Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026

Synthesis and Reaction Chemistry of Nanosize Monosodium Titanate
Published on: February 23, 2016
Energetic neutral atom emissions from Titan interaction with Saturn's magnetosphere
D G Mitchell1, P C Brandt, E C Roelof
1Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD 21042, USA. don.mitchell@jhuapl.edu
Abstract:
The Cassini Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) observed the interaction of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, with Saturn's magnetosphere during two close flybys of Titan on 26 October and 13 December 2004. The MIMI Ion and Neutral Camera (INCA) continuously imaged the energetic neutral atoms (ENAs) generated by charge exchange reactions between the energetic, singly ionized trapped magnetospheric ions and the outer atmosphere, or exosphere, of Titan. The images reveal a halo of variable ENA emission about Titan's nearly collisionless outer atmosphere that fades at larger distances as the exospheric density decays exponentially. The altitude of the emissions varies, and they are not symmetrical about the moon, reflecting the complexity of the interactions between Titan's upper atmosphere and Saturn's space environment.
Related Concept Videos
The Energies of Atomic Orbitals
Radioactivity and Nuclear Equations
A nuclide of an element has a specific number of protons and...
Types of Radioactivity
Alpha (α) decay is the emission of an α particle from the nucleus. For example, polonium-210 undergoes α decay:
Nuclear Transmutation
Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

