Search

The localized delivery of new long-lived species to Jupiter's stratosphere by comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 in 1994 opened a window to constrain Jovian chemistry and dynamics by monitoring the evolution of their vertical and horizontal distributions. However, the spatial distributions of CO and HCN, two of these long-lived species, had never been jointly observed at high latitudinal resolution. Atacama large millimeter/submillimeter array observations of HCN and CO in March 2017 show that CO was meridionally uniform and restricted to pressures lower than 3 $\pm$ 1 mbar. HCN shared a similar vertical distribution in the low- to mid-latitudes, but was depleted at pressures between 2$^{+2}_ {-1}$ and 0.04$^{+0.07}_{-0.03}$ mbar in the aurora and surrounding regions, resulting in a drop by two orders of magnitude in column density. We propose that heterogeneous chemistry bonds HCN on large aurora-produced aerosols at these pressures in the Jovian auroral regions causing the observed depletion., Comment: 13 pages, 8 figures

Jupiters south polar region was observed by JWST Mid Infrared Instrument in December 2022. We used the Medium Resolution Spectrometer mode to provide new information about Jupiters South Polar stratosphere. The southern auroral region was visible and influenced the atmosphere in several ways. 1: In the interior of the southern auroral oval, we retrieved peak temperatures at two distinct pressure levels near 0.01 and 1 mbar, with warmer temperatures with respect to non auroral regions of 12 pm 2 K and 37 pm 4 K respectively. A cold polar vortex is centered at 65S at 10 mbar. 2: We found that the homopause is elevated to 590+25-118 km above the 1-bar pressure level inside the auroral oval compared to 460+60-50 km at neighboring latitudes and with an upper altitude of 350 km in regions not affected by auroral precipitation. 3: The retrieved abundance of C2H2 shows an increase within the auroral oval, and it exhibits high abundances throughout the polar region. The retrieved abundance of C2H6 increases towards the pole, without being localized in the auroral oval, in contrast with previous analysis. We determined that the warming at 0.01 mbar and the elevated homopause might be caused by the flux of charged particles depositing their energy in the South Polar Region. The 1 mbar hotspot may arise from adiabatic heating resulting from auroral driven downwelling. The cold region at 10 mbar may be caused by radiative cooling by stratospheric aerosols. The differences in spatial distribution seem to indicate that the hydrocarbons analyzed are affected differently by auroral precipitation.

$Context.$ On October 31, 2009, the Photodetector Array Camera and Spectrometer (PACS) on board the Herschel Space Observatory observed far-infrared spectra of Jupiter between 50 and 220$\,\mu$m as part of the program "Water and Related Chemistry in the Solar System". $Aims.$ We investigate the disk-averaged chemical composition of Jupiter's atmosphere as a function of height using these observations. $Methods.$ We used the Planetary Spectrum Generator (PSG) and the least-squares fitting technique to infer the abundances of trace constituents. $Results.$ The PACS data include numerous spectral lines attributable to ammonia (NH$_3$), methane (CH$_4$), phosphine (PH$_3$), water (H$_2$O), and deuterated hydrogen (HD) in the Jovian atmosphere. We infer an ammonia abundance profile that decreases from a mole fraction of $(1.7\pm 0.8)\times 10^{-4}$ at $p\sim 900\,$mbar to $(1.7\pm 0.9)\times 10^{-8}$ at $p\sim 275\,$mbar, following a fractional scale height of about 0.114. For phosphine, we find a mole fraction of $(7.2\pm 1.2)\times 10^{-7}$ at pressures higher than $(550\pm 100)\,$mbar and a decrease of its abundance at lower pressures following a fractional scale height of $(0.09\pm 0.02)$. Our analysis delivers a methane mole fraction of $(1.49\pm 0.09)\times 10^{-3}$. Analyzing the HD $R(0)$ line at $112.1\,\mu$m yields a new measurement of Jupiter's D/H ratio, $\text{D/H}=(1.5\pm 0.6)\times 10^{-5}$. Finally, the PACS data allow us to put the most stringent $3\sigma$ upper limits yet on the mole fractions of hydrogen halides in the Jovian troposphere. These new upper limits are $<1.1\times 10^{-11}$ for hydrogen fluoride (HF), $<6.0\times 10^{-11}$ for hydrogen chloride (HCl), $<2.3\times 10^{-10}$ for hydrogen bromide (HBr) and $<1.2\times 10^{-9}$ for hydrogen iodide (HI) and support the proposed condensation of hydrogen halides into ammonium halide salts in the Jovian troposphere., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 16 pages, 4 tables, 24 figures incl. Appendix

Between 2001 and 2023, we obtained high spectral resolution mid-infrared observations of Io using the TEXES instrument at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility. These observations were centered at 529.8 cm-1 (18.88 {\mu}m) and include several SO2 absorption lines. By modeling the shapes and strengths of these absorption lines, we are able to determine how Io's SO2 atmospheric density varies over the 22-year time period, covering nearly two Jovian years. Previous analysis has shown that the density of Io's atmosphere on the anti-Jovian hemisphere exhibits clear seasonal temporal variability, which can be modeled as the sum of a seasonally-varying frost sublimation component and a constant component, assumed to be volcanic. The new data show that the seasonal pattern repeats during the second Jovian year, confirming the importance of sublimation support. The considerable longitudinal variability in Io's atmospheric density found in previous work is also stable over the second Jovian year with the SO2 column density on the Jupiter-facing hemisphere being 5--8 times lower than the anti-Jovian hemisphere. For the first time, we detect seasonal variability on the Jupiter-facing hemisphere as well. This can also be modeled as a combination of sublimation and a small constant source. The lower atmospheric density on the Jupiter-facing hemisphere can plausibly be explained by the daily Jupiter eclipses, which decrease the surface temperature and therefore reduce the sublimation-driven component of the atmosphere, combined with a lower level of volcanic activity directly emitting SO2 into the atmosphere., Comment: Accepted in Icarus

Titan's atmospheric composition and dynamical state have previously been studied over numerous epochs by both ground- and space-based facilities. However, stratospheric measurements remain sparse during Titan's northern summer and fall. The lack of seasonal symmetry in observations of Titan's temperature field and chemical abundances raises questions about the nature of the middle atmosphere's meridional circulation and evolution over Titan's 29-yr seasonal cycle that can only be answered through long-term monitoring campaigns. Here, we present maps of Titan's stratospheric temperature, acetonitrile (or methyl cyanide; CH$_3$CN), and monodeuterated methane (CH$_3$D) abundances following Titan's northern summer solstice obtained with Band 9 ($\sim0.43$ mm) ALMA observations. We find that increasing temperatures towards high-southern latitudes, currently in winter, resemble those observed during Titan's northern winter by the Cassini mission. Acetonitrile abundances have changed significantly since previous (sub)millimeter observations, and we find that the species is now highly concentrated at high-southern latitudes. The stratospheric CH$_3$D content is found to range between 4-8 ppm in these observations, and we infer the CH$_4$ abundance to vary between $\sim0.9-1.6\%$ through conversion with previously measured D/H values. A global value of CH$_4=1.15\%$ was retrieved, lending further evidence to the temporal and spatial variability of Titan's stratospheric methane when compared with previous measurements. Additional observations are required to determine the cause and magnitude of stratospheric enhancements in methane during these poorly understood seasons on Titan., Comment: Accepted for publication in the Planetary Science Journal. 9 Figures, 1 table

The study of planets and small bodies within our Solar System is fundamental for understanding the formation and evolution the Earth and other planets. Compositional and meteorological studies of the giant planets provide a foundation for understanding the nature of the most commonly observed exoplanets, while spectroscopic observations of the atmospheres of terrestrial planets, moons, and comets provide insights into the past and present-day habitability of planetary environments, and the availability of the chemical ingredients for life. While prior and existing (sub)millimeter observations have led to major advances in these areas, progress is hindered by limitations in the dynamic range, spatial and temporal coverage, as well as sensitivity of existing telescopes and interferometers. Here, we summarize some of the key planetary science use cases that factor into the design of the Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST), a proposed 50-m class single dish facility: (1) to more fully characterize planetary wind fields and atmospheric thermal structures, (2) to measure the compositions of icy moon atmospheres and plumes, (3) to obtain detections of new, astrobiologically relevant gases and perform isotopic surveys of comets, and (4) to perform synergistic, temporally-resolved measurements in support of dedicated interplanetary space missions. The improved spatial coverage (several arcminutes), resolution ($\sim1.2''-12''$), bandwidth (several tens of GHz), dynamic range ($\sim10^5$) and sensitivity ($\sim1$ mK km s$^{-1}$) required by these science cases would enable new insights into the chemistry and physics of planetary environments, the origins of prebiotic molecules and the habitability of planetary systems in general., Comment: Submitted to Open Research Europe (AtLAST collection). 19 pages

While small, Neptune-like planets are among the most abundant exoplanets, our understanding of their atmospheric structure and dynamics remains sparse. In particular, many unknowns remain on the way moist convection works in these atmospheres where condensable species are heavier than the non-condensable background gas. While it has been predicted that moist convection could shut-down above some threshold abundance of these condensable species, this prediction is based on simple linear analysis and relies on strong assumptions on the saturation of the atmosphere. To investigate this issue, we develop a 3D cloud resolving model for H2 atmospheres with large amounts of condensable species and apply this model to a prototypical temperate Neptune-like planet -- K2-18b. Our model confirms the shut-down of moist convection and the onset of a stably stratified layer in the atmosphere, leading to much hotter deep atmospheres and interiors. Our 3D simulations further provide quantitative estimates of the turbulent mixing in this stable layer, which is a key driver of the cycling of condensables in the atmosphere. This allows us to build a very simple, yet realistic 1D model that captures the most salient features of the structure of Neptune-like atmospheres. Our qualitative findings on the behavior of moist convection in hydrogen atmospheres go beyond temperate planets and should also apply to the regions where iron and silicates condense in the deep interior of H2-dominated planets. Finally, we use our model to investigate the likelihood of a liquid ocean beneath a H2 dominated atmosphere on K2-18b. We find that the planet would need to have a very high albedo (>0.5-0.6) to sustain a liquid ocean. However, due to the spectral type of the star, the amount of aerosol scattering that would be needed to provide such a high albedo is inconsistent with the latest observational data., Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics

Neptune's tropospheric winds are among the most intense in the Solar System, but the dynamical mechanisms that produce them remain uncertain. Measuring wind speeds at different pressure levels may help understand the atmospheric dynamics of the planet. The goal of this work is to directly measure winds in Neptune's stratosphere with ALMA Doppler spectroscopy. We derived the Doppler lineshift maps of Neptune at the CO(3-2) and HCN(4-3) lines at 345.8 GHz ($\lambda$~0.87 mm) and 354.5 GHz (0.85 mm), respectively. For that, we used spectra obtained with ALMA in 2016 and recorded with a spatial resolution of ~0.37" on Neptune's 2.24" disk. After subtracting the planet solid rotation, we inferred the contribution of zonal winds to the measured Doppler lineshifts at the CO and HCN lines. We developed an MCMC-based retrieval methodology to constrain the latitudinal distribution of wind speeds. We find that CO(3-2) and HCN(4-3) lines probe the stratosphere of Neptune at pressures of $2^{+12}_{-1.8}$ mbar and $0.4^{+0.5}_{-0.3}$ mbar, respectively. The zonal winds at these altitudes are less intense than the tropospheric winds based on cloud tracking from Voyager observations. We find equatorial retrograde (westward) winds of $-180^{+70}_{-60}$ m/s for CO, and $-190^{+90}_{-70}$ m/s for HCN. Wind intensity decreases towards mid-latitudes, and wind speeds at 40$^\circ$S are $-90^{+50}_{-60}$ m/s for CO, and $-40^{+60}_{-80}$ m/s for HCN. Wind speeds become 0 m/s at about 50$^\circ$S, and we find that the circulation reverses to a prograde jet southwards of 60$^\circ$S. Overall, our direct stratospheric wind measurements match previous estimates from stellar occultation profiles and expectations based on thermal wind equilibrium. These are the first direct Doppler wind measurements performed on the Icy Giants, opening a new method to study and monitor their stratospheric dynamics., Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A Letters on 10/05/2023. 8 pages, 1 Table, 5 Figures

ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will provide a detailed investigation of the Jovian system in the 2030s, combining a suite of state-of-the-art instruments with an orbital tour tailored to maximise observing opportunities. We review the Jupiter science enabled by the JUICE mission, building on the legacy of discoveries from the Galileo, Cassini, and Juno missions, alongside ground- and space-based observatories. We focus on remote sensing of the climate, meteorology, and chemistry of the atmosphere and auroras from the cloud-forming weather layer, through the upper troposphere, into the stratosphere and ionosphere. The Jupiter orbital tour provides a wealth of opportunities for atmospheric and auroral science: global perspectives with its near-equatorial and inclined phases, sampling all phase angles from dayside to nightside, and investigating phenomena evolving on timescales from minutes to months. The remote sensing payload spans far-UV spectroscopy (50-210 nm), visible imaging (340-1080 nm), visible/near-infrared spectroscopy (0.49-5.56 $\mu$m), and sub-millimetre sounding (near 530-625\,GHz and 1067-1275\,GHz). This is coupled to radio, stellar, and solar occultation opportunities to explore the atmosphere at high vertical resolution; and radio and plasma wave measurements of electric discharges in the Jovian atmosphere and auroras. Cross-disciplinary scientific investigations enable JUICE to explore coupling processes in giant planet atmospheres, to show how the atmosphere is connected to (i) the deep circulation and composition of the hydrogen-dominated interior; and (ii) to the currents and charged particle environments of the external magnetosphere. JUICE will provide a comprehensive characterisation of the atmosphere and auroras of this archetypal giant planet., Comment: 83 pages, 24 figures, accepted to Space Science Reviews special issue on ESA's JUICE mission

This chapter reviews for each province and destination of the Solar System the representative space missions that will have to be designed and implemented by 2061 to address the six key science questions about the diversity, origins, workings and habitability of planetary systems (described in chapter 1) and to perform the critical observations that have been described in chapters 3 and partly 2. It derives from this set of future representative missions, some of which will have to be flown during the 2041-2061 period, the critical technologies and supporting infrastructures that will be needed to fly these challenging missions, thus laying the foundation for the description of technologies and infrastructures for the future of planetary exploration that is given in chapters 5 and 6, respectively., Comment: 83 pages, 23 figures, 7 tables, Horizon 2061 is a science-driven, foresight exercise, for future scientific investigations

This chapter of the Planetary Exploration Horizon 2061 Report reviews the way the six key questions about planetary systems, from their origins to the way they work and their habitability, identified in chapter 1, can be addressed by means of solar system exploration, and how one can find partial answers to these six questions by flying to the different provinces to the solar system: terrestrial planets, giant planets, small bodies, and up to its interface with the local interstellar medium. It derives from this analysis a synthetic description of the most important space observations to be performed at the different solar system objects by future planetary exploration missions. These observation requirements illustrate the diversity of measurement techniques to be used as well as the diversity of destinations where these observations must be made. They constitute the base for the identification of the future planetary missions we need to fly by 2061, which are described in chapter 4. Q1- How well do we understand the diversity of planetary systems objects? Q2- How well do we understand the diversity of planetary system architectures? Q3- What are the origins and formation scenarios for planetary systems? Q4- How do planetary systems work? Q5- Do planetary systems host potential habitats? Q6- Where and how to search for life?, Comment: 107 pages, 37 figures, Horizon 2061 is a science-driven, foresight exercise, for future scientific investigations

Between 2014 December 31 and 2015 March 17, the OSIRIS cameras on Rosetta documented the growth of a 140m wide and 0.5m deep depression in the Hapi region on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This shallow pit is one of several that later formed elsewhere on the comet, all in smooth terrain that primarily is the result of airfall of coma particles. We have compiled observations of this region in Hapi by the microwave instrument MIRO on Rosetta, acquired during October and November 2014. We use thermophysical and radiative transfer models in order to reproduce the MIRO observations. This allows us to place constraints on the thermal inertia, diffusivity, chemical composition, stratification, extinction coefficients, and scattering properties of the surface material, and how they evolved during the months prior to pit formation. The results are placed in context through long-term comet nucleus evolution modelling. We propose that: 1) MIRO observes signatures that are consistent with a solid-state greenhouse effect in airfall material; 2) CO2 ice is sufficiently close to the surface to have a measurable effect on MIRO antenna temperatures, and likely is responsible for the pit formation in Hapi observed by OSIRIS; 3) the pressure at the CO2 sublimation front is sufficiently strong to expel dust and water ice outwards, and to compress comet material inwards, thereby causing the near-surface compaction observed by CONSERT, SESAME, and groundbased radar, manifested as the "consolidated terrain" texture observed by OSIRIS., Comment: 32 pages, 41 figures. This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced PDF of an article accepted for publication in MNRAS following peer review

In response to ESA Voyage 2050 announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn largest moon Titan. Titan, a "world with two oceans", is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a "heavy" drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan equatorial regions in the mid-2030s., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1908.01374

Gas has been detected in many exoplanetary systems ($>$10 Myr), thought to be released in the destruction of volatile-rich planetesimals orbiting in exo-Kuiper belts. In this letter, we aim to explore whether gas is also expected in the Kuiper belt (KB) in our Solar System. To quantify the gas release in our Solar System, we use models for gas release that have been applied to extrasolar planetary systems, as well as a physical model that accounts for gas released due to the progressive internal warming of large planetesimals. We find that only bodies larger than about 4 km can still contain CO ice after 4.6 Gyr of evolution. This finding may provide a clue as to why Jupiter-family comets, thought to originate in the Kuiper belt, are deficient in CO compared to Oort-clouds comets. We predict that gas is still produced in the KB right now at a rate of $2 \times 10^{-8}$ M$_\oplus$/Myr for CO and orders of magnitude more when the Sun was younger. Once released, the gas is quickly pushed out by the Solar wind. Therefore, we predict a gas wind in our Solar System starting at the KB location and extending far beyond with regards to the heliosphere with a current total CO mass of $\sim 2 \times 10^{-12}$ M$_\oplus$. We also predict the existence of a slightly more massive atomic gas wind made of carbon and oxygen (neutral and ionized) with a mass of $\sim 10^{-11}$ M$_\oplus$. We predict that gas is currently present in our Solar System beyond the Kuiper belt and that although it cannot be detected with current instrumentation, it could be observed in the future with an in situ mission using an instrument similar to Alice on New Horizons with larger detectors. Our model of gas release due to slow heating may also work for exoplanetary systems and provide the first real physical mechanism for the gas observations., Comment: accepted for publication as a Letter to the editor in A&A; abstract shortened; 15 pages, 5 figures, 4 tables

Climate change is a major impending threat to the future of humanity. According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), our emissions are estimated to have caused 0.8 deg C-1.2 deg C of anthropogenic global warming (AGW) above pre-industrial levels. AGW is likely to reach 1.5 degrees C between 2030 and 2052 if it continues to increase at the current rate. As the climate change is driven by the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere, there is a broad consensus that the mitigation of climate change requires transition to low GHG emission energy sources, technologies and practices. Implementing such changes systematically from individual to community-wide scales together with the resulting cultural changes and leadership towards environmental consciousness and responsibility are crucial to mitigate the looming damage of AGW. Given planetary scientists' wide recognition of the realities of climate change, and the need for us to maintain credibility by leading by example, it is appropriate to make own professional behavior more environmentally responsible. While scientists are few in numbers, and planetary scientists far fewer, high volumes of academic travel to conferences, panels, colloquia, and research collaboration visits together with extensive use of large, energetically demanding infrastructures make the "carbon footprint" of scientists much higher than that of an average citizen. This White Paper focuses on how modifying our activities, particularly associated with academic travel, can affect the carbon footprint of the planetary science community, and it makes recommendations on how the community and the funding agencies could best participate in the cultural change required to mitigate the damage that AGW will cause., Comment: Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032 White Paper. Asking for endorsements

Saturn's moon Iapetus, which is in synchronous rotation, is covered by an optically dark material mainly on its leading side, while its trailing side is significantly brighter. Because longer wavelengths probe deeper into the subsurface, observing both sides at a variety of wavelengths brings to light possible changes in thermal, compositional, and physical properties with depth. We have observed Iapetus's leading and trailing hemispheres at 1.2 and 2.0 mm, using the NIKA2 camera mounted on the IRAM 30-m telescope, and compared our observations to others performed at mm to cm wavelengths. We calibrate our observations on Titan, which is simultaneously observed within the field of view. Due to the proximity of Saturn, it is sometimes difficult to separate Iapetus's and Titan's flux from that of Saturn, detected in the telescope's side lobes. Preliminary results show that the trailing hemisphere brightness temperatures at the two wavelengths are equal within error bars, unlike the prediction made by Ries (2012). On the leading side, we report a steep spectral slope of increasing brightness temperature (by 10 K) from 1.2 to 2.0 mm, which may indicate rapidly varying emissivities within the top few centimeters of the surface. Comparison to a diffuse scattering model and a thermal model will be necessary to further constrain the thermophysical properties of the subsurface of Iapetus's two faces., Comment: to appear in the proceedings of the international conference entitled mm Universe @ NIKA2, Grenoble (France), June 2019, EPJ Web of conferences

From CCD observations carried out with different telescopes, we present short-term photometric measurements of the large trans-Neptunian object Varuna in 10 epochs, spanning around 19 years. We observe that the amplitude of the rotational light-curve has changed considerably during this period of time from 0.41 to 0.55 mag. In order to explain this variation, we constructed a model in which Varuna has a simple triaxial shape, assuming that the main effect comes from the change of the aspect angle as seen from Earth, due to Varuna's orbital motion in the 19-year time span. The best fits to the data correspond to a family of solutions with axial ratios b/a between 0.56 and 0.60. This constrains the pole orientation in two different ranges of solutions presented here as maps. Apart from the remarkable variation of the amplitude, we have detected changes in the overall shape of the rotational light-curve over shorter time scales. After the analysis of the periodogram of the residuals to a 6.343572 h double-peaked rotational light-curve fit, we find a clear additional periodicity. We propose that these changes in the rotational light-curve shape are due to a large and close-in satellite whose rotation induces the additional periodicity. The peak-to-valley amplitude of this oscillation is in the order of 0.04 mag. We estimate that the satellite orbits Varuna with a period of 11.9819 h (or 23.9638 h), assuming that the satellite is tidally locked, at a distance of ~ 1300 km (or ~ 2000 km) from Varuna, outside the Roche limit., Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJL. 42 pages in total (12 pages for the main text plus 32 for the table with the photometric results), 3 tables and 4 figures

Extrasolar satellites are generally too small to be detected by nominal searches. By analogy to the most active body in the Solar System, Io, we describe how sodium (Na I) and potassium (K I) $\textit{gas}$ could be a signature of the geological activity venting from an otherwise hidden exo-Io. Analyzing $\sim$ a dozen close-in gas giants hosting robust alkaline detections, we show that an Io-sized satellite can be stable against orbital decay below a planetary tidal $\mathcal{Q}_p \lesssim 10^{11}$. This tidal energy is focused into the satellite driving a $\sim 10^{5 \pm 2}$ higher mass loss rate than Io's supply to Jupiter's Na exosphere, based on simple atmospheric loss estimates. The remarkable consequence is that several exo-Io column densities are on average $\textit{more than sufficient}$ to provide the $\sim$ 10$^{10 \pm 1}$ Na cm$^{-2}$ required by the equivalent width of exoplanet transmission spectra. Furthermore, the benchmark observations of both Jupiter's extended ($\sim 1000$ R$_J$) Na exosphere and Jupiter's atmosphere in transmission spectroscopy yield similar Na column densities that are purely exogenic in nature. As a proof of concept, we fit the "high-altitude" Na at WASP 49-b with an ionization-limited cloud similar to the observed Na profile about Io. Moving forward, we strongly encourage time-dependent ingress and egress monitoring along with spectroscopic searches for other volcanic volatiles., Comment: 23 pages, 5 figures, accepted to ApJ

From 2004 to 2017, the Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn, completing 127 close flybys of its largest moon, Titan. Cassini's Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS), one of 12 instruments carried on board, profiled Titan in the thermal infrared (7-1000 microns) throughout the entire 13-year mission. CIRS observed on both targeted encounters (flybys) and more distant opportunities, collecting 8.4 million spectra from 837 individual Titan observations over 3633 hours. Observations of multiple types were made throughout the mission, building up a vast mosaic picture of Titan's atmospheric state across spatial and temporal domains. This paper provides a guide to these observations, describing each type and chronicling its occurrences and global-seasonal coverage. The purpose is to provide a resource for future users of the CIRS data set, as well as those seeking to put existing CIRS publications into the overall context of the mission, and to facilitate future inter-comparison of CIRS results with those of other Cassini instruments, and ground-based observations., Comment: 62 pages, 31 figures, 10 tables. CSV format table data included

The thermal emission of transneptunian objects (TNO) and Centaurs has been observed at mid- and far-infrared wavelengths - with the biggest contributions coming from the Spitzer and Herschel space observatories-, and the brightest ones also at sub-millimeter and millimeter wavelengths. These measurements allowed to determine the sizes and albedos for almost 180 objects, and densities for about 25 multiple systems. The derived very low thermal inertias show evidence for a decrease at large heliocentric distances and for high-albedo objects, which indicates porous and low-conductivity surfaces. The radio emissivity was found to be low ($\epsilon_r$=0.70$\pm$0.13) with possible spectral variations in a few cases. The general increase of density with object size points to different formation locations or times. The mean albedos increase from about 5-6% (Centaurs, Scattered-Disk Objects) to 15% for the Detached objects, with distinct cumulative albedo distributions for hot and cold classicals. The color-albedo separation in our sample is evidence for a compositional discontinuity in the young Solar System. The median albedo of the sample (excluding dwarf planets and the Haumea family) is 0.08, the albedo of Haumea family members is close to 0.5, best explained by the presence of water ice. The existing thermal measurements remain a treasure trove at times where the far-infrared regime is observationally not accessible., Comment: Review chapter in "The Trans-Neptunian Solar System" (D. Prialnik, M.A. Barucci and L. Young, eds.), accepted for publication in January 2019, 3 Tables, 2 Figures, 27 Pages

We report on results of an observing campaign to support the Juno mission. At the beginning of 2016, using TEXES (Texas Echelon cross-dispersed Echelle Spectrograph), mounted on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), we obtained data cubes of Jupiter in the 1930--1943 cm$^{-1}$ spectral ranges (around 5 $\mu$m), which probe the atmosphere in the 1--4 bar region, with a spectral resolution of $\approx$ 0.15 cm$^{-1}$ and an angular resolution of $\approx$ 1.4". This dataset is analysed by a code that combines a line-by-line radiative transfer model with a non-linear optimal estimation inversion method. The inversion retrieves the vertical abundance profiles of NH$_3$ - which is the main contributor at these wavelengths - with a maximum sensitivity at $\approx$ 1--3 bar, as well as the cloud transmittance. This retrieval is performed on over more than one thousand pixels of our data cubes, producing maps of the disk, where all the major belts are visible. We present our retrieved NH$_3$ abundance maps which can be compared with the distribution observed by Juno's MWR (Bolton et al., 2017; Li et al., 2017) in the 2 bar region and discuss their significance for the understanding of Jupiter's atmospheric dynamics. We are able to show important latitudinal variations - such as in the North Equatorial Belt (NEB), where the NH$_3$ abundance is observed to drop down to 60 ppmv at 2 bar - as well as longitudinal variability. In the zones, we find the NH$_3$ abundance to increase with depth, from 100 $\pm$ 15 ppmv at 1 bar to 500 $\pm$ 30 ppmv at 3 bar. We also display the cloud transmittance--NH$_3$ abundance relationship, and find different behaviour for the NEB, the other belts and the zones. Using a simple cloud model, we are able to fit this relationship, at least in the NEB, including either NH$_3$-ice or NH$_4$SH particles with sizes between 10 and 100 $\mu$m., Comment: 21 pages, 15 figures, 4 tables, preprint accepted by Icarus the 04 June 2018

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scheduled for launch in 2018, is the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) but with a significantly larger aperture (6.5 m) and advanced instrumentation focusing on infrared science (0.6-28.0 $\mu$m ). In this paper we examine the potential for scientific investigation of Titan using JWST, primarily with three of the four instruments: NIRSpec, NIRCam and MIRI, noting that science with NIRISS will be complementary. Five core scientific themes are identified: (i) surface (ii) tropospheric clouds (iii) tropospheric gases (iv) stratospheric composition and (v) stratospheric hazes. We discuss each theme in depth, including the scientific purpose, capabilities and limitations of the instrument suite, and suggested observing schemes. We pay particular attention to saturation, which is a problem for all three instruments, but may be alleviated for NIRCam through use of selecting small sub-arrays of the detectors - sufficient to encompass Titan, but with significantly faster read-out times. We find that JWST has very significant potential for advancing Titan science, with a spectral resolution exceeding the Cassini instrument suite at near-infrared wavelengths, and a spatial resolution exceeding HST at the same wavelengths. In particular, JWST will be valuable for time-domain monitoring of Titan, given a five to ten year expected lifetime for the observatory, for example monitoring the seasonal appearance of clouds. JWST observations in the post-Cassini period will complement those of other large facilities such as HST, ALMA, SOFIA and next-generation ground-based telescopes (TMT, GMT, EELT)., Comment: 50 pages, including 22 figures and 2 tables

In this document, we summarize the main capabilities of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) for performing observations of Mars. The distinctive vantage point of JWST at the Sun-Earth Lagrange point (L2) will allow sampling the full observable disk, permitting the study of short-term phenomena, diurnal processes (across the East-West axis) and latitudinal processes between the hemispheres (including seasonal effects) with excellent spatial resolutions (0.07 arcsec at 2 {\mu}m). Spectroscopic observations will be achievable in the 0.7-5 {\mu}m spectral region with NIRSpec at a maximum resolving power of 2700, and with 8000 in the 1-1.25 {\mu}m range. Imaging will be attainable with NIRCam at 4.3 {\mu}m and with two narrow filters near 2 {\mu}m, while the nightside will be accessible with several filters in the 0.5 to 2 {\mu}m. Such a powerful suite of instruments will be a major asset for the exploration and characterization of Mars. Some science cases include the mapping of the water D/H ratio, investigations of the Martian mesosphere via the characterization of the non-LTE CO$_2$ emission at 4.3 {\mu}m, studies of chemical transport via observations of the O$_2$ nightglow at 1.27 {\mu}m, high cadence mapping of the variability dust and water ice clouds, and sensitive searches for trace species and hydrated features on the Martian surface. In-flight characterization of the instruments may allow for additional science opportunities., Comment: Accepted for publication on "Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific" on 2/October/2015

In this letter we explore the environment of Pluto and Charon in the far infrared with the main aim to identify the signs of any possible dust ring, should it exist in the system. Our study is based on observations performed at 70 um with the PACS instrument onboard the Herschel Space Observatory at 9 epochs between March 14 and 19, 2012. The far-infrared images of the Pluto-Charon system are compared to those of the point spread function (PSF) reference quasar 3C454.3. The deviation between the observed Pluto-Charon and reference PSFs are less then 1 sigma indicating that clear evidence for an extended dust ring around the system was not found. Our method is capable of detecting a hypothetical ring with a total flux of ~3.3 mJy at a distance of ~153 000 km (~8.2 Pluto-Charon distances) from the system barycentre. We place upper limits on the total disk mass and on the column density in a reasonable disk configuration and analyse the hazard during the flyby of NASAs New Horizons in July 2015. This realistic model configuration predicts a column density of 8.7x10^(-10) gcm^(-2) along the path of the probe and an impactor mass of 8.7x10^(-5) g., Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables