Tailoring Infra-Red Filters for Global Mapping of Enceladus' Thermal Environment
Abstract
We present the results of an initial study into the feasibility and design of the Enceladus Thermal Mapper (ETM) instrument, designed to provide detailed temperature data for Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn identified by the Cassini Mission as a prime candidate for astrobiological study due to its subsurface ocean and active cryovolcanism. Building on heritage from previous missions including TechDemoSat-1, Mars Climate Sounder, and Lunar Trailblazer, ETM aims to measure temperature variations across Enceladus' surface, including at the poles during the extreme cold of winter, when they can reach as low as 45 K. Where Cassini provided limited high-resolution flyby data of Enceladus due to its Saturn-centric orbit, ETM, in orbit around the icy moon will offer continuous high-resolution thermal mapping with a 384 x 288-pixel sensor, capable of 80 m/pixel resolution from 150 km altitude. This will improve constraints on the Enceladus' global conductive heat loss, and better characterise and contextualise its active South Polar Terrain. To optimise the instrument's filters for thermal emission measurements, a digital model of the filter assembly was developed. This lightweight, low-power instrument is capable of significantly advancing the understanding of Enceladus' geological behaviour and evaluating its potential habitability by providing comprehensive temperature data essential for interpreting its evolution.
Versions
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BibTeX
@misc{lyster2026tailoring,
title = {{Tailoring Infra-Red Filters for Global Mapping of Enceladus' Thermal Environment}},
author = {D. G. Lyster and C. J. A. Howett and N. E. Bowles and K. Nowicki and R. Evans and T. J. Warren},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2610.40456},
eprint = {2610.40456},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.40456},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Tailoring Infra-Red Filters for Global Mapping of Enceladus' Thermal Environment
AU - D. G. Lyster
AU - C. J. A. Howett
AU - N. E. Bowles
AU - K. Nowicki
AU - R. Evans
AU - T. J. Warren
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/29
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2610.40456
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2610.40456
AB - We present the results of an initial study into the feasibility and design of the Enceladus Thermal Mapper (ETM) instrument, designed to provide detailed temperature data for Enceladus, an icy moon of Saturn identified by the Cassini Mission as a prime candidate for astrobiological study due to its subsurface ocean and active cryovolcanism. Building on heritage from previous missions including TechDemoSat-1, Mars Climate Sounder, and Lunar Trailblazer, ETM aims to measure temperature variations across Enceladus' surface, including at the poles during the extreme cold of winter, when they can reach as low as 45 K. Where Cassini provided limited high-resolution flyby data of Enceladus due to its Saturn-centric orbit, ETM, in orbit around the icy moon will offer continuous high-resolution thermal mapping with a 384 x 288-pixel sensor, capable of 80 m/pixel resolution from 150 km altitude. This will improve constraints on the Enceladus' global conductive heat loss, and better characterise and contextualise its active South Polar Terrain. To optimise the instrument's filters for thermal emission measurements, a digital model of the filter assembly was developed. This lightweight, low-power instrument is capable of significantly advancing the understanding of Enceladus' geological behaviour and evaluating its potential habitability by providing comprehensive temperature data essential for interpreting its evolution.
ER -