Detection of Water Ice on Saturn's Satellite Phoebe

The near-infrared reflectance spectrum of Saturn's satellite Phoebe shows a broad absorption band at 2.0 μm and absorption at λ>2.2 μm, both characteristic of H2O ice. We have successfully modeled the surface of Phoebe with an intimate (granular) mix of H2O ice (3% by weight, grain size 500...

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Published inIcarus (New York, N.Y. 1962) Vol. 139; no. 2; pp. 379 - 382
Main Authors Owen, T.C., Cruikshank, D.P., Dalle Ore, C.M., Geballe, T.R., Roush, T.L., de Bergh, C.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier Inc 01.06.1999
Subjects
Phoebe
irregular satellites
Kuiper Belt
water ice
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Summary:The near-infrared reflectance spectrum of Saturn's satellite Phoebe shows a broad absorption band at 2.0 μm and absorption at λ>2.2 μm, both characteristic of H2O ice. We have successfully modeled the surface of Phoebe with an intimate (granular) mix of H2O ice (3% by weight, grain size 500 μm) mixed with fine grains of H2O ice (0.25%) with amorphous carbon (grain size 900 μm) as the dominant component. This model reproduces the shape of the measured spectrum and the observed albedo of 0.10 for Phoebe, but it is not unique. The presence of ice establishes Phoebe as an original member of the outer Solar System rather than a renegade asteroid.
ISSN:0019-1035
1090-2643
DOI:10.1006/icar.1999.6116