“Comet‐tail” ejecta streaks: A predicted cratering landform unique to Titan

Abstract— A model for an impact ejecta landform peculiar to Saturn's moon Titan is presented. Expansion of the ejecta plume from moderate‐sized craters is constrained by Titan's thick atmosphere. Much of the plume is collimated along the incoming bolide's trajectory, as was observed for plumes from impacts on Jupiter of P/Shoemaker‐Levy‐9, but is retained as a linear, diagonal ejecta cloud, unlike on Venus where the plume “blows out.” On Titan, the blowout is suppressed because the vertically‐extended atmosphere requires a long wake to reach the vacuum of space, and the modest impact velocities mean plume expansion along the wake is slow enough to allow the wake to close off. Beyond the immediate ejecta blanket around the crater, distal ejecta is released into the atmosphere from an oblique line source: this material is winnowed by the zonal wind field to form streaks, with coarse radar‐bright particles transported less far than fine radar‐dark material. Thus, the ejecta form two distinct streaks faintly reminiscent of dual comet tails, a sharply W‐E radar‐dark one, and a less swept and sometimes comma‐shaped radar‐bright one.     

Radiocarbon on Titan

Abstract— We explore the likely production and fate of ¹⁴C in the thick nitrogen atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan and investigate the constraints that measurements of ¹⁴C might place on Titan's photochemical, atmospheric transport and surface‐atmosphere interaction processes. Titan's atmosphere is thick enough that cosmic‐ray flux limits the production of ¹⁴C: absence of a strong magnetic field and the increased distance from the Sun suggest production rates of ?9 atom/cm²/s, ?4x higher than Earth. The fate and detectability of ¹⁴C depends on the chemical species into which it is incorporated: as methane it would be hopelessly diluted even in only the atmosphere. However, in the more likely case that the ¹⁴C attaches to the haze that rains out onto the surface (as tholin, HCN or acetylene and their polymers), haze in the atmosphere or recently deposited on the surface would be quite radioactive. Such radioactivity may lead to a significant enhancement in the electrical conductivity of the atmosphere which will be measured by the Huygens probe. Measurements with simple detectors on future missions could place useful constraints on the mass deposition rates of photochemical material on the surface and identify locations where surface deposits of such material are “freshest”.     

Die Intensitätsverteilung der Himmelsstrahlung während der totalen Sonnenfinsternis Am 15. 2. 1961 auf Grund photographischer Messungen

Zusammenfassung Es wird über eine photographische Methode berichtet, die gestattet, die Verteilung der Himmelsstrahlung zu bestimmen. Der Himmel wird mit einer Weitwinkelkamera photographiert und die Aufnahmen werden mit einem Photometer ausgewertet. Über einen Graukeil, der auf das gleiche filmmaterial aufbelichtet und mit den Aufnahmen zusammen entwickelt wird, lassen sich die mit dem Photometer ermittelten Schwärzungswerte in (relative) Intensitätswerte der Himmelsstrahlung umrechnen. Der durch das Photoobjektiv bedingte Helligkeitsabfall von der Bildmitte aus nach den Bildrändern zu wird experimentell ermittelt und als Korrektur an den Meßwerten angebracht. Die Intensitätsverteilung der Himmelsstrahlung während der totalen Sonnenfinsternis am 15. Februar 1961 in Viareggio (Norditalien), am Abend zuvor und am Folgetag wird wiedergegeben und diskutiert. Während der totalen Verfinsterung spiegelt sich insbesondere die Wanderung des Mondschattens relativ zum Beobachtungsort in den Darstellungen wieder. Während der partiellen Verfinsterung ist dagegen die relative Helligkeitsverteilung praktisch die gleiche wie bei unverfinsterter Sonne.

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Summary A photographic method is described which permits to determinate the distribution of the sky radiation. The sky is photographed by a wide angle camera and the resulting pictures are evaluated by a photometer. A photometric step wedge copied on a film of the same type and number is developed together with the pictures. Then the density values measured by the photometer can be transformed into (relative) intensity values of the sky radiation. The decrease in brightness from the centre of the picture to the rim caused by the photographic lens is determined experimentally and is taken into account as a correction to the density values. The distribution of intensity of the sky radiation in Viareggio (North Italy) during the total eclipse of the sun on the 15th of february 1961, on the previous evening and on the following day are shown and discussed. During the total eclipse especially the migration of the moon's shadow in relation to the observation point is clearly defined. During the partial eclipse, however, practically the same relative distribution of sky radiation is found as without eclipse.

     

Tilted electromagnetic Bianchi type III cosmological solution

An exact cosmological solution to the Einstein-Maxwell equations for the case of Bianchi type III symmetry with stiff matter and an electromagnetic field is constructed. The behaviour of the solution near the singularity and at late stages of the expansion is investigated.     

L'âge radiométrique du Miocène inférieur en Europe Occidentale et Centrale

Systematic research over years on datable horizons of lower Miocene age has led to an election of nine glauconite samples suitable for dating work. The chosen glauconites come from various regions of the tethys. Following careful sedimentological as well as stratigraphical studies the K-Ar ages of these glauconites were measured. The interpretation of the apparent ages found takes into consideration sedimentation, mineralogical quality and present knowledge of the genesis of the green glauconite pellets. The presented data allow to fix the basis of the Miocene at about 21–22 m. y. and the boundary of Aquitanian-Burdigalian at 18 m. y. The K-Ar data on glauconites presented here are in good agreement with newer measurements of other authors on high temperature minerals of the same age span.     

The quasar population density as a result of the formation rate and the evolutionary pathes II. Adaption to the observation

The continuity equation of CAVALIERE et al. (1971) generalized to age-dependent luminosity evolution (BOLLER and LIEBSCHER 1989) is used to calculate quasar luminosity functions. For some combinations of source functions S(L, t) and evolutionary pathes M(L) we discuss the resulting N — m relations and the amount of the X-ray background and compare them with actual results of observation. We can exclude certain models, (S(L, t), M(L)). We cannot yet decide what the actual source function and the actual evolutionary path are.