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Video: Scattering Throughout the Solar System

Submitted by rasc@johnginder.com on 5 April 2019

On March 13, 2019 Brittney Cooper, an Earth and Space Science MSc candidate at York University, gave a presentation on scattering of light throughout the Solar System.

Stunning optical effects such as rainbows, halos, and the opposition surge are observed frequently on Earth, but many of these features have also been observed on planetary bodies throughout the solar system. These phenomena offer us more than a spectacular sight; they can provide us with a wealth of information ranging from the microphysical properties of ice particulates in Saturn's rings, to better understanding how Martian water ice clouds affect the Martian climate. The unique conditions required for many of these effects is what makes them so intriguing, and capturing them is often a case of being in the right place at the right time.

This presentation was given at the RASC Toronto Centre's Speaker's Night held at the Ontario Science Centre.