Storm clouds on Saturn: Lightning-induced chemistry and associated materials consistent with Cassini/VIMS spectra

Baines, K. H.; Delitsky, M. L.; Momary, T.; Brown, R. H.; Buratti, B. J.; Clark, R. N.; Nicholson, P. D.

doi:10.1016/j.pss.2009.06.025

Cited by 47 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…The plumes fade with time and evolve into dark ovals. The ovals are probably dark due to materials produced by lightning [ Podolak and Bar‐Nun , 1988; Baines et al , 2009]. In Figure 3b there is a bright cloud at about 2–3° west longitude and −32.5° latitude.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of visible lightning on Saturn

Dyudina

Ingersoll

Ewald

et al. 2010

Geophysical Research Letters

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Until now, evidence for lightning on Saturn has been indirect – through radio emissions and cloud morphology. Here we report the first visible detection of lightning, on the night side on August 17, 2009 at −36.4° ± 0.1° planetocentric latitude and 10.6° ± 0.9° west longitude. No other locations produced lightning detectable by either imaging or radio. The lightning images are consistent with a single cloud flashing once per minute. The visible energy of a single flash is comparable to that on Earth and Jupiter, and ranges up to 1.7 × 109 Joules. The diameter of the lightning flashes is ∼200 km, which suggests the lightning is 125–250 km below cloud tops. This depth is above the base of the liquid H2O‐NH3 cloud and may be either in the NH4SH cloud or in the H2O ice cloud. Saturn's lower internal heat transport and likely 5–10 fold enrichment of water largely explain the lower occurrence rate of moist convection on Saturn relative to Jupiter.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Detection of visible lightning on Saturn

Dyudina

Ingersoll

Ewald

et al. 2010

Geophysical Research Letters

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“…7.17) by Cassini (Porco et al 2005;Del Genio et al 2007a;Dyudina et al 2007). Another outbreak at this latitude in 2008 was associated with the first tentative spectroscopic detection of ammonia ice on Saturn, presumably formed when the water cloud penetrated the ammonia saturation level (Baines et al 2009b). Other less dramatic examples are found preferentially in the cyclonic shear regions and at times in the vicinity of the eastward jets, but almost never in regions of anti-cyclonic shear (Del Genio et al 2007a).…”

Section: Convective Clouds and Lightningmentioning

confidence: 96%

Saturn Atmospheric Structure and Dynamics

Genio

Achterberg

Baines

et al. 2009

Saturn From Cassini-Huygens

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“…Saturn and Jupiter contain water in liquid and solid form in their lower cloud layers (Niemann et al 1998;Baines et al 2009), but its abundance in these gas giants is not well known (Atreya and Wong 2005). Uranus and Neptune are thought to contain a large layer of ices, including H 2 O, above a rocky core.…”

Section: Water In the Planetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Main Belt Comets and ice in the Solar System

Snodgrass

Agarwal

Combi

et al. 2017

Astron Astrophys Rev

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We review the evidence for buried ice in the asteroid belt; specifically the questions around the so-called Main Belt Comets (MBCs). We summarise the evidence for water throughout the Solar System, and describe the various methods for detecting it, including remote sensing from ultraviolet to radio wavelengths. We review progress in the first decade of study of MBCs, including observations, modelling of ice survival, and discussion on their origins. We then look at which methods will likely be most effective for further progress, including the key challenge of direct detection of (escaping) water in these bodies.

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Storm clouds on Saturn: Lightning-induced chemistry and associated materials consistent with Cassini/VIMS spectra

Cited by 47 publications

References 60 publications

Detection of visible lightning on Saturn

Detection of visible lightning on Saturn

Saturn Atmospheric Structure and Dynamics

The Main Belt Comets and ice in the Solar System

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