1. High Heat Flow from Enceladus' South Polar Region Measured using 10-600/cm(exp -1) Cassini/CIRS Data
- Author
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Howett, C. J. A, Spencer, J. R, Pearl, J, and Segura, M
- Subjects
Lunar And Planetary Science And Exploration - Abstract
Analysis of 2008 Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) 10 to 600/cm thermal emission spectra of Enceladus shows that for reasonable assumptions about the spatial distribution of the emission and the thermophysical properties of the solar-heated background surface, which are supported by CIRS observations of background temperatures at the edge of the active region, the endogenic power of Enceladus' south polar terrain is 15.8 +/- 3.1 GW. This is significantly higher than the previous estimate of 5.8 +/- 1.9 GW. The new value represents an improvement over the previous one, which was derived from higher wave number data (600 to 1100/cm-I) and was thus only sensitive to high-temperature emission. The mechanism capable of producing such a high endogenic power remains a mystery and challenges the current models of proposed heat production.
- Published
- 2011
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