A Proposed Study of the Outer Planetary Systems Using the Pioneer and Voyager Extreme Ultraviolet Data (OPDAP)

Physics

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Voyager 1 Spacecraft, Voyager 2 Spacecraft, Pioneer 10 Space Probe, Pioneer 11 Space Probe, Gas Giant Planets, Planetary Systems, Data Correlation, Deep Space, Jupiter Satellites, Plasmas (Physics), Ultraviolet Photometry, Ultraviolet Spectrometers, Ulysses Mission, Volcanology

Scientific paper

This entire project was made possible by the presence of four deep space spacecraft Pioneers 10 and 11 and Voyagers 1 and 2. These spacecraft were the first man made objects to fly by the giant outer planets, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The UV photometers on board Pioneers 10 and 11 and the UV spectrometers (UVS) on board Voyagers 1 and 2 have given us an unprecedented look at the outer planets in the far ultraviolet (FUV) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV). There is thus available a large UV data base containing information about the outer planets and their satellites. The interpretation of the UV data, however, has been anything but easy. This is because the outer planets and their satellites have proved to be very complicated and highly dynamic systems. Some examples of this will now be given. It was found that all the outer planets emit an anomalously high Ly-alpha glow from their dayside equatorial region which can not be simply explained by energy deposition of sunlight. Yet, Pioneer 10 observed a very dim Jupiter at Ly-alpha wavelength only 1/15 in. the intensity observed by Voyager UVS. Pioneer 10 was the first to detect the lo torus, a ring of plasma surrounding Jupiter. However, while Pioneer 10 in 1973 observed a longitudinally asymmetric torus similar to that observed by Ulysses in 1992, Voyager UVS observed a complete torus in 1979. The Jovian satellite Io was found to exhibit volcanism and showed signs of an atmosphere. The subject of the anomalously high Ly-alpha glow and H2 band emissions from the outer planets remains a controversial topic. It has been suggested that these excess emissions may be due to particle precipitation. The exact amount of this excess emission is also subject to debate due to known calibration differences between the Voyager UVS and the Pioneer 10 UV photometer at Ly-alpha.

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