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Scatterers in Triton's atmosphere - Implications for the seasonal volatile cycleNitrogen and methane ices on the surface of Triton, Neptune's largest satellite, are exchanged between the summer and winter hemispheres on a seasonal time scale. Images of the satellite's sky obtained by the Voyager 2 spacecraft show the presence of several types of scattering materials that provide insights into this seasonal cycle of volatiles. Discrete clouds, probably composed of N2 ice particles, arise in regions of active sublimation. They are found chiefly poloward of 30 deg S in the southern, summer hemisphere. Haze particles, probably made of hydrocarbon ices, are present above most, but not all places. Recent snowfall may have occurred at low southern latitudes in places where they are absent. The latent heat released in the formation of the discrete clouds may have a major impact on the thermal balance of the lower atmosphere. Triton may have been less red at the time of the Voyager flyby than 12 years earlier due to recent N2 snowfall at a wide range of latitudes.
Document ID
19910027600
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Pollack, James B.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA, United States)
Schwartz, Joel M.
(California Institute of Technology Pasadena, United States)
Rages, Kathy
(Space Physics Research Institute Sunnyvale, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
October 19, 1990
Publication Information
Publication: Science
Volume: 250
ISSN: 0036-8075
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
91A12223
Funding Number(s)
PROJECT: PROJECT VOYAGER
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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