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[18.21] Oxygen-bearing Compounds in Saturn's Southern Hemisphere from Cassini CIRS

A. A. Simon-Miller, G. Bjoraker (NASA GSFC), G. S. Orton (JPL), R. K. Achterberg (SSAI), B. J. Conrath (Cornell), D. Jennings (NASA GSFC), Cassini CIRS Team

The Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) has obtained numerous spectra of Saturn's southern hemisphere on approach to and after the mission's orbit insertion on July 1, 2004. A series of CIRS prime activities were developed to obtain mid and far-IR compositional measurements for multiple locations on the planet. These observations were designed to obtain long integrations at high spectral resolution. In particular, the far-IR observations were planned to have very long integration times (30+ hours, when possible) at CIRS' highest spectral resolution (0.5 cm-1) in order to isolate the spectral signature of oxygen-bearing compounds. Latitudinal variations in such compounds may indicate dynamics and potential source mechanisms, such as rain down of ring particles onto the atmosphere. Thus far, 15, 35, 60 and 75 deg. S have been sampled with varying integration times. Results on the preliminary search for oxygen-bearing compounds and ices in these data will be presented.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 #4
© 2004. The American Astronomical Soceity.