Authors

J. E. Colwell; L. W. Esposito; R. G. Jerousek; M. Sremcevic; D. Pettis;E. T. Bradley

Comments

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Abbreviated Journal Title

Astron. J.

Keywords

instrumentation: photometers; methods: observational; planets and; satellites: rings; space vehicles: instruments; F-RING; RADIAL STRUCTURE; A-RING; MOONLETS; PROMETHEUS; Astronomy & Astrophysics

Abstract

The Cassini spacecraft's Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) includes a high-speed photometer (HSP) that has observed more than 100 stellar occultations by Saturn's rings. Here, we document a standardized technique applied to the UVIS-HSP ring occultation datasets delivered to the Planetary Data System as higher level data products. These observations provide measurements of ring structure that approaches the scale of the largest common ring particles (similar to 5 m). The combination of multiple occultations at different viewing geometries enables reconstruction of the three-dimensional structure of the rings. This inversion of the occultation data depends on accurate calibration of the data so that occultations of different stars taken at different times and under different viewing conditions can be combined to retrieve ring structure. We provide examples of the structure of the rings as seen from several occultations at different incidence angles to the rings, illustrating changes in the apparent structure with viewing geometry.

Journal Title

Astronomical Journal

Volume

140

Issue/Number

6

Publication Date

1-1-2010

Document Type

Article

Language

English

First Page

1569

Last Page

1578

WOS Identifier

WOS:000284143500001

ISSN

0004-6256

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