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The Physics Teacher -- November 2007 -- Volume 45, Issue 8, pp. 502

Precipitation in the Solar System

Gordon McIntosh

University of Minnesota-Morris, Morris, MN

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As an astronomy instructor, I am always looking for commonly observed Earthly experiences to help my students and me understand and appreciate similar occurrences elsewhere in the solar system. Recently I wrote a short TPT article on frost.1 This paper is on the related phenomena of precipitation. Precipitation, so common on most of the Earth's surface as rain, snow, and other forms of water, also occurs on other bodies in the solar system. However, the precipitating chemical on the other bodies is rarely water, may never reach the solid surface of the body, and may even occur on bodies that do not have a well-defined solid surface.

© 2007 American Association of Physics Teachers

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

physics education, astronomy, solar system, precipitation, Venus, Mars, planetary surfaces

PACS

  • 95.00.00

    Fundamental astronomy and astrophysics; instrumentation, techniques, and astronomical observations

History
Online Oct 2007

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN

0031-921X (print)  

Publisher

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Association of Physics Teachers

ARTICLE DATA

Digital Object Identifier
http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.2798364

  1. G. McIntosh, “Frost in the solar system,” Phys. Teach. 44, 226–227 (April 2006PHTEAH000044000004000226000001).
  2. David Randel et al., “A new global water vapor dataset,” Bull. Am. Meteorol. Soc. 77 (June 1996); http://www1.cira.colostate.edu/climate/NVAP/bulletin.htm.
  3. R. Knollenberg and D. Hunten, “Clouds of Venus: Particle size distribution measurements,” Sci. 203, 792–795 (Feb.1979). [Inspec] [MEDLINE]
  4. J. B. Cimino and C. Elachi, “Precipitation on Venus: Properties and possibilities of detection,” J. Atmos. Sci. 36, 1168–1177 (July 1979). [Inspec]
  5. R. Knollenberg, L. Travis, M. Tomasko, P. Smith, B. Ragent, L. Esposito, D. McCleese, J. Martonchik, and R. Beer, “The clouds of Venus: A synthesis report,” J. Geophys. Res. 85, 8059–8081 (1980). [SPIN]
  6. European Space Agency, Venus Express; http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Venus_Express/SEML26808BE_0.html.
  7. L. Schaefer and B. Fegley Jr., “Heavy metal frost on Venus,” Icarus 168, 215–219 (March 2004).
  8. D. E. Smith, M. T. Zuber, and G. A. Neumann, “Seasonal variations of snow depth on Mars,” Sci. 294, 2141–2146 (Dec. 2001). [Inspec] [MEDLINE]
  9. http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/AR/archive/oct98/crys1098.htm.
  10. The Exploratorium, “Journey to Mars”; http://www.exploratorium.edu/mars/snowflakes.html.
  11. For example, A. Fraknoi, D. Morrison, and S. Wolff, Voyages to the Planets, 3rd ed. (Thompson Brooks/Cole, 2004), pp. 212–213.
  12. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “NASA images suggest water still flows in brief spurts on Mars”; http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/newsroom/20061206b.html.
  13. Bruce Jakosky and Michael Mellon, “Water on Mars,” Phys. Today 57, 71 (April 2004PHTOAD000057000004000071000001); http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-57/iss-4/p71.html.
  14. P. Geissler, “Volcanic activity on Io during the Galileo era,” Annu. Rev. Earth Pl. Sci. 31 (1), 175 (2003).
  15. J. Fortney and W. Hubbard, “Effects of helium phase separation on the evolution of extrasolar giant planets,” Astrophys. J. 608, 1039 (June 2004). [ISI]
  16. M. Tomasko et al., “Rain, winds, and haze during the Huygens Probe's descent to Titan's surface,” Nature 438, 765 (Dec. 2005). [Inspec] [MEDLINE]
  17. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, “Planetary photojournal”; http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA08630.
  18. C. Porco et al., “Cassini observes the active south pole of Enceladus,” Sci. 311, 1393 (March 2006). [Inspec] [MEDLINE]
  19. D. Matson, J. Castillo, J. Lunine, and T. Johnson, “Enceladus plume: Compositional evidence for a hot interior,” Icarus 187, 569–573 (April 2007). [Inspec]
  20. L. Soderblum et al., “Triton's geyser-like plumes: Discovery and basic characterization,” Sci. 250, 410 (Oct. 1990). [Inspec] [MEDLINE]
  21. J. Pollack, J. Schwartz, and K. Rages, “Scatterers in Triton's atmosphere: Implications for the seasonal volatile cycle,” Sci. 250, 440–443 (Oct. 1990). [Inspec] [MEDLINE]
  22. C. Hansen and D. Paige, “Seasonal nitrogen cycles on Pluto,” Icarus 120, 247 (April 1996). [Inspec] [ISI]
  23. C. Hansen and D. Paige, “Seasonal behavior of nitrogen atmospheres on trans-Neptunian objects,” American Astronomical Society, DPS Meeting #38, Presentation #44.09 (2006).



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