VIMS composition maps of the icy Saturnian satellite Dione

Abstract

Since its arrival in the Saturnian system the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) had been performed several observations of Dione’s surfaces in the visible and near infrared wavelength range. Its spectral resolution offers detailed analyses of the chemical and physical surface properties and the spatial resolutions during the specific flybys make it possible to analyze these properties on a pixel by pixel base and to map them across the satellites surface. It is essential to attribute the surface properties to their geographic location as well as to relate them to their specific geological and geo-morphological context in order to interpret the distribution of the surface compounds (esp. organics and volatiles) or the physical properties (e.g. particle sizes) properly and to identify the geological processes responsible for their existence. Therefore, composition maps derived from scientific analyses of VIMS observations were geometrically re-projected, combined into VIMS mosaics and co-registered to Cassini-ISS base maps offering the geological and geo-morphological context. Global and selected local maps of Dione will be presented.