Cassini VIMS 0.9-5.1 Micron Spectra of the Small Inner Saturnian Satellites

Details Cassini VIMS 0.9-5.1 Micron Spectra of the Small Inner Saturnian Satellites Cassini VIMS 0.9-5.1 Micron Spectra of the Small Inner Saturnian Satellites

Sep 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008dps....40.6103b&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #61.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 40, p.510

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Scientific paper

The small satellites of Saturn are a family of objects with unique properties. They include the coorbitals Janus and Epimetheus; Pan with an orbit within the main ring system; Atlas, which orbits directly outside the A-ring; and the remote captured small satellites. Visible and infrared reflection spectra were obtained for the first time for 6 of the inner small satellites by the Cassini Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS). This instrument has 352 channels spanning the 0.35-5.1 spectral range and with spatial resolution up to 0.25 mradians in the infrared. The new VIMS spectra suggest that the surfaces of these satellites are composed almost entirely of water ice. This finding is consistent with their high geometric albedos in the visible and near-IR. Differences in the water-ice band positions in their spectra are related to particle size differences on their surfaces.
The spectra of the Tethys Lagrangians (Telesto and Calypso) are nearly identical to that of Tethys, with strong ice absorption bands and no evidence for the presence of other volatiles. Surprisingly, the spectra of Janus and Epimetheus are significantly different: the slope of Janus from 0.9 to 1.2 microns is unlike that of Epimetheus and water ice. These results suggest that Janus may have undergone a recent collision which knocked water-ice particles from its surface to reveal native materials.
Our results suggest that the inner satellites are covered with ice particles from Saturn's ring system, particularly the distended E-ring, which ultimately originates from the plumes of Enceladus. Thus, the spectrum of Janus offers a unique opportunity to understand the provenance and nature of the small inner icy satellites of Saturn.
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