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- P33D-2667: Analysis of Cassini/UVIS Scans of Titan’s FUV Airglow During Northern Vernal Equinox
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Board 2667‚ Hall EFG (Poster Hall)NOLA CC
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Devin Hoover, University of Arizona (First Author, Presenting Author)
Tommi Koskinen, University of Arizona
Panayotis Lavvas, Universite de Reims
Nathan Le Guennic, Universite de Reims
Between 2004 and 2017, the Cassini spacecraft observed Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, revealing that nitrogen (N2) and methane (CH4) abundances, as well as temperatures, in its upper atmosphere varied significantly between observations. Although scans of Titan’s atmospheric brightness by the Cassini Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) provide a global view of the atmosphere, most UVIS scans were previously unanalyzed. In 2009, as Titan’s northern hemisphere entered spring and solar brightness reached a minimum, UVIS conducted numerous scans. We analyze a sample of the 2009 scans, developing algorithms to retrieve N2, CH4, and atomic hydrogen (H) abundances, along with atmospheric structure parameters. Our results demonstrate that upper atmospheric temperatures vary significantly between flybys but generally remain consistent across latitudes during individual observations. These temperature changes do not appear to correlate with solar activity, implying that other factors, such as atmospheric waves or energetic particles from Saturn’s magnetosphere, may play a larger role. We frequently detect significant CH4 escape rates from the top of Titan’s atmosphere, while our H escape rates are consistent with previous findings. The 2009 observations provide a snapshot of Titan’s atmosphere, enhancing our understanding of its variability.
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