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Atmospheric Electricity at Saturn

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Abstract

The Cassini mission provides a great opportunity to enlarge our knowledge of atmospheric electricity at the gas giant Saturn. Following Voyager studies, the RPWS (Radio and Plasma Wave Science) instrument has measured again the so-called SEDs (Saturn Electrostatic Discharges) which are the radio signature of lightning flashes. Observations by Cassini/ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) have shown cloud features in Saturn’s atmosphere whose occurrence, longitudinal drift rate, and brightness were strongly related to the SEDs.

In this paper we will review the main physical parameters of the SEDs. Lightning does not only give us clues about the dynamics of the atmosphere, but also serves as a natural tool to investigate properties of Saturn’s ionosphere. We will also discuss other lightning related phenomena and compare Saturn lightning with terrestrial and Jovian lightning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, 203 Van Allen Hall, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA

    Georg Fischer, Donald A. Gurnett, William S. Kurth & Ferzan Akalin

  2. Observatoire de Paris, Meudon, France

    Philippe Zarka

  3. 150-21 Geological and Planetary Sciences, Caltech, Pasadena, CA, 91125, USA

    Ulyana A. Dyudina

  4. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, 20771, USA

    William M. Farrell & Michael L. Kaiser

Authors
  1. Georg Fischer
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  2. Donald A. Gurnett
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  3. William S. Kurth
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  4. Ferzan Akalin
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  5. Philippe Zarka
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  6. Ulyana A. Dyudina
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  7. William M. Farrell
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  8. Michael L. Kaiser
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Correspondence to Georg Fischer.

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Fischer, G., Gurnett, D.A., Kurth, W.S. et al. Atmospheric Electricity at Saturn. Space Sci Rev 137, 271–285 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-008-9370-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-008-9370-z

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