HR: 1340h
AN: P43B-1294    [Abstracts]
TI: Possible Dust Extended From Saturnian Ring Plane or Zodiacal Light as Seen by Cassini ISS.
AU: * Ingersoll, A P
EM: api@gps.caltech.edu
AF: Caltech, 150-21 Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, United States
AU: Dyudina, U A
EM: ulyana@gps.caltech.edu
AF: Caltech, 150-21 Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, United States
AU: Ewald, S P
EM: spe@gps.caltech.edu
AF: Caltech, 150-21 Caltech, Pasadena, CA 91125, United States
AU: Hedman, M
EM: mmhedman@astro.cornell.edu
AF: Cornell, Astronomy Department, Cornell University,322 Space Sciences Bldg, Itahca, NY 14853, United States
AB: The night side limb of Saturn's north pole appears silhouetted against a brighter background when observed at a phase angle (sun-target-spacecraft) of 161 degrees. The spacecraft was close to the equatorial plane when the observations were taken, and the bright background originates behind the planet, so the scatterers are more than one Saturn radius (1.0 Rs) above the ring plane. The half-maximum contour of the E ring is only ~0.04 Rs above the ring plane at the orbit of Enceladus, but the wings of the distribution are broad, especially beyond the orbit of Enceladus. Most likely, these observations provide information about the extremely inclined tail of the population of dust particles in the Saturn system. It is also possible that we are seeing zodiacal light particles between the sun and Saturn. We will compare the observed brightness with that from these possible sources.
DE: 5759 Rings and dust
DE: 6213 Dust
DE: 6265 Planetary rings
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting