Long term observations of Saturn's northern auroras

Details Long term observations of Saturn's northern auroras Long term observations of Saturn's northern auroras

Jul 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009hst..prop12176n&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #12176. Cycle 18

Computer Science

Scientific paper

Auroral emissions are a vital tool in diagnosing the dynamics of planetary magnetospheres. While SaturnÕs southern UV auroras have been observed with high-sensitivity cameras onboard the Hubble Space Telescope {HST}, the northern auroras have only been observed at very oblique angles. Our understanding of SaturnÕs auroral emissions is thus only half complete. However, Saturn has now passed equinox and is moving toward summer in the northern hemisphere, such that the northern auroras are now visible from Earth, and recent results from HST have indicated that SaturnÕs northern auroras are not simply mirror images of the southern. The changing seasons are also expected to result in significant changes in magnetospheric phenomena related to the auroras. Observing these changes is a specific goal of the Cassini Solstice Mission {CSM} and, since joint HST-Cassini observations have repeatedly proved to be invaluable, CSM operations are currently being planned specifically with joint HST observations in mind. The observations proposed here will thus execute over Cycles 18-20, and will address the following science questions:What is the morphology of SaturnÕs northern auroras? Do SaturnÕs auroras change with the planetÕs season? How are the auroral emissions of different wavelengths related?The importance of long term HST observations of SaturnÕs northern auroras are highlighted by the fact that recent key discoveries would have been missed without the multiyear archive of observations of the planetÕs southern auroras. The opportunity to obtain HST images while Cassini makes specifically-tailored supporting observations is an extremely valuable opportunity, and HST is the only instrument capable of providing sustained, high time resolution observations of Saturns auroral emission.;

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