Saturn Archives

Illustration of the tidal action between a planet (Saturn) and its moon (Enceladus). Enceladus moves on a synchronized elliptical orbit, which makes its instantaneous orbital speed vary. At its closest point to Saturn, Enceladus rotates slower than it orbits, so the raised tide lies slightly behind the Enceladus-Saturn (dashed) line in the direction of Enceladus’s rotation. At its most distant point to Saturn, the opposite is true. As a result, the raised tide performs tiny oscillations called librations. -- astro-ph.EP

Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

A Simplified Model for the Forced Libration of Icy Moons with Subsurface Oceans: Application to Enceladus and Mimas

by Keith CowingMay 7, 2024May 7, 2024

In this work, we investigate a minimalist model capable of accurately replicating the forced librations of an icy moon with a subsurface ocean.

Contour plot of temperatures from the atmospheric structure model, using CIRS observations from 2015 and 2017 at pressures higher than 10−6 bar to 3 × 10−4 bar and UVIS observations at pressures lower than 10−6 to 2 × 10−8 bar, where the quoted pressure limits depend on latitude. The temperatures in the coverage gap between the instruments were filled in to match the H2 density vs. radius in the thermosphere. The black diamonds show the location of the CH4 homopause, taken where CH4 volume mixing ratio equals 5 × 10−5 . A cartoon illustrating speculated low-latitude upwelling is depicted with dashed arrows near the high-altitude homopause levels. astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Saturn, Status Report

A Pole-to-Pole Map Of Hydrocarbons In Saturn’s Upper Stratosphere And Mesosphere

by Keith CowingMay 6, 2024May 6, 2024

We analyze data from the final two years of the Cassini mission to retrieve the distributions of methane, ethane, acetylene, ethylene, and benzene in Saturn’s upper stratosphere and mesosphere from […]

Planets formed in 37 optimal 4-P systems. Green-, magenta-, cyan- and red-filled symbols indicate the planet analogs of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, respectively. Error bars indicate variation in heliocentric distance based on the object’s perihelion and aphelion. Large open triangles represent the terrestrial planets of the solar system. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Saturn, Status Report, Venus, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Formation Of The Four Terrestrial Planets In The Jupiter-Saturn Chaotic Excitation Scenario: Fundamental Properties And Water Delivery

by Keith CowingApril 23, 2024April 23, 2024

The Jupiter-Saturn chaotic excitation (JSCE) scenario proposes that the protoplanetary disk was dynamically excited and depleted beyond ~1-1.5 au in a few Myr, offering a new and plausible explanation for […]

Radio sky in the 30 MHz–43 MHz (left) and 47 MHz–78 MHz bands (right); zenith is at the center of the images. Strong sources are labeled, notably including Jupiter and the Sun. In the lower frequency image, Jupiter is of comparable brightness to the Sun, illustrating that the starplanet intensity ratio can be of order unity at radio wavelengths. In the higher frequency image, the absence of Jupiter is consistent with the exceptionally strong cutoff of cyclotron maser emission where the local plasma frequency exceeds the local cyclotron frequency within the planet’s magnetosphere. (Images courtesy of M. Anderson)

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Io, Jupiter, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report

Radio Observations As An Extrasolar Planet Discovery and Characterization: Interior Structure and Habitability

by Keith CowingApril 19, 2024April 19, 2024

Detection of radio emission from Jupiter was identified quickly as being due to its planetary-scale magnetic field. Subsequent spacecraft investigations have revealed that many of the planets, and even some […]

Artist’s concept of Dragonfly soaring over the dunes of Saturn’s moon Titan. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs, Saturn, Titan

Dragonfly Rotorcraft Astrobiology Mission To Titan Confirmed

by Keith CowingApril 16, 2024April 16, 2024

NASA has confirmed its Dragonfly rotorcraft mission to Saturn’s organic-rich moon Titan. The decision allows the mission to progress to completion of final design, followed by the construction and testing […]

An illustration of Mimas’ ice shell evolution, in which the changes in ice shell thickness (y-axis) lag behind the eccentricity decay (inverted x-axis). Time increases to the right of the plot, while eccentricity decreases. Points A, B, and C have associated interior structure cartoons, where the equilibrium ice shell thickness (light blue dashed line, “EQ thickness”) moves to thicker values as the eccentricity drops. Hence, the ice shell will first thin, then achieve temporary thermal equilibrium, and finally thicken. Credit: Alyssa Rhdoen.

Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Press Release, Saturn, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Orbital Eccentricity Led To A Young Underground Ocean On Mimas

by Keith CowingApril 15, 2024April 15, 2024

Saturn’s moon Mimas could have grown a huge underground ocean as its orbital eccentricity decreased to its present value and caused its icy shell to melt and thin.

An artist’s rendition of Saturn’s moon Enceladus depicts hydrothermal activity on the seafloor and cracks in the moon’s icy crust that allow material from the watery interior to be ejected into space. New research shows that instruments destined for the next missions could find traces of a single cell in a single ice grain contained in a plume. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Enceladus, Europa, Icy Worlds, Microbiology & Virology, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Signs Of Life Are Detectable In A Single Ice Grain Emitted From Icy Moons

by Keith CowingMarch 23, 2024March 23, 2024

The ice-encrusted oceans of some of the moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter are leading candidates in the search for extraterrestrial life. A new lab-based study led by the University of […]

Maps of the ring’s flux and brightness temperature as functions of ring radius and wavelength derived from the MIRI observations. The radial extent of the three main rings are shown at the far right of each plot (the Cassini Division is situated between the A and B rings). Note that the brightness temperature is more useful on the right-hand side of the figure, where thermal emission dominates over reflected sunlight. The brightness temperature rapidly increases at short wavelengths because of the increasing contribution of reflected sunlight. Narrow spectral features in the regions indicated by the shaded bands around 8 µm, 12 µm and 14µm are due to stray light from Saturn, but the bright line at 9.2 µm is due to the presence of highly crystalline water ice throughout the ring. -- astro-ph.EP

Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Saturn

Water-Ice Dominated Spectra of Saturn’s Rings and Small Moons from JWST

by Keith CowingFebruary 27, 2024February 27, 2024

JWST measured the infrared spectra of Saturn’s rings and several of its small moons (Epimetheus, Pandora, Telesto and Pallene) as part of Guaranteed Time Observation program 1247.

Mimas - NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Press Release, Saturn, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Mimas Has A Young Ocean Beneath Its Icy Shell

by Keith CowingFebruary 7, 2024February 8, 2024

Hidden beneath the heavily cratered surface of Mimas, one of Saturn’s smallest moons, lies a secret: a global ocean of liquid water.

Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mimas, Saturn, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Long-Term Evolution of the Saturnian System

by Keith CowingJanuary 31, 2024January 30, 2024

Here we present the current state of knowledge on the long-term evolution of Saturn’s moon system due to tides within Saturn. First we provide some background on tidal evolution, orbital […]

Saturn

A Simplified Model for the Forced Libration of Icy Moons with Subsurface Oceans: Application to Enceladus and Mimas

A Pole-to-Pole Map Of Hydrocarbons In Saturn’s Upper Stratosphere And Mesosphere

Formation Of The Four Terrestrial Planets In The Jupiter-Saturn Chaotic Excitation Scenario: Fundamental Properties And Water Delivery

Radio Observations As An Extrasolar Planet Discovery and Characterization: Interior Structure and Habitability

Dragonfly Rotorcraft Astrobiology Mission To Titan Confirmed

Orbital Eccentricity Led To A Young Underground Ocean On Mimas

Signs Of Life Are Detectable In A Single Ice Grain Emitted From Icy Moons

Water-Ice Dominated Spectra of Saturn’s Rings and Small Moons from JWST

Mimas Has A Young Ocean Beneath Its Icy Shell

Long-Term Evolution of the Saturnian System

Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: Preview: Fall 2026 Lake Untersee Field Season

Excess Oxygen Stored In Deep Earth Magma May Help Explain How Earth’s Atmosphere Became Oxygen-rich

Using Nuclear Technology To Change How We Explore Icy Ocean Worlds: Examples From Nuclear Powered Mission Concept Designs

Radiation Limits On Amino Acid Preservation And Chiral Measurement At Oxia Planum

Tree of Life Program Targets Publication Of 200 Genome Notes Per Month