Dr. Katia Matcheva
University of Florida

University of Florida Astronomy Colloquium - Sep 28th, 2005

Learning from Giants: exploring Jupiter and Saturn

The Galileo and the Cassini space missions to the outer solar system have an enormous impact on our understanding of the processes driving the atmospheres of the giant planets. I will discuss the structure, the chemical composition and the dynamics of the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn in the general context of comparative aeronomy using data from ground-based and space-based observations and will outline outstanding issues that need to be addressed. Emphasis will be placed on new results from the ongoing Cassini mission in the Saturnian system.