Atmospheric/Exospheric Characteristics of Icy Satellites
International audience The atmospheres/exospheres of icy satellites greatly vary from one to the next in terms of density, composition, structure or steadiness. Titan is the only icy satellite with a dense atmosphere comparable in many ways to that of the Earth's atmosphere. Titan's atmosp...
Published in: | Space Science Reviews |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Other Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
HAL CCSD
2010
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-03742750 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-009-9615-5 |
Summary: | International audience The atmospheres/exospheres of icy satellites greatly vary from one to the next in terms of density, composition, structure or steadiness. Titan is the only icy satellite with a dense atmosphere comparable in many ways to that of the Earth's atmosphere. Titan's atmosphere prevents the surface from direct interaction with the plasma environment, but gives rise to Earth-like exchanges of energy, matter and momentum. The atmospheres of other satellites are tenuous. Enceladus' atmosphere manifests itself in a large water vapor plume emanating from surface cracks near the south pole. Io's SO 2 atmosphere originates from volcanoes. Europa's tenuous O 2 atmosphere is produced by intense radiation bombardment. This chapter reviews the characteristics of the atmospheres of Titan, Enceladus, Io and Europa based on observations. |
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