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The Geographic Distribution of Dense-phase O₂ on Ganymede

Trumbo, Samantha K. and Brown, Michael E. and Adams, Danica (2021) The Geographic Distribution of Dense-phase O₂ on Ganymede. Planetary Science Journal, 2 (4). Art. No. 139. ISSN 2632-3338. doi:10.3847/PSJ/ac0cee. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20210813-181157415

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Abstract

Ground-based spectroscopy of Ganymede's surface has revealed the surprising presence of dense-phase molecular oxygen (O₂) via weak absorptions at visible wavelengths. To date, the state and stability of this O₂ at the temperatures and pressures of Ganymede's surface are not understood. Its spatial distribution in relation to albedo, expected temperatures, particle irradiation patterns, or composition may provide clues to these unknowns. We present spatially resolved observations of Ganymede's surface O₂ obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope and construct the first comprehensive map of its geography. In agreement with the limited spatially resolved data published previously, our map suggests that the condensed O₂ is concentrated at the low to midlatitudes of the trailing hemisphere, a distribution that may reflect influences of Ganymede's intrinsic magnetic field on the bombardment of its surface by Jovian magnetospheric particles. Overlapping regions from different observations within this data set also show evidence for moderate temporal variability in the surface O2, but we are unable to distinguish between potential causes with the available data.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
https://doi.org/10.3847/psj/ac0ceeDOIArticle
https://arxiv.org/abs/2106.10565arXivDiscussion Paper
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Trumbo, Samantha K.0000-0002-0767-8901
Brown, Michael E.0000-0002-8255-0545
Adams, Danica0000-0001-9897-9680
Alternate Title:The Geographic Distribution of Dense-phase O2 on Ganymede
Additional Information:© 2021. The Author(s). Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI. Received 2021 May 5; revised 2021 June 17; accepted 2021 June 17; published 2021 July 30. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, obtained from the Data Archive at the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. These observations are associated with program #7444 and #15789. This work is also based on new observations associated with program #15925. Support for programs #15925 and #15789 was provided by NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. This work was also supported by NASA Headquarters under the NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship Program (grant 80NSSC17K0478). We would like to acknowledge John R. Spencer for his role in producing the 1999 observations used in this study. Facility: HST(STIS). - Software: astropy (Astropy Collaboration et al. 2013).
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
NASANAS5-26555
NASA Earth and Space Science Fellowship80NSSC17K0478
Subject Keywords:Galilean satellites; Ganymede; Surface composition; Planetary surfaces
Issue or Number:4
Classification Code:Unified Astronomy Thesaurus concepts: Galilean satellites (627); Ganymede (2188); Surface composition (2115); Planetary surfaces (2113)
DOI:10.3847/PSJ/ac0cee
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20210813-181157415
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20210813-181157415
Official Citation:Samantha K. Trumbo et al 2021 Planet. Sci. J. 2 139
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:110243
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: George Porter
Deposited On:16 Aug 2021 15:54
Last Modified:16 Aug 2021 15:54

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