Abstract
Five absorption features are reported at wavelengths of 3.4, 3.88,
4.05, 4.25, and 4.57 micrometers in the surface materials of the
Galilean satellites Callisto and Ganymede from analysis of reflectance
spectra returned by the Galileo mission near-infrared mapping spectrometer.
Candidate materials include CO2, organic materials (such as tholins
containing C=N and C-H), SO2, and compounds containing an SH-functional
group; CO2, SO2, and perhaps cyanogen (CN)(2) may be present within
the surface material itself as collections of a few molecules each.
The spectra indicate that the primary surface constituents are water
ice and hydrated minerals.
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