Other
Scientific paper
Jul 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007hst..prop11187s&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #11187. Cycle 16
Other
Scientific paper
It has been long suspected that Mars is encircled by two faint rings of dust, one originating from each of its moons Phobos and Deimos. Similar dust rings are associated with many of the small, inner moons orbiting Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. On December 31, 2007, Earth will pass through Mars' equatorial plane just a week after its December 24 opposition, providing an exceedingly rare opportunity to image the rings under nearly ideal viewing geometry. The next equivalent viewing opportunity occurs in 2022. Using the Wide Fields of WFPC2 and a highly optimized observing plan, we expect to be able to detect rings with edge-on reflectivities of ~ 10^-8, which is at or below the level where most dynamicists expect rings to be visible. This is a factor of 10-30 more sensitive than the detection limit we achieved during a slightly inferior viewing opportunity in 2001. The rings have been predicted to show some interesting dynamical properties, including large asymmetries and inclinations. A positive detection will test these predictions, serving as an effective test of dynamical models developed to account for the properties of other faint planetary rings as well. With such a stringent limit, even a negative result will be of considerable interest, challenging dynamicists to explain the remarkably low density of dust within the Martian system.;
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