Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026
11:34
Scattering And Absorption of Light in Planetary Regoliths
Published on: July 1, 2019
Ultraviolet imaging spectroscopy shows an active saturnian system
Larry W Esposito1, Joshua E Colwell, Kristopher Larsen
1University of Colorado, Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, 234 Innovation Drive, Boulder, CO 80303-7814, USA. larry.esposito@lasp.colorado.edu
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 18, 2004
Summary
Saturn
Area of Science:
- Planetary Science
- Space Physics
- Astrochemistry
Background:
- The Saturnian system exhibits dynamic processes affecting its atmospheric composition and ring structure.
- Understanding these processes is key to deciphering the evolution of gas giants and their environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the variability of neutral oxygen, auroral activity, and water-ice distribution within the Saturnian system.
- To determine the origin of Phoebe and the evolutionary history of Saturn's rings.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of observational data pertaining to neutral oxygen abundance.
- Spectroscopic comparison of Saturn's aurora with Jupiter's.
- Assessment of water-ice content variations on Phoebe and within Saturn's rings.
Main Results:
- Neutral oxygen in the Saturnian system shows variability, with a peak abundance of 4 x 10(34) atoms.
- Saturn's aurora responds to solar-wind forcing and shares spectral similarities with Jupiter's.
- Phoebe's surface exhibits variable water-ice content, suggesting an outer solar system origin.
- Saturn's rings display radial variations in water abundance, with the purest ice in the A ring.
Conclusions:
- The observed radial variation in Saturn's rings supports a model of initial purity followed by meteoritic bombardment.
- Smaller radial structures suggest recent renewal events in Saturn's rings within the last 10(7) to 10(8) years.
- Phoebe's composition points to a formation in the outer solar system, contributing to our understanding of planetary body origins.
Related Concept Videos
02:39Emission Spectra
When solids, liquids, or condensed gases are heated sufficiently, they radiate some of the excess energy as light. Photons produced in this manner have a range of energies, and thereby produce a continuous spectrum in which an unbroken series of wavelengths is present.
01:02Ultraviolet and Visible (UV–Vis) Spectroscopy: Overview
Ultraviolet–visible (UV–visible or UV–Vis) spectroscopy is an analytical technique that investigates the interaction between matter and UV–Vis light within the electromagnetic spectrum. This method is widely used for its versatility, simplicity, and relatively quick data acquisition, making it valuable for both qualitative and quantitative analysis. When UV–Vis radiation passes through a material, molecules absorb light depending on the energy required for electronic transitions. As a result...
01:30UV–Vis Spectrum
When light passes through a substance, a portion of the light is absorbed while the remaining light is reflected or transmitted. If the molecule absorbs light between the wavelengths of 180–400 nm range, the UV spectrum is obtained, and if it absorbs light in the 400–780 nm wavelength range, the visible spectrum is obtained.
The UV–Vis spectrum of a molecule is the plot of its absorbance versus wavelength. The plot is drawn by taking molar absorptivity (ε) or log ε on the y-axis (ordinate)...
The UV–Vis spectrum of a molecule is the plot of its absorbance versus wavelength. The plot is drawn by taking molar absorptivity (ε) or log ε on the y-axis (ordinate)...
01:19IR Spectrum
When infrared (IR) radiation passes through a molecule, the bonds stretch or bend by absorbing the radiation. This absorption creates the molecule's absorption spectrum, which is the plot of its percentage transmittance versus wavenumber.
Transmittance is defined as the ratio of the radiant power passing through a sample to that from the radiation's source. Multiplying the transmittance by 100 gives the percent transmittance (%T), which varies between 100% (no absorption) and 0% (complete...
Transmittance is defined as the ratio of the radiant power passing through a sample to that from the radiation's source. Multiplying the transmittance by 100 gives the percent transmittance (%T), which varies between 100% (no absorption) and 0% (complete...
01:32UV–Vis Spectroscopy of Conjugated Systems
Organic compounds with conjugated double bonds show strong absorption features in the UV–visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum attributed to π → π* electronic excitations. Generally, a UV–vis absorption spectrum is recorded as a plot of absorbance vs wavelength. The wavelength of maximum absorbance, which manifests as a peak in the absorption spectrum, is denoted as λmax.
One of the factors influencing λmax is the extent of conjugation in the...
One of the factors influencing λmax is the extent of conjugation in the...
01:16UV–Vis Spectroscopy: Molecular Electronic Transitions
In Ultraviolet–Visible (UV–Vis) spectroscopy, the absorption of electromagnetic radiation is used to probe the electronic structure of molecules. This technique provides insights into molecular electronic transitions, particularly the movement of electrons between different molecular orbitals. Radiation is absorbed if the energy of the electromagnetic radiation passing through the molecule is precisely equal to the energy difference between the excited and ground states. During this process,...