Abstract
The decadal observations of Titan's neutral atmosphere and ionosphere by the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer mass spectrometer and other instruments on board the Cassini spacecraft at the Saturnian system provide a precious data set concerning the large-scale structure of Titan's upper ionosphere. An attempt is made in this study to generate average 3D ion density distributions for different ion species by using a simple approximation of the solar zenith angle dependence. Both altitude dependence and neutral gas number density dependence of the ion density distributions will be presented. This empirical approach allows a comprehensive visualization of the global properties of Titan's ionosphere that could be useful as engineering models for future missions to Titan.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 160 |
Journal | Planetary Science Journal |
Volume | 2 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2021 |
Keywords
- Planetary ionospheres (2185)
- Titan (2186)