Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Science. 2010 Mar 19;327(5972):1476-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1179119.
The Cassini spacecraft has been in orbit around Saturn since 30 June 2004, yielding a wealth of data about the Saturn system. This review focuses on the atmosphere and magnetosphere and briefly outlines the state of our knowledge after the Cassini prime mission. The mission has addressed a host of fundamental questions: What processes control the physics, chemistry, and dynamics of the atmosphere? Where does the magnetospheric plasma come from? What are the physical processes coupling the ionosphere and magnetosphere? And, what are the rotation rates of Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere?
卡西尼号飞船自 2004 年 6 月 30 日以来一直在土星轨道上运行,提供了大量有关土星系统的数据。本评论重点介绍了大气层和磁层,并简要概述了卡西尼号主要任务后的知识现状。该任务解决了许多基本问题:哪些过程控制着大气的物理、化学和动力学?磁层等离子体来自何处?电离层和磁层之间的物理过程是什么?以及,土星的大气层和磁层的自转速度是多少?