HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE OBSERVATIONS OF PLANETS AND SATELLITES

Abstract

▪ Abstract  Although exploration by remote, in situ spacecraft has been the primary tool used in scientific exploration of the planets and other solar system objects for the last three decades, the unique capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have made it an invaluable tool for solar system research and have led to many important discoveries. HST's extended lifetime has made it possible to continue observations of planets and satellites that were started by earlier space missions and has thereby provided new insight into dynamic surface and atmospheric phenomena on these bodies. The ultraviolet capability of HST has made it possible to study important time-variable phenomena such as the auroras on Jupiter and Saturn and the circulation of planetary atmospheres. This review provides an overview of HST observations of and discoveries relating to planets and satellites in the solar system.