded rather than collapsed, since 1988.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Elliot
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307, USA.
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19
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Abstract
A stellar-occultation light curve for Triton shows asymmetry that can be understood if Triton's middle atmosphere is distorted from spherical symmetry. Although a globally oblate model can explain the data, the inferred atmospheric flattening is so large that it could be caused only by an unrealistic internal mass distribution or highly supersonic zonal winds. Cyclostrophic winds confined to a jet near Triton's northern or southern limbs (or both) could also be responsible for the details of the light curve, but such winds are required to be slightly supersonic. Hazes and clouds in the atmosphere are unlikely to have caused the asymmetry in the light curve.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L Elliot
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences and Department of Physics, Building 54-422, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA.
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