Neptune and triton: Essential pieces of the solar system puzzle
The planet Neptune and its largest moon Triton hold the keys to major advances across multiple fields of Solar System science. The ice giant Neptune played a unique and important role in the process of Solar System formation, has the most meteorologically active atmosphere in the Solar System (despi...
المؤلفون الرئيسيون: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
---|---|
التنسيق: | Conference item |
منشور في: |
Elsevier
2014
|
_version_ | 1826272481198997504 |
---|---|
author | Masters, A Achilleos, N Agnor, C Campagnola, S Charnoz, S Christophe, B Coates, A Fletcher, L Jones, G Lamy, L Marzari, F Nettelmann, N Ruiz, J Ambrosi, R Andre, N Bhardwaj, A Fortney, J Hansen, C Helled, R Moragas-Klostermeyer, G Orton, G Ray, L Reynaud, S Sergis, N Srama, R |
author_facet | Masters, A Achilleos, N Agnor, C Campagnola, S Charnoz, S Christophe, B Coates, A Fletcher, L Jones, G Lamy, L Marzari, F Nettelmann, N Ruiz, J Ambrosi, R Andre, N Bhardwaj, A Fortney, J Hansen, C Helled, R Moragas-Klostermeyer, G Orton, G Ray, L Reynaud, S Sergis, N Srama, R |
author_sort | Masters, A |
collection | OXFORD |
description | The planet Neptune and its largest moon Triton hold the keys to major advances across multiple fields of Solar System science. The ice giant Neptune played a unique and important role in the process of Solar System formation, has the most meteorologically active atmosphere in the Solar System (despite its great distance from the Sun), and may be the best Solar System analogue of the dominant class of exoplanets detected to date. Neptune's moon Triton is very likely a captured Kuiper Belt object, holding the answers to questions about the icy dwarf planets that formed in the outer Solar System. Triton is geologically active, has a tenuous nitrogen atmosphere, and is predicted to have a subsurface ocean. However, our exploration of the Neptune system remains limited to a single spacecraft flyby, made by Voyager 2 in 1989. Here, we present the high-level science case for further exploration of this outermost planetary system, based on a white paper submitted to the European Space Agency (ESA) for the definition of the second and third large missions in the ESA Cosmic Vision Programme 2015-2025. We discuss all the major science themes that are relevant for further spacecraft exploration of the Neptune system, and identify key scientific questions in each area. We present an overview of the results of a European-led Neptune orbiter mission analysis. Such a mission has significant scope for international collaboration, and is essential to achieve our aim of understanding how the Solar System formed, and how it works today. |
first_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:13:14Z |
format | Conference item |
id | oxford-uuid:528709e0-0306-4c73-8d98-45295f334e48 |
institution | University of Oxford |
last_indexed | 2024-03-06T22:13:14Z |
publishDate | 2014 |
publisher | Elsevier |
record_format | dspace |
spelling | oxford-uuid:528709e0-0306-4c73-8d98-45295f334e482022-03-26T16:26:06ZNeptune and triton: Essential pieces of the solar system puzzleConference itemhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_5794uuid:528709e0-0306-4c73-8d98-45295f334e48Symplectic Elements at OxfordElsevier2014Masters, AAchilleos, NAgnor, CCampagnola, SCharnoz, SChristophe, BCoates, AFletcher, LJones, GLamy, LMarzari, FNettelmann, NRuiz, JAmbrosi, RAndre, NBhardwaj, AFortney, JHansen, CHelled, RMoragas-Klostermeyer, GOrton, GRay, LReynaud, SSergis, NSrama, RThe planet Neptune and its largest moon Triton hold the keys to major advances across multiple fields of Solar System science. The ice giant Neptune played a unique and important role in the process of Solar System formation, has the most meteorologically active atmosphere in the Solar System (despite its great distance from the Sun), and may be the best Solar System analogue of the dominant class of exoplanets detected to date. Neptune's moon Triton is very likely a captured Kuiper Belt object, holding the answers to questions about the icy dwarf planets that formed in the outer Solar System. Triton is geologically active, has a tenuous nitrogen atmosphere, and is predicted to have a subsurface ocean. However, our exploration of the Neptune system remains limited to a single spacecraft flyby, made by Voyager 2 in 1989. Here, we present the high-level science case for further exploration of this outermost planetary system, based on a white paper submitted to the European Space Agency (ESA) for the definition of the second and third large missions in the ESA Cosmic Vision Programme 2015-2025. We discuss all the major science themes that are relevant for further spacecraft exploration of the Neptune system, and identify key scientific questions in each area. We present an overview of the results of a European-led Neptune orbiter mission analysis. Such a mission has significant scope for international collaboration, and is essential to achieve our aim of understanding how the Solar System formed, and how it works today. |
spellingShingle | Masters, A Achilleos, N Agnor, C Campagnola, S Charnoz, S Christophe, B Coates, A Fletcher, L Jones, G Lamy, L Marzari, F Nettelmann, N Ruiz, J Ambrosi, R Andre, N Bhardwaj, A Fortney, J Hansen, C Helled, R Moragas-Klostermeyer, G Orton, G Ray, L Reynaud, S Sergis, N Srama, R Neptune and triton: Essential pieces of the solar system puzzle |
title | Neptune and triton: Essential pieces of the solar system puzzle |
title_full | Neptune and triton: Essential pieces of the solar system puzzle |
title_fullStr | Neptune and triton: Essential pieces of the solar system puzzle |
title_full_unstemmed | Neptune and triton: Essential pieces of the solar system puzzle |
title_short | Neptune and triton: Essential pieces of the solar system puzzle |
title_sort | neptune and triton essential pieces of the solar system puzzle |
work_keys_str_mv | AT mastersa neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT achilleosn neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT agnorc neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT campagnolas neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT charnozs neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT christopheb neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT coatesa neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT fletcherl neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT jonesg neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT lamyl neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT marzarif neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT nettelmannn neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT ruizj neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT ambrosir neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT andren neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT bhardwaja neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT fortneyj neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT hansenc neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT helledr neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT moragasklostermeyerg neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT ortong neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT rayl neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT reynauds neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT sergisn neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle AT sramar neptuneandtritonessentialpiecesofthesolarsystempuzzle |