Possible Activity on Dione: Synergistic Observations from Cassini

Details Possible Activity on Dione: Synergistic Observations from Cassini Possible Activity on Dione: Synergistic Observations from Cassini

Dec 2011

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011agufm.p11d1606b&link_type=abstract

American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2011, abstract #P11D-1606

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[6020] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Ices, [6063] Planetary Sciences: Comets And Small Bodies / Volcanism, [6280] Planetary Sciences: Solar System Objects / Saturnian Satellites

Scientific paper

Instruments on the Cassini spacecraft have revealed that Dione exhibits many of the tell-tale signs of outgassing or cryovolcanism that were the first clues that Enceladus had a geologically active south polar region. Among the measurements are an observation of an atmosphere-like emission around the moon from VIMS, the Visual Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (Clark et al., 2008, Icarus 193, 372); a characteristic "butterfly" pitch angle distribution of electrons in Saturn's magnetosphere that could be attributed to a plasma stream originating on Dione (Burch et al. 2007, Nature 447, 883); the enhanced strength of ion-cyclotron waves in the magnetosphere which could also be due to ionized plasma from Dione (Khurana et al., 2007, AGU Spring Meeting, abstract #P43A-03); and images from both VIMS and the Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) showing a series of linea that are morphologically similar to the "tiger stripe" features in the south polar region of Enceladus. Direct inspection of ISS images for plume structures at large solar phase angles has so far been unsuccessful, but stringent limits on the amount of outgassing can be inferred from these images. Another method of directly detecting plumes or other features indicating activity is seeking a forward scattered component to the solar phase curve of Dione. The phase curve of Enceladus is especially enhanced at two microns, near the deep water ice absorption band. Inspection of the solar phase curve of Dione indicates an upper limit to plume activity of two orders of magnitude less than that of Enceladus. When taken together the Cassini observations form consistent limits on the possibility and amount of outgassing from Dione. Work funded by NASA.

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