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In its 16 years of scientific measurements, the Spitzer Space Telescope performed ground-breaking and key infrared measurements of Solar System objects near and far. Targets ranged from the smallest planetesimals to the giant planets; Spitzer helped us to reshape our understanding of these objects while also laying the groundwork for future infrared space-based observations like those to be undertaken by the James Webb Space Telescope in the 2020s. In this Review Article, we describe how Spitzer advanced our knowledge of Solar System formation and evolution through observations of small outer Solar System planetesimals—that is, comets, centaurs and Kuiper belt objects (KBOs). Relics from the early formation era of our Solar System, these objects hold important information about the processes that created them.We group Spitzer’s key contributions into three broad classes: characterization of new Solar System objects (comets D/ISON 2012 S1, C/2016 R2 and 1I/‘Oumuamua); large population surveys of known objects (comets, centaurs and KBOs); and compositional studies through spectral measurements of body surfaces and emitted materials. In the Spitzer Space Telescope’s 16 years of operation, it observed many Solar System objects and environments. In this first Review Article of a pair, Spitzer’s insights into comets, centaurs and Kuiper belt objects—all remnants of the Solar System’s formation—are summarized.

International audience; The classical Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) Arrokoth was surveyed by the New Horizons spacecraft on 1st January 2019, revealing a small bilobed object with a red surface, whose spectral slope lies in the average of the whole KBOs population. This red color has been assigned to reddish organic materials, either inherited from the protosolar disk during accretion, or formed through radiolytic processes in the surface due to exposure to solar or interstellar photons, Solar Wind, Solar Energetic Particles or Galactic Cosmic Rays. We report here a study investigating the radiolytic scenario, based on numerical calculations and experimental simulations run with swift heavy ions (74.8 MeV136Xe19+ and 33.06 MeV58Ni9+), and low-energy 105 keV18O6+ions on CH3OH ice, the only molecule identified at Arrokoth’s surface.

The topography of Neptune’s large icy moon Triton could reveal important clues to its internal evolution, but has been difficult to determine. New global digital color maps for Triton have been produced as well as topographic data for

International audience; New Horizons' reectance spectra of the Cthulhu dark belt of Pluto were modelled with tholins. Reectance factors, phase function and optical constants of these tholins were numerically determined from tholins' reectance measurements. Tholins do not reproduce the featureless spectra of Cthulhu. These results could suggest that this region is covered with a highly porous layer of organic aerosolsPluto’s fly-by by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015 has revealed a dark reddish equatorial region, named Cthulhu, covered by a dark, non-icy material whose origin and composition have yet to be determined. It has been suggested that this material could form from the sedimentation of photochemical aerosols, originating from dissociation and ionisation processes in Pluto’s high atmosphere (similarly to aerosols forming Titan’s haze). This hypothesis is here further investigated by comparing New Horizons spectra collected both in the visible and the near-infrared to laboratory reflectance measurements of analogues of Pluto’s aerosols (Pluto tholins). These aerosols were synthesised in conditions mimicking Pluto’s atmosphere, and their optical and reflectance properties were determined, before being used in Hapke models. In particular, the single scattering albedo and phase function of Pluto tholins were retrieved through Hapke model inversion, performed from laboratory reflectance spectra collected under various geometries. From reconstructed reflectance spectra and direct comparison with New Horizons data, some of these tholins are shown to reproduce the photometric level (i.e. reflectance continuum) reasonably well in the near-infrared. Nevertheless, a misfit of the red visible slope still remains and tholins absorption bands present in the modelled spectra are absent in those collected by the New Horizons instruments. Several hypotheses are considered to explain the absence of these absorption features in LEISA data, namely high porosity effects or GCR irradiation. The formation of highly porous structures, which is currently our preferred scenario, could be promoted by either sublimation of ices initially mixed with the aerosols, or gentle deposition under Pluto’s weak gravity.

Isotopic ratios have long been used to learn about physical processes acting over a wide range of geological environments, and in constraining the origin and/or evolution of planetary bodies. We report the spectroscopic detection of deuterium in Saturn's rings and satellites, and use these measurements to determine the (D/H) ratios in their near-surface regions. Saturn's moons, Phoebe and Iapetus, show a strong signature of CO2 and the 13C component of this molecule is detected and quantified. Large averages of spectra obtained by the Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer, VIMS, were computed for the rings and icy satellites. The observed intensities of the infrared absorptions in H2O and CO2 and their isotopes were calibrated using laboratory data and radiative transfer models to derive the D/H and 13C/12C ratios. We find that the D/H in Saturn's rings and satellites is close to the Vienna Standard Mean Ocean Water (VSMOW) and bulk Earth (4% lower than VSMOW) value except for Phoebe, which is 8.3 times the VSMOW value. This is the highest value for any Solar-System surface yet measured, and suggests that Phoebe formed from material with a different D/H ratio than the other satellites in the Saturn system. Phoebe's 13C/12C ratio is also unusual: 4.7 times greater than terrestrial, and greater than values measured for the interstellar medium and the galactic center. The high 13C abundance in the CO2 suggests that Phoebe was never warm enough for the large D/H ratio in its surface to have originated by evaporative fractionation of its water ice (e.g., from heating in the inner Solar System before its eventual capture by Saturn). We also report the detection of a probable O-D stretch absorption due to OD in minerals on Phoebe at 3.62 μm. This absorption is not detected on other Saturnian satellites. Stronger signatures of bound water absorptions are found in the dark material of Iapetus and we report a new detection of bound water at 1.9 μm. The position of this absorption matches that seen in spectra of hydrated iron oxides but does not match absorptions seen in spectra of tholins. Despite the strong bound water signature in the Iapetus dark material, no 3.62 μm OD absorption is seen in the spectra, further indicating the high deuterium level on Phoebe is unusual. As such, it is likely that Phoebe originated in a colder part of the outer Solar System, relative to the prevailing temperatures at Saturn's distance from the Sun.

Asteroid (16) Psyche is a unique, metal-rich object belonging to the “M” taxonomic class. It may be a remnant protoplanet that has been stripped of most silicates by a hit-and-run collision. Because Psyche offers insight into the planetary formation process, it is the target of NASA’s Psyche mission, set to launch in 2023. In order to constrain Psyche’s surface properties, we have carried out a mid-infrared (5–14 µm) spectroscopic study using data collected with the Spitzer Space Telescope’s Infrared Spectrograph. Our study includes two observations covering different rotational phases. Using thermophysical modeling, we find that Psyche’s surface is smooth and likely has a thermal inertia Γ = 5–25 J/m2/K/s1/2 and bolometric emissivity ϵ = 0.9, although a scenario with ϵ = 0.7 and thermal inertia up to 95 J/m2/K/s1/2 is possible if Psyche is somewhat larger than previously determined. The smooth surface is consistent with the presence of a metallic bedrock, which would be more ductile than silicate bedrock, and thus may not readily form boulders upon impact events. From comparisons with laboratory spectra of silicate and meteorite powders, Psyche’s 7–14 µm emissivity spectrum is consistent with the presence of fine-grained (

Bladed Terrain on Pluto consists of deposits of massive CH 4 , which are observed to occur within latitudes 30° of the equator and are found almost exclusively at the highest elevations (> 2 km above the mean radius). Our analysis indicates that these deposits of CH 4 preferentially precipitate at low latitudes where net annual solar energy input is lowest. CH 4 and N 2 will both precipitate at low elevations. However, since there is much more N 2 in the atmosphere than CH 4 , the N 2 ice will dominate at these low elevations. At high elevations the atmosphere is too warm for N 2 to precipitate so only CH 4 can do so. We conclude that following the time of massive CH 4 emplacement; there have been sufficient excursions in Pluto's climate to partially erode these deposits via sublimation into the blades we see today. Blades composed of massive CH 4 ice implies that the mechanical behavior of CH 4 can support at least several hundred meters of relief at Pluto surface conditions. Bladed Terrain deposits may be widespread in the low latitudes of the poorly seen sub-Charon hemisphere, based on spectral observations. If these locations are indeed Bladed Terrain deposits, they may mark heretofore unrecognized regions of high elevation.

Charon, the largest moon of Pluto, appeared as a fairly homogeneous, gray, icy world to New Horizons during closest approach on July 14th, 2015. Charon's sub-Pluto hemisphere was scanned by the Ralph/LEISA near-IR spectrograph providing an unprecedented opportunity to measure its surface composition. We apply a statistical clustering tool to identify spectrally distinct terrains and a radiative transfer approach to study the variations of the 2.0-µm H2O ice band. We map the distribution of the ices previously reported to be present on Charon's surface, namely H2O and the products of NH3 in H2O. We find that H2O ice is mostly in the crystalline phase, confirming previous studies. The regions with the darkest albedos show the strongest signature of amorphous-phase ice, although the crystalline component is still strong. The brighter albedo regions, often corresponding to crater ejecta blankets, are characterized by larger H2O grains, possibly an indication of a younger age. We observe two different behaviors for the two absorption bands representing NH3 in H2O. The 2.21-µm band tends to cluster more in the northern areas compared to the ∼2.01-µm band. Both bands are present in the brighter crater rays, but not all craters show both bands. The 2.21-µm band is also clearly present on the smaller moons Hydra and Nix. These results hint that different physical conditions may determine the appearance or absence of these two different forms of NH3 in H2O ice in the Pluto system. We also investigate the blue slope affecting the spectrum at wavelengths longer than ∼1.8 µm previously reported by several authors. We find that the slope is common among the objects in the Pluto system, Charon, the smaller moons Nix and Hydra, and the darkest terrains on Pluto. It also characterizes the analog ice tholin obtained from irradiation of Pluto-specific materials (a mixture of N2, CH4, and CO ices) in the laboratory. Our modeling results show that Pluto ice tholins are widespread almost uniformly on Charon suggesting a common distribution possibly part of the original reservoir of materials that made up Charon. This was irradiated over the years to yield the gray color characteristic of Charon today. On top of the ‘primordial’ Pluto ice tholin there is the redder component produced by irradiation of the CH4 provided by Pluto's atmospheric contribution as illustrated by Grundy et al. (2016a).

New Horizon's accurate determination of the sizes and densities of Pluto and Charon now permit precise internal models of both bodies to be constructed. Assuming differentiated rock-ice structures, we find that Pluto is close to 2/3 solar-composition anhydrous rock by mass and Charon 3/5 solar-composition anhydrous rock by mass. Pluto and Charon are closer to each other in density than to other large (≳1000-km diameter) Kuiper belt bodies. Despite this, we show that neither the possible presence of an ocean under Pluto's water ice shell (and no ocean within Charon), nor enhanced porosity at depth in Charon's icy crust compared with that of Pluto, are sufficient to make Pluto and Charon's rock mass fractions match. All four small satellites (Styx, Nix, Kerberos, Hydra) appear much icier in comparison with either Pluto or Charon. In terms of a giant impact origin, both these inferences are most consistent with the relatively slow collision of partly differentiated precursor bodies (Canup, Astrophys. J. 141, 35, 2011). This is in turn consistent with dynamical conditions in the ancestral Kuiper belt, but implies that the impact precursors themselves accreted relatively late and slowly (to limit 26 Al and accretional heating). The iciness of the small satellites is not consistent with direct formation of the Pluto–Charon system from a streaming instability in the solar nebula followed by prompt collapse of gravitationally bound “pebble piles,” a proposed formation mechanism for Kuiper belt binaries (Nesvorný et al., Astron. J. 140, 785–793, 2010). Growth of Pluto-scale bodies by accretion of pebbles in the ancestral Kuiper belt is not ruled out, however, and may be needed to prevent the precursor bodies from fully differentiating, due to buried accretional heat, prior to the Charon-forming impact.

The Saturnian satellite Tethys exhibits geological and spectral properties, whose appearance, nature and spatial distribution partly mirror those identified on the neighboring satellites Dione and Rhea or fit to the picture how spectral surface properties are expected to change from one satellite to the other within the inner Saturnian system. However, we also identified spectral variations that are unique in the Saturnian system. Whereas geologically young surface features are characterized by pure H2O-ice composition with relatively large particles, which match the particle sizes measured for fresh surface features also on Dione and Rhea, geologically old weathered regions are dominated by submicron-sized ice particles. Our investigations confirm that the Odysseus impact event did not cause the formation of Tethys' extended graben system Ithaca Chasma. On the contrary, Odysseus might be responsible for the N-S trending 'icy' bands that mark Tethys' surface in the center of its leading and trailing hemisphere.

The spectral position of the 3.6 micron continuum peak measured on Cassini-VIMS I/F spectra is used as a marker to infer the temperature of the regolith particles covering the surfaces of Saturn's icy satellites. This feature is characterizing the crystalline water ice spectrum which is the dominant compositional endmember of the satellites' surfaces. Laboratory measurements indicate that the position of the 3.6 micron peak of pure water ice is temperature-dependent, shifting towards shorter wavelengths when the sample is cooled, from about 3.65 micron at T=123 K to about 3.55 micron at T=88 K. A similar method was already applied to VIMS Saturn's rings mosaics to retrieve ring particles temperature (Filacchione et al., 2014). We report here about the daytime temperature variations observed on the icy satellites as derived from three different VIMS observation types. Temperature maps are built by mining the complete VIMS dataset collected in years 2004-2009 (pre-equinox) and in 2009-2012 (post equinox) by selecting pixels with max 150 km/pixel resolution. VIMS-derived temperature maps allow to identify thermal anomalies across the equatorial lens of Mimas and Tethys., 42 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in Icarus journal on February 8th 2016

Spectroscopic investigations of primitive asteroid families constrain family evolution and composition and conditions in the solar nebula, and reveal information about past and present distributions of volatiles in the solar system. Visible and near-infrared studies of primitive asteroid families have shown spectral diversity between and within families. Here, we aim to better understand the composition and physical properties of two primitive families with vastly different ages: ancient Themis (∼2.5 Gyr) and young Veritas (∼8 Myr). We analyzed the 5 – 14 µm Spitzer Space Telescope spectra of 11 Themis-family asteroids, including eight previously studied by Licandro et al. (2012), and nine Veritas-family asteroids, for a total of 20 asteroids in our sample. We detect a broad 10-µm emission feature, attributed to fine-grained and/or porous silicate regolith, in all 11 Themis-family spectra and six of nine Veritas-family asteroids, with 10-µm spectral contrast ranging from 1% ± 0.1% to 8.5% ± 0.9%. We used thermal modeling to derive diameters, beaming parameters and albedos for our sample. Asteroids in both families have beaming parameters near unity and geometric albedos in the range 0.03 – 0.14. Spectral contrast of the 10-µm silicate emission feature is correlated with beaming parameter and rotation period in the Themis family, and may be related to near-infrared spectral slope for both families. We see no correlations of 10-µm emission with diameter or albedo for either family. Comparison with laboratory spectra of primitive meteorites suggests these asteroids are similar to meteorites with relatively low abundances of phyllosilicates. Overall, our results suggest the Themis and Veritas families are primitive asteroids with variation in composition and/or regolith properties within both families.

The goal of this project is to study the properties of H 2 O ice in the environment of the Saturn satellites and in particular to measure the relative amounts of crystalline and amorphous H 2 O ice in and around two craters on Rhea. The craters are remnants of cataclysmic events that, by raising the local temperature, melted the ice, which subsequently crystallized. Based on laboratory experiments it is expected that, when exposed to ion bombardment at the temperatures typical of the Saturn satellites, the crystalline structure of the ice will be broken, resulting in the disordered, amorphous phase. We therefore expect the ice in and around the craters to be partially crystalline and partially amorphous. We have designed a technique that estimates the relative amounts of crystalline and amorphous H 2 O ice based on measurements of the distortion of the 2-μm spectral absorption band. The technique is best suited for planetary surfaces that are predominantly icy, but works also for surfaces slightly contaminated with other ices and non-ice components. We apply the tool to two areas around the Inktomi and the Obatala craters. The first is a young impact crater on the leading hemisphere of Rhea, the second is an older one on the trailing hemisphere. For each crater we obtain maps of the fraction of crystalline ice, which were overlain onto Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) images of the satellite searching for correlations between crystallinity and geography. For both craters the largest fractions of crystalline ice are in the center, as would be intuitively expected since the ‘ground zero’ areas should be most affected by the effects of the impact. The overall distribution of the crystalline ice fraction maps the shape of the crater and, in the case of Inktomi, of the rays. The Inktomi crater ranges between a maximum fraction of 67% crystalline ice to a minimum of 39%. The Obatala crater varies between a maximum of 51% and a minimum of 33%. Based on simplifying assumptions and the knowledge that crystalline ice exposed to ion bombardment transforms into amorphous at a known rate, we estimate the age of the Obatala crater to be ∼450 Ma.

We present an analysis of the colors available for seven trans-neptunian objects (TNOs) and three centaurs among the reddest known, aimed at characterizing their surface chemical properties. In particular we seek to obtain evidence in support of the proposed correlation between the visible coloration of the surface of TNOs and their surface compositions (Brown, M.E., Schaller, E.L., Fraser, W.C. [2011]. Astrophys. J. 739, L60). The analysis focuses on nine available colors in the visible–near IR (0.3–4.5 μm) spectral range scaled to the V albedo to provide a proxy for the spectral shape of the objects. The colors include Spitzer IRAC data never published before, key in providing an effective constraint in the discrimination of ices contributing to the surface composition of the objects. Compositions are obtained by comparing the data to a grid of radiative transfer models convolved by the filter response functions of the colors adopted in the spectrum-proxies to match the resolution of the observations. We find evidence suggesting the presence of hydrocarbons and/or methanol on the surfaces of most objects in our sample, supporting the hypothesis by Brown et al. (Brown, M.E., Schaller, E.L., Fraser, W.C. [2011]. Astrophys. J. 739, L60) that the coloration of red TNOs could be linked to their methanol content. From our finding of methanol/hydrocarbon ices on the surfaces of the objects in our sample of very red TNOs and centaurs we infer that ultra-red objects in general might contain these ices and therefore might have formed in the outer part of the Solar System. We also deduce that the surfaces of most of the very red TNOs in our dataset are probably still quite pristine, and that their organic materials could have been produced by irradiation of the volatile ices whose traces are still present on their surface. Although our sample is small, we infer that the irradiation process is still in progress, as hinted by the centaurs’ slightly elevated organic amounts at smaller perihelion distances. However, considering the relatively similar amounts of organics found in our data at a wide variety of perihelion distances, we also infer that it could have started before Neptune’s migration. The technique used to constrain the composition described as part of this study introduces a new approach at investigating the surface chemistry of the very small and numerous objects that constitute the bulk of the TNO and centaur populations. This innovative method has the potential to provide constraints for irradiation theories and for models of dynamical and chemical evolution of the Solar System.

The surface of Pluto as it is understood on the eve of the encounter of the New Horizons spacecraft (mid-2015) consists of a spatially heterogeneous mix of solid N 2 , CH 4 , CO, C 2 H 6 , and an additional component that imparts color, and may not be an ice. The known molecular ices are detected by near-infrared spectroscopy. The N 2 ice occurs in the hexagonal crystalline β-phase, stable at T > 35.6 K. Spectroscopic evidence for wavelength shifts in the CH 4 bands attests to the complex mixing of CH 4 and N 2 in the solid state, in accordance with the phase diagram for N 2 + CH 4 . Spectra obtained at several aspects of Pluto’s surface as the planet rotates over its 6.4-day period show variability in the distribution of CH 4 and N 2 ices, with stronger CH 4 absorption bands associated with regions of higher albedo, in correlation with the visible rotational light curve. CO and N 2 ice absorptions are also strongly modulated by the rotation period; the bands are strongest on the anti-Charon hemisphere of Pluto. Longer term changes in the strengths of Pluto’s absorption bands occur as the viewing geometry changes on seasonal time-scales, although a complete cycle has not been observed. The non-ice component of Pluto’s surface may be a relatively refractory material produced by the UV and cosmic-ray irradiation of the surface ices and gases in the atmosphere, although UV does not generally penetrate the atmospheric CH 4 to interact with the surface. Laboratory simulations indicate that a rich chemistry ensues by the irradiation of mixtures of the ices known to occur on Pluto, but specific compounds have not yet been identified in spectra of the planet. Charon’s surface is characterized by spectral bands of crystalline H 2 O ice, and a band attributed to one or more hydrates of NH 3 . Amorphous H 2 O ice may also be present; the balance between the amorphization and crystallization processes on Charon remains to be clarified. The albedo of Charon and its generally spatially uniform neutral color indicate that a component, not yet identified, is mixed in some way with the H 2 O and NH 3 · n H 2 O ices. Among the many known small bodies in the transneptunian region, several share characteristics with Pluto and Charon, including the presence of CH 4 , N 2 , C 2 H 6 , H 2 O ices, as well as components that yield a wide variety of surface albedo and color. The New Horizons investigation of the Pluto–Charon system will generate new insight into the physical properties of the broader transneptunian population, and eventually to the corresponding bodies expected in the numerous planetary systems currently being discovered elsewhere in the Galaxy.

The spectral properties and thermal behavior of Saturn’s rings are determined from a dataset of ten radial mosaics acquired by Cassini–VIMS (Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer) between October 29th 2004 and January 27th 2010 with phase angle ranging between 5.7° and 132.4° and elevation angles between −23.5° and 2.6°. These observations, after reduction to spectrograms, e.g. 2D arrays containing the VIS–IR (0.35–5.1 μm) spectral information versus radial distance from Saturn (from 73.500 to 141.375 km, 400 km/bin), allow us to compare the derived spectral and thermal properties of the ring particles on a common reference. Spectral properties: rings spectra are characterized by an intense reddening at visible wavelengths while they maintain a strong similarity with water ice in the infrared domain. Significant changes in VIS reddening, water ice abundance and grain sizes are observed across different radial regions resulting in correlation with optical depth and local structures. The availability of observations taken at very different phase angles allows us to examine spectrophotometric properties of the ring’s particles. When observed at high phase angles, a remarkable increase of visible reddening and water ice band depths is found, probably as a consequence of the presence of a red-colored contaminant intimately mixed within water ice grains and of multiple scattering. At low phases the analysis of the 3.2–3.6 μm range shows faint spectral signatures at 3.42–3.52 μm which are compatible with the CH 2 aliphatic stretch. The 3.29 μm PAH aromatic stretch absorption is not clearly detectable on this dataset. VIMS results indicate that ring particles contain about 90–95% water ice while the remaining 5–10% is consistent with different contaminants like amorphous carbon or tholins. However, we cannot exclude the presence of nanophase iron or hematite produced by iron oxidation in the rings tenuous oxygen atmosphere, intimately mixed with the ice grains. Greater pollution caused by meteoritic material is seen in the C ring and Cassini division while the low levels of aliphatic material observed by VIMS in the A and B rings particles are an evidence that they are pristine. Thermal properties: the ring-particles’ temperature is retrieved by fitting the spectral position of the 3.6 μm continuum peak observed on reflectance spectra: in case of pure water ice the position of the peak, as measured in laboratory, shifts towards shorter wavelengths when temperature decreases, moving from about 3.65 μm at 123 K to about 3.55 μm at 88 K. When applied to VIMS rings observations, this method allows us to infer the average temperature across ring regions sampled through 400 km-wide radial bins. Comparing VIMS temperature radial profiles with similar CIRS measurements acquired at the same time we have found a substantial agreement between the two instruments’ results across the A and B rings. In general VIMS measures higher temperatures than CIRS across C ring and Cassini division as a consequence of the lower optical depth and the resulting pollution that creates a deviation from pure water ice composition of these regions. VIMS results point out that across C ring and CD the 3.6 μm peak wavelength is always higher than across B and A rings and therefore C ring and CD are warmer than A and B rings. VIMS observations allow us to investigate also diurnal and seasonal effects: comparing antisolar and subsolar ansae observations we have measured higher temperature on the latter. As the solar elevation angle decreases to 0° (equinox), the peak’s position shifts at shorter wavelengths because ring’s particles becomes colder. Merging multi-wavelength data sets allow us to test different thermal models, combining the effects of particle albedo, regolith composition, grain size and thermal properties with the ring structures.

We present a quantitative analysis of the hydrocarbon and other organic molecular inventory as a component of the low-albedo material of Saturn’s satellite Iapetus, based on a revision of the calibration of the Cassini VIMS instrument. Our study uses hyperspectral data from a mosaic of Iapetus’ surface (Pinilla-Alonso, N., Roush, T.L., Marzo, G.A., Cruikshank, D.P., Dalle Ore, C.M. [2011]. Icarus 215, 75–82) constructed from VIMS data on a close fly-by of the satellite. We extracted 2235 individual spectra of the low-albedo regions, and with a clustering analysis tool (Dalle Ore, C.M., Cruikshank, D.P., Clark, R.N. [2012]. Icarus 221, 735–743), separated them into two spectrally distinct groups, one concentrated on the leading hemisphere of Iapetus, and the other group on the trailing. This distribution is broadly consistent with that found from Cassini ISS data analyzed by Denk et al. (Denk, T. et al. [2010]. Science 327, 435–439). We modeled the average spectra of the two geographic regions using the materials and techniques described by Clark et al. (Clark, R.N., Cruikshank, D.P., Jaumann, R., Brown, R.H., Stephan, K., Dalle Ore, C.M., Livio, K.E., Pearson, N., Curchin, J.M., Hoefen, T.M., Buratti, B.J., Filacchione, G., Baines, K.H., Nicholson, P.D. [2012]. Icarus 218, 831–860), and after dividing the Iapetus spectrum by the model for each case, we extracted the resulting spectra in the interval 2.7–4.0 μm for analysis of the organic molecular bands. The spectra reveal the C H stretching modes of aromatic hydrocarbons at ∼3.28 μm (∼3050 cm−1), plus four blended bands of aliphatic CH2 and CH3 in the range ∼3.36–3.52 μm (∼2980–2840 cm−1). In these data, the aromatic band, probably indicating the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), is unusually strong in comparison to the aliphatic bands, as was found for Hyperion (Dalton, J.B., Cruikshank, D.P., Clark, R.N. [2012]. Icarus 220, 752–776; Dalle Ore, C.M., Cruikshank, D.P., Clark, R.N. [2012], op. cit.) and Phoebe (Dalle Ore, C.M., Cruikshank, D.P., Clark, R.N. [2012], op. cit.). Our Gaussian decomposition of the organic band region suggests the presence of molecular bands in addition to those noted above, specifically bands attributable to cycloalkanes, olefinic compounds, CH3OH, and N-substituted PAHs, as well as possible Hn-PAHs (PAHs with excess peripheral H atoms). In a minimalist interpretation of the Gaussian band fitting, we find the ratio of aromatic CH to aliphatic CH2 + CH3 functional groups for both the leading and trailing hemispheres of Iapetus is ∼10, with no clear difference between them. In the aliphatic component of the surface material, the ratio CH2/CH3 is 4.0 on the leading hemisphere and 3.0 on the trailing; both values are higher than those found in interstellar dust and other Solar System materials and the difference between the two hemispheres may be statistically significant. The superficial layer of low-albedo material on Iapetus originated in the interior of Phoebe and is being transported to and deposited on Iapetus (and Hyperion) in the current epoch via the Phoebe dust ring (Tosi, F., Turrini, D., Coradini, A., Filacchione, G., and the VIMS Team [2010]. Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 403, 1113–1130; Tamayo, D., Burns, J.A., Hamilton, D.P., Hedman, M.M. [2011]. Icarus 215, 260–278). The PAHs on Iapetus exist in a H2O-rich environment, and consequently are subject to UV destruction by hydrogenation on short time-scales. The occurrence of this material is therefore consistent with the assertion that the deposition of the PAH-bearing dust is occurring at the present time. If the organic inventory we observe represents the interior composition of Phoebe, we may be sampling the original material from a region of the solar nebula beyond Neptune where Phoebe formed prior to its capture by Saturn ( Johnson, T.V., Lunine, J.I. [2005] . Nature 435, 69–71).

The width and temperature of the active fissures on Saturn’s satellite Enceladus provide key observable constraints on physical models of these geyser-like eruptions. We analyze a sequence of high spatial resolution near-infrared spectra acquired with VIMS at 0.025 s intervals during a 74 km altitude flyover of the South Pole of Enceladus by the Cassini spacecraft on 14 April 2012 UTC. A thermal-emission spectrum covering 3- to 5-μm wavelengths was detected as the field of view crossed one of the four major fissures, Baghdad Sulcus, within 1 km of 82.36S latitude and 28.24W longitude. We interpret this spectrum as thermal emission from a linear fissure with temperature 197 ± 20 K and width 9 m. At the above wavelengths, the spectrum is dominated by the warmest temperature component. Looking downward into the fissure at only 13° from the vertical, we conclude that our results measure the temperature of the interior fissure walls (and the H 2 O vapor) at depths within 40 m of the surface.

Iapetus, one of the large satellites of Saturn, has been studied over the centuries for its signature brightness contrast, light on one side and dark on the opposite. It has recently been suggested that the dark material is a combination of native and exogenous materials with distinct histories. We present an analysis of parts of the Cassini Regio, the darkest region on the leading hemisphere of Iapetus, focusing on the hydrocarbon signature with a view to detect and investigate differences in the material(s). We find variations in the hydrocarbon bands with geographic location, one type predominantly located on the leading hemisphere. A comparison with the equivalent spectral features on Phoebe and Hyperion reveals a predictable resemblance between the leading hemisphere material and Phoebe and an unexpected likeness between Hyperion’s darkest material and Iapetus’ trailing hemisphere surface. An analysis of the slope in the visible part of the spectrum is strongly affected by a rise in the continuum (∼0.35–0.65 μm) attributed to Rayleigh scattering from nano-size particles on the surface. The continuum rise varies in strength with the albedo and H 2 O ice content, and when it is properly accounted for, the overall slope in all the identified spectral units is the same over the interval 0.35–2.3 μm, independent of albedo or ice abundance. The interpretation of current and previous results offers two different scenarios illustrated by the presence of one vs. two dark materials distributed over the Iapetus surface. We describe the scenarios and their implications. The appearance of the aromatic and aliphatic absorption bands together in their measured relative strengths makes this spectral signature unique, and thus enables the comparison among the three satellites.

Compositional mapping of the surface of Hyperion using Cassini Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) observations reveals a heterogeneous surface dominated by water ice accompanied by additional materials. Carbon dioxide, as evidenced by a prominent absorption band centered at 4.26 μm, is distributed over most of the surface, including icy regions. This does not represent exposures of pure CO2 ice, but concentrations of CO2 molecules adsorbed on other materials or complexed in H2O, perhaps as a clathrate (Cruikshank, D.P., Meyer, A.W., Brown, R.H., Clark, R.N., Jaumann, R., Stephan, K., Hibbitts, C.A., Sandford, S.A., Mastrapa, R., Filacchione, G., Dalle Ore, C.M., Nicholson, P.D., Buratti, B.J., McCord, T.B., Nelson, R.M., Dalton, J.B., Baines, K.H., Matson, D.L., The VIMS Team [2010]. Icarus 206, 561–572). Localized deposits of low-albedo material in subcircular depressions exhibit spectral absorptions indicative of C–H in aromatic (3.29 μm) and aliphatic (3.35–3.50 μm) hydrocarbons. An absorption band at 2.42 μm that is also seen on other saturnian satellites, tentatively identified as H2 (Clark, R.N. et al. [2011]. In: Proc. AAS-DPS Meeting, 43, 1563; Clark et al., in preparation, 2012) adsorbed on dark material grains, is also prominent. Our best spectral models included H2O and CO2 ice, with small amounts of nanophase Fe and Fe2O3. Weaker and more spatially scattered absorption features are also found at 4.48, 4.60, and 4.89 μm, although no clear molecular identifications have yet been made. While strongest in the low-albedo deposits, the CO2, hydrocarbon and putative H2 bands vary in strength throughout the icy regions, as do the 4.48-, 4.60- and 4.89-μm bands, suggesting that this background ice is laced with a complex mixture of non-ice compounds.

Complex organic materials may exist as haze layers in the atmosphere of Titan and as dark coloring agents on icy satellite surfaces. Laboratory measurements of optical constants of plausible complex organic materials are necessary for quantitative evaluation from remote sensing observations, and to document the existence of complex organic materials in the extraterrestrial environments. The recent Cassini VIMS and CIRS observations provide new constraints on Titan’s haze properties in the mid-infrared wavelength region. Here, we present the optical constants (2.5–25 μm) of Titan tholins generated with cold plasma irradiation of a N 2 /CH 4 (90/10) gas mixture at pressures of 0.26 mbar, 1.6 mbar, and 23 mbar. Our new optical constants of three types of Titan tholins suggest that no single Titan tholin in this study fulfills all the observational constraints of the Titan haze material. The discrepancy remains a challenge for future modeling and laboratory efforts that aim toward a better understanding of Titan’s haze material.

We report on thermal observations of the Pluto–Charon system acquired by the Spitzer observatory in August–September 2004. The observations, which consist of (i) photometric measurements (8 visits) with the Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) at 24, 70 and 160 μm and (ii) low-resolution spectra (8 visits) over 20–37 μm with the Infrared Spectrometer (IRS), clearly exhibit the thermal lightcurve of Pluto/Charon at a variety of wavelengths. They further indicate a steady decrease of the system brightness temperature with increasing wavelength. Observations are analyzed by means of a thermophysical model, including the effects of thermal conduction and surface roughness, and using a multi-terrain description of Pluto and Charon surfaces in accordance with visible imaging and lightcurves, and visible and near-infrared spectroscopy. Three units are considered for Pluto, respectively covered by N2 ice, CH4 ice, and a tholin/H2O mix. Essential model parameters are the thermal inertia of Pluto and Charon surfaces and the spectral and bolometric emissivity of the various units. A new and improved value of Pluto’s surface thermal inertia, referring to the CH4 and tholin/H2O areas, is determined to be ΓPl = 20–30 J m−2 s−1/2 K−1 (MKS). The high-quality 24-μm lightcurve permits a precise assessment of Charon’s thermal emission, indicating a mean surface temperature of 55.4 ± 2.6 K. Although Charon is on average warmer than Pluto, it is also not in instantaneous equilibrium with solar radiation. Charon’s surface thermal inertia is in the range ΓCh = 10–150 MKS, though most model solutions point to ΓCh = 10–20 MKS. Pluto and Charon thermal inertias appear much lower than values expected for compact ices, probably resulting from high surface porosity and poor surface consolidation. Comparison between Charon’s thermal inertia and even lower values estimated for two other H2O-covered Kuiper-Belt objects suggests that a vertical gradient of conductivity exists in the upper surface of these bodies. Finally, the observations indicate that the spectral emissivity of methane ice is close to unity at 24 μm and decreases with increasing wavelength to ∼0.6 at 100 μm. Future observations of thermal lightcurves over 70–500 μm by Herschel should be very valuable to further constrain the emissivity behavior of the Pluto terrains.

International audience; The dwarf planet (90377) Sedna is one of the most remote solar system objects accessible to investigations. To better constrain its surface composition and to investigate the possible heterogeneity of the surface of Sedna, several observations have been carried out at ESO-VLT with the powerful spectrometer SINFONI observing simultaneously the H and K bands. The analyzed spectra (obtained in 2005, 2007, and 2008) show a non-uniform spectral signature, particularly in the K band. Spectral modeling using the Shkuratov radiative transfer code for surface scattering has been performed using the various sets of data, including previous observations at visible wavelengths and photometry at 3.6 and 4.5 mum by the Spitzer Space Telescope. The visible and near-infrared spectra can be modeled with organic materials (triton and titan tholin), serpentine, and H2O ice in fairly significant amounts, and CH4, N2, and C2H6 in varying trace amounts. One of the spectra obtained in 2005 October shows a different signature in the K band and is best modeled with CH3OH in place of CH4, with reduced amounts of serpentine and with the addition of olivine. The compositional surface heterogeneity can give input on the past history as well clues to the origin of this peculiar, distant object.

We apply a multivariate statistical method to Titan data acquired by different instruments onboard the Cassini spacecraft. We have searched through Cassini/VIMS hyperspectral cubes, selecting those data with convenient viewing geometry and that overlap with Cassini/RADAR scatterometry footprints with a comparable spatial resolution. We look for correlations between the infrared and microwave ranges the two instruments cover. Where found, the normalized backscatter cross-section obtained from the scatterometer measurement, corrected for incidence angle, and the calibrated antenna temperature measured along with the scatterometry echoes, are combined with the infrared reflectances, with estimated errors, to produce an aggregate data set, that we process using a multivariate classification method to identify homogeneous taxonomic units in the multivariate space of the samples. In medium resolution data (from 20 to 100 km/pixel), sampling relatively large portions of the satellite’s surface, we find regional geophysical units matching both the major dark and bright features seen in the optical mosaic. Given the VIMS cubes and RADAR scatterometer passes considered in this work, the largest homogeneous type is associated with the dark equatorial basins, showing similar characteristics as each other on the basis of all the considered parameters. On the other hand, the major bright features seen in these data generally do not show the same characteristics as each other. Xanadu, the largest continental feature, is as bright as the other equatorial bright features, while showing the highest backscattering coefficient of the entire satellite. Tsegihi is very bright at 5 μm but it shows a low backscattering coefficient, so it could have a low roughness on a regional scale and/or a different composition. Another well-defined region, located southwest of Xanadu beyond the Tui Regio, seems to be detached from the surrounding terrains, being bright at 2.69, 2.78 and 5 μm but having a low radar brightness. In this way, other units can be found that show correlations or anti-correlations between the scatterometric response and the spectrophotometric behavior, not evident from the optical remote sensing data.

Several of the icy satellites of Saturn show the spectroscopic signature of the asymmetric stretching mode of C–O in carbon dioxide (CO2) at or near the nominal solid-phase laboratory wavelength of 4.2675 μm (2343.3 cm−1), discovered with the Visible-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on the Cassini spacecraft. We report here on an analysis of the variation in wavelength and width of the CO2 absorption band in the spectra of Phoebe, Iapetus, Hyperion, and Dione. Comparisons are made to laboratory spectra of pure CO2, CO2 clathrates, ternary mixtures of CO2 with other volatiles, implanted and adsorbed CO2 in non-volatile materials, and ab initio theoretical calculations of CO2 * nH2O. At the wavelength resolution of VIMS, the CO2 on Phoebe is indistinguishable from pure CO2 ice (each molecule’s nearby neighbors are also CO2) or type II clathrate of CO2 in H2O. In contrast, the CO2 band on Iapetus, Hyperion, and Dione is shifted to shorter wavelengths (typically ∼4.255 μm (∼2350.2 cm−1)) and broadened. These wavelengths are characteristic of complexes of CO2 with different near-neighbor molecules that are encountered in other volatile mixtures such as with H2O and CH3OH, and non-volatile host materials like silicates, some clays, and zeolites. We suggest that Phoebe’s CO2 is native to the body as part of the initial inventory of condensates and now exposed on the surface, while CO2 on the other three satellites results at least in part from particle or UV irradiation of native H2O plus a source of C, implantation or accretion from external sources, or redistribution of native CO2 from the interior. The analysis presented here depends on an accurate VIMS wavelength scale. In preparation for this work, the baseline wavelength calibration for the Cassini VIMS was found to be distorted around 4.3 μm, apparently as a consequence of telluric CO2 gas absorption in the pre-launch calibration. The effect can be reproduced by convolving a sequence of model detector response profiles with a deep atmospheric CO2 absorption profile, producing distorted detector profile shapes and shifted central positions. In a laboratory blackbody spectrum used for radiance calibration, close examination of the CO2 absorption profile shows a similar deviation from that expected from a model. These modeled effects appear to be sufficient to explain the distortion in the existing wavelength calibration now in use. A modification to the wavelength calibration for 13 adjacent bands is provided. The affected channels span about 0.2 μm centered on 4.28 μm. The maximum wavelength change is about 10 nm toward longer wavelength. This adjustment has implications for interpretation of some of the spectral features observed in the affected wavelength interval, such as from CO2, as discussed in this paper.

Material of low geometric albedo (pV⩽0.1pV⩽0.1) is found on many objects in the outer Solar System, but its distribution in the saturnian satellite system is of special interest because of its juxtaposition with high-albedo ice. In the absence of clear, diagnostic spectral features, the composition of this low-albedo (or “dark”) material is generally inferred to be carbon-rich, but the form(s) of the carbon is unknown. Near-infrared spectra of the low-albedo hemisphere of Saturn's satellite Iapetus were obtained with the Visible–Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) on the Cassini spacecraft at the fly-by of that satellite of 31 December 2004, yielding a maximum spatial resolution on the satellite's surface of ∼65 km. The spectral region 3–3.6 μm reveals a broad absorption band, centered at 3.29 μm, and concentrated in a region comprising about 15% of the low-albedo surface area. This is identified as the CH stretching mode vibration in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. Two weaker bands attributed to CH2 stretching modes in aliphatic hydrocarbons are found in association with the aromatic band. The bands most likely arise from aromatic and aliphatic units in complex macromolecular carbonaceous material with a kerogen- or coal-like structure, similar to that in carbonaceous meteorites. VIMS spectra of Phoebe, encountered by Cassini on 11 June 2004, also show the aromatic hydrocarbon band, although somewhat weaker than on Iapetus. The origin of the PAH molecular material on these two satellites is unknown, but PAHs are found in carbonaceous meteorites, cometary dust particles, circumstellar dust, and interstellar dust.

The reflected spectral energy distribution of low-albedo, red-colored, airless bodies in the outer Solar System (planetary satellites, Centaur objects, Kuiper Belt objects, bare comet nuclei) can be modeled with spectral models that incorporate the optical properties of refractory complex organic materials synthesized in the laboratory and called tholins. These materials are strongly colored and impart their color properties to the models. The colors of the bodies cannot be matched with plausible minerals, ices, or metals. Iapetus, a satellite of Saturn, is one such red-colored body that is well matched with tholin-rich models. Detection of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons on Iapetus by the Cassini spacecraft, and the presence of these hydrocarbons in the tholins, is taken as evidence for the widespread presence of solid organic complexes aromatic and aliphatic units on many bodies in the outer Solar System. These organic complexes may be compositionally similar to the insoluble organic matter in some classes of the carbonaceous meteorites, and thus may ultimately derive from the organic matter in the interstellar medium.

Cassini VIMS has obtained spatially resolved imaging spectroscopy data on numerous satellites of Saturn. A very close fly-by of Dione provided key information for solving the riddle of the origin of the dark material in the Saturn system. The Dione VIMS data show a pattern of bombardment of fine, sub-0.5-μm diameter particles impacting the satellite from the trailing side direction. Multiple lines of evidence point to an external origin for the dark material on Dione, including the global spatial pattern of dark material, local patterns including crater and cliff walls shielding implantation on slopes facing away from the trailing side, exposing clean ice, and slopes facing the trailing direction which show higher abundances of dark material. Multiple spectral features of the dark material match those seen on Phoebe, Iapetus, Hyperion, Epimetheus and the F-ring, implying the material has a common composition throughout the Saturn system. However, the exact composition of the dark material remains a mystery, except that bound water and, tentatively, ammonia are detected, and there is evidence both for and against cyanide compounds. Exact identification of composition requires additional laboratory work. A blue scattering peak with a strong UV–visible absorption is observed in spectra of all satellites which contain dark material, and the cause is Rayleigh scattering, again pointing to a common origin. The Rayleigh scattering effect is confirmed with laboratory experiments using ice and 0.2-μm diameter carbon grains when the carbon abundance is less than about 2% by weight. Rayleigh scattering in solids is also confirmed in naturally occurring terrestrial rocks, and in previously published reflectance studies. The spatial pattern, Rayleigh scattering effect, and spectral properties argue that the dark material is only a thin coating on Dione's surface, and by extension is only a thin coating on Phoebe, Hyperion, and Iapetus, although the dark material abundance appears higher on Iapetus, and may be locally thick. As previously concluded for Phoebe, the dark material appears to be external to the Saturn system and may be cometary in origin. We also report a possible detection of material around Dione which may indicate Dione is active and contributes material to the E-ring, but this observation must be confirmed.

Division III gathers astronomers engaged in the study of a comprehensive range of phenomena in the solar system and its bodies, from the major planets via comets to meteorites and interplanetary dust.

Titan's vast equatorial fields of RADAR-dark longitudinal dunes seen in Cassini RADAR synthetic aperture images correlate with one of two dark surface units discriminated as “brown” and “blue” in Visible and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) color composites of short-wavelength infrared spectral cubes (RGB as 2.0, 1.6, 1.3 μm). In such composites bluer materials exhibit higher reflectance at 1.3 μm and lower at 1.6 and 2.0 μm. The dark brown unit is highly correlated with the RADAR-dark dunes. The dark brown unit shows less evidence of water ice suggesting that the saltating grains of the dunes are largely composed of hydrocarbons and/or nitriles. In general, the bright units also show less evidence of absorption due to water ice and are inferred to consist of deposits of bright fine precipitating tholin aerosol dust. Some set of chemical/mechanical processes may be converting the bright fine-grained aerosol deposits into the dark saltating hydrocarbon and/or nitrile grains. Alternatively the dark dune materials may be derived from a different type of air aerosol photochemical product than are the bright materials. In our model, both the bright aerosol and dark hydrocarbon dune deposits mantle the VIMS dark blue water ice-rich substrate. We postulate that the bright mantles are effectively invisible (transparent) in RADAR synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images leading to lack of correlation in the RADAR images with optically bright mantling units. RADAR images mostly show only dark dunes and the water ice substrate that varies in roughness, fracturing, and porosity. If the rate of deposition of bright aerosol is 0.001–0.01 μm/yr, the surface would be coated (to optical instruments) in hundreds-to-thousands of years unless cleansing processes are active. The dark dunes must be mobile on this very short timescale to prevent the accumulation of bright coatings. Huygens landed in a region of the VIMS bright and dark blue materials and about 30 km south of the nearest occurrence of dunes visible in the RADAR SAR images. Fluvial/pluvial processes, every few centuries or millennia, must be cleansing the dark floors of the incised channels and scouring the dark plains at the Huygens landing site both imaged by Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR).

Hubble Space Telescope observations of Uranus- and Neptune-crossing object (65489) Ceto/Phorcys (provisionally designated 2003 FX128) reveal it to be a close binary system. The mutual orbit has a period of 9.554 ± 0.011 days and a semimajor axis of 1840 ± 48 km . These values enable computation of a system mass of ( 5.41 ± 0.42 ) × 10 18 kg . Spitzer Space Telescope observations of thermal emission at 24 and 70 μm are combined with visible photometry to constrain the system's effective radius ( 109 −11 +10 km ) and geometric albedo ( 0.084 −0.014 +0.021 ) . We estimate the average bulk density to be 1.37 −0.32 +0.66 g cm −3 , consistent with ice plus rocky and/or carbonaceous materials. This density contrasts with lower densities recently measured with the same technique for three other comparably-sized outer Solar System binaries (617) Patroclus, (26308) 1998 SM165, and (47171) 1999 TC36, and is closer to the density of the saturnian irregular satellite Phoebe. The mutual orbit of Ceto and Phorcys is nearly circular, with an eccentricity ⩽0.015. This observation is consistent with calculations suggesting that the system should tidally evolve on a timescale shorter than the age of the Solar System.

An absorption band at ∼ 4.26 μm wavelength attributed to the asymmetric stretching mode of C O in CO2 has been found on two satellites of Jupiter and several satellites of Saturn. The wavelength of pure CO2 ice determined in the laboratory is 4.2675 μm, indicating that the CO2 on the satellites occurs either trapped in a host material, or in a chemical or physical complex with other materials, resulting in a blue shift of the wavelength of the band. In frequency units, the shifts in the satellite spectra range from 3.7 to 11.3 cm−1. We have performed ab initio quantum chemical calculations of CO2 molecules chemically complexed with one, two, and more H2O molecules and molecules of CH3OH to explore the possibility that the blue shift of the band is caused by chemical complexing of CO2 with other volatile materials. Our computations of the harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequencies using high levels of theory show a frequency shift to the blue by 5 cm−1 from pure CO2 to CO–H2O, and an additional 5 cm−1 from CO2–H2O to CO2–2H2O. Complexing with more than two H2O molecules does not increase the blue shift. Complexes of CO2 with one molecule of CH3OH and with one CH3OH plus one H2O molecule produce smaller shifts than the CO2–2H2O complex. Laboratory studies of CO2:H2O in a solid N2 matrix also show a blue shift of the asymmetric stretching mode.

We present thermal emission spectra (5.2–38 μm) of the Trojan asteroids 624 Hektor, 911 Agamemnon, and 1172 Aneas. The observations used the Infrared Spectrograph (IRS) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. Emissivity spectra are created by dividing the measured Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) by a model of the thermal continuum. We employ the Standard Thermal Model (STM), allowing physical parameters (e.g., radius and albedo) to vary in order to find the best thermal continuum fit to the SED. The best-fit effective radius (R) and visible geometric albedo ( p v ) for Hektor ( R = 110.0 ± 7.3 , p v = 0.038 −0.017 +0.028 ) and Aneas ( R = 69.1 ± 5.1 , p v = 0.044 −0.014 +0.020 ) agree very well with previous estimates, and for Agamemnon ( R = 71.5 ± 5.2 , p v = 0.062 −0.019 +0.024 ) we find slightly a smaller size and higher albedo than previously derived. Other thermal models (e.g., thermophysical) result in estimates of R and p v that vary a few percent from the STM, but the resulting emissivity spectra are identical. The emissivity spectra of all three asteroids display an emissivity plateau near 10-μm and another broader rise from ∼18 to 28 μm. We interpret these as indications of fine-grained silicates on the surfaces of these asteroids. The emissivity spectra more closely resemble emission spectra from cometary comae than those from solid surfaces and measured in the laboratory for powdered meteorites and regolith analogs. We hypothesize that the coma-like emission from the solid surfaces of trojans may be due to small silicate grains being imbedded in a relatively transparent matrix, or to a very under-dense (fairy-castle) surface structure. These hypotheses need to be tested by further laboratory and theoretical scattering work as well as continued thermal emission observations of asteroids.

We present 1.25–19 μm infrared spectra of pure solid CH4 and H2O/CH4=87, 20, and 3 solid mixtures at temperatures from 15 to 150 K. We compare and contrast the absorptions of CH4 in solid H2O with those of pure CH4. Changes in selected peak positions, profiles, and relative strength with temperature are presented, and absolute strengths for absorptions of CH4 in solid H2O are estimated. Using the two largest ( ν 3 + ν 4 ) and ( ν 1 + ν 4 ) near-IR absorptions of CH4 at 2.324 and 2.377 μm (4303 and 4207 cm−1), respectively, as examples, we show that peaks of CH4 in solid H2O are at slightly shorter wavelength (higher frequency) and broader than those of pure solid CH4. With increasing temperature, these peaks shift to higher frequency and become increasingly broad, but this trend is reversible on re-cooling, even though the phase transitions of H2O are irreversible. It is to be hoped that these observations of changes in the positions, profiles, and relative intensities of CH4 absorptions with concentration and temperature will be of use in understanding spectra of icy outer Solar System bodies.

The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), aloft for over two years at time of writing, has so far devoted almost 600 hours of observing time to Solar System science, and small bodies make up a significant fraction of the objects that have been observed. For the first time we now have high accuracy mid-infrared data to study the fundamental mineralogical and physical properties of a large number of objects of different types. In this paper we review some of the exciting recent results derived from SST photometry (in six bands from 3.6 to 70 $\mu$ m) and spectroscopy (from 5 to 40 $\mu$ m) of asteroids and comets. The observations reveal their spectral energy distributions (SEDs), and we discuss three important science goals that can be addressed with these data: (1) finding compositional diagnostics of these objects, (2) determining their bulk thermal properties, and (3) understanding the surface evolution of primitive and icy bodies. We focus primarily on comet-asteroid transition objects, low-albedo asteroids, cometary nuclei, Trojans, Centaurs, and trans-Neptunian objects. In particular, we will show: emissivity features in the SEDs and identification of the compositional sources, the constraints on thermal inertia and infrared beaming through the samples of the thermal continuum, and an intercomparison of albedos across dynamically-related bodies.

The surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is coated in a dense methane-rich atmosphere that prevents high-resolution imaging at visible wavelengths. During its first Titan flyby last October, the Cassini spacecraft's visual and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) was able to reveal detailed surface structures, as reported in this issue. Notable features include a circular structure 30 km in diameter, thought to be a cryogenic dome. This may be volcanic, which could explain how the methane in Titan's atmosphere is replenished. Titan is the only satellite in our Solar System with a dense atmosphere. The surface pressure is 1.5 bar (ref. 1) and, similar to the Earth, N2 is the main component of the atmosphere. Methane is the second most important component2, but it is photodissociated on a timescale of 107 years (ref. 3). This short timescale has led to the suggestion that Titan may possess a surface or subsurface reservoir of hydrocarbons4,5 to replenish the atmosphere. Here we report near-infrared images of Titan obtained on 26 October 2004 by the Cassini spacecraft. The images show that a widespread methane ocean does not exist; subtle albedo variations instead suggest topographical variations, as would be expected for a more solid (perhaps icy) surface. We also find a circular structure ∼30 km in diameter that does not resemble any features seen on other icy satellites. We propose that the structure is a dome formed by upwelling icy plumes that release methane into Titan's atmosphere.

International audience; Every three years the IAU/IAG Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements revises tables giving the directions of the north poles of rotation and the prime meridians of the planets, satellites, and asteroids. This report introduces a system of cartographic coordinates for asteroids and comets. A topographic reference surface for Mars is recommended. Tables for the rotational elements of the planets and satellites and size and shape of the planets and satellites are not included, since there were no changes to the values. They are available in the previous report (Celest. Mech. Dyn. Astron., 82, 83 110, 2002), a version of which is also available on a web site.

The red colors of many solid bodies in outer Solar System may be caused by tholins, which are refractory organic complexes, incorporated in their surface materials. Tholins synthesized in the laboratory are shown to match the colors of these bodies when their optical properties are used in rigorous scattering models. We review recent successes in modeling the spectra of icy outer Solar System bodies with tholins as the coloring agents. New work on the systematic laboratory synthesis and analysis of tholins made by cold plasma discharge in mixtures of gaseous CH4/N2 shows that the composition of the tholin depends strongly on the pressure in the reaction chamber, and only weakly on the mixing fraction of CH4 relative to N2. In tholins made at high pressure (e.g., 23 hPa) the abundance of aliphatic hydrocarbons is greater and the abundance of aromatic hydrocarbons is less than in tholins made at low pressure (e.g., 0.13 hPa). Tholins made at low deposition pressures show a greater abundance of N-H bonds.

The programs of observations of Solar System bodies conducted in the first year of the operation of the Spitzer Space Telescope as part of the Guaranteed Observing Time allocations are described. Initial results include the determination of the albedos of a number of Kuiper Belt objects and Centaurs from observations of their flux densities at 24 and 70 microns, and the detection of emission bands in the spectra of several distant asteroids (Trojans) around 10 and 25 microns. The 10 Kuiper Belt objects observed to date have albedos in the range 0.08 - 0.15, significantly higher than the earlier estimated 0.04. An additional KBO [(55565) 2002 AW(sub l97)] has an albedo of 0.17 plus or minus 0.03. The emission bands in the asteroid spectra are indicative of silicates, but specific minerals have not yet been identified. The Centaur/comet 29P/Schwassmann-Wachmann 1 has a nucleus surface albedo of 0.025 plus or minus 0.01, and its dust production rate was calculated from the properties of the coma. Several other investigations are in progress as the incoming data are processed and analyzed.

During the Cassini–Jupiter flyby, VIMS observed Io at different phase angles, both in full sunlight and in eclipse. By using the sunlight measurements, we were able to produce phase curves in the visual through all the near infrared wavelengths covered by the VIMS instrument (0.85–5.1 μm). The phase angle spanned from ∼2° to ∼120°. The measurements, done just after Io emerged from Jupiter's shadow, show an increase of about 15% in Io's reflectance with respect to what would be predicted by the phase curve. This behavior is observed at wavelengths >1.2 μm. Moreover, just after emergence from eclipse an increase of about 25% is observed in the depth of SO2 frost bands at 4.07 and 4.35 μm. At 0.879