Between 2004 and 2009 the RADAR instrument of the Cassini mission provided 31 SAR images of Titan. We tracked the position of 160 surface landmarks as a function of time in order to monitor the rotational dynamics of Titan. We generated and processed RADAR observables using a least squares fit to determine the updated values of the rotational parameters. We provide a new rotational model of Titan, which includes updated values for spin pole location, spin rate, precession and nutation terms. The estimated pole location is compatible with the occupancy of a Cassini state 1. We found a synchronous value of the spin rate (22.57693 deg/day), compatible at a 3- σlevel with IAU predictions. The estimated obliquity is equal to 0.31 °, incompatible with the assumption of a rigid body with fully-damped pole and a moment of inertia factor of 0.34, as determined by gravity measurements.

The rotational dynamics of titan from Cassini radar images / Meriggiola, Rachele; Iess, Luciano; Stiles, B. r. y. a. n. W.; Lunine, J. o. n. a. t. h. a. n. I.; Mitri, Giuseppe. - In: ICARUS. - ISSN 0019-1035. - STAMPA. - 275:(2016), pp. 183-192. [10.1016/j.icarus.2016.01.019]

The rotational dynamics of titan from Cassini radar images

MERIGGIOLA, RACHELE
;
IESS, Luciano;
2016

Abstract

Between 2004 and 2009 the RADAR instrument of the Cassini mission provided 31 SAR images of Titan. We tracked the position of 160 surface landmarks as a function of time in order to monitor the rotational dynamics of Titan. We generated and processed RADAR observables using a least squares fit to determine the updated values of the rotational parameters. We provide a new rotational model of Titan, which includes updated values for spin pole location, spin rate, precession and nutation terms. The estimated pole location is compatible with the occupancy of a Cassini state 1. We found a synchronous value of the spin rate (22.57693 deg/day), compatible at a 3- σlevel with IAU predictions. The estimated obliquity is equal to 0.31 °, incompatible with the assumption of a rigid body with fully-damped pole and a moment of inertia factor of 0.34, as determined by gravity measurements.
2016
geophysics; satellites; dynamics; titan; interior; space and planetary science; astronomy;strophysics
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
The rotational dynamics of titan from Cassini radar images / Meriggiola, Rachele; Iess, Luciano; Stiles, B. r. y. a. n. W.; Lunine, J. o. n. a. t. h. a. n. I.; Mitri, Giuseppe. - In: ICARUS. - ISSN 0019-1035. - STAMPA. - 275:(2016), pp. 183-192. [10.1016/j.icarus.2016.01.019]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/934590
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