Paxsi Is Large Ringed Feature on Titan's Saturn-Facing Side

Summary: Paxsi is a large ringed feature on Titan's Saturn-facing side that lies on bright terrain between equatorial dark albedo features Aaru and Senkyo.

Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Paxsi (upper left) in northwestern Senkyo, near Aaru: map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Paxsi is a large ringed feature on Titan's Saturn-facing side that lies on bright terrain between Aaru and Senkyo, dark albedo features in the equatorial belt.

Paxsi is centered at 5 degrees north latitude, 341.2 degrees west longitude, according to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The circular feature obtains northernmost and southernmost latitudes of 6.7 degrees north and 3.7 degrees north, respectively. It marks its easternmost and westernmost longitudes at 339.8 degrees west and 342.6 degrees west, respectively. Paxsi's diameter measures 120 kilometers.

Paxsi was discovered during the Cassini spacecraft's T61 flyby, conducted Aug. 25, 2009, according to planetary scientist Bonnie J. Buratti and nine co-authors in their article, "A Newly Discovered Impact Crater in Titan's Senkyo," published in the January 2012 issue of Planetary and Space Science (page 20). The flyby targeted the area of western Senkyo near Aaru, two dark albedo features in the equatorial belt. Observations by the spacecraft's Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) revealed an unknown, circular feature, known as Paxsi since 2010, centered at 5.4 degrees north latitude, 341 degrees west longitude, in western Senkyo.

Paxsi occupies bright terrain that intervenes between dark Aaru and dark Senkyo. Paxsi's formation occurred at the interface of the large ringed feature's adjacent, bright, highly reflective terrain with the low reflectivity of dune-rich Aaru and Senkyo.

Aaru is centered at 10 degrees north latitude, 340 degrees west longitude. Its center coordinates are given as its northernmost-southern latitudes and easternmost-westernmost longitudes.

Senkyo lies to the south of Aaru. The low albedo feature is centered at minus 5 degrees south latitude, 320 degrees west longitude. The southern equatorial belt-centered feature's center latitude and longitude are repeated as its northernmost-southernmost latitudes and easternmost-westernmost longitudes, respectively.

Large ringed features such as Paxsi are described as "Cryptic ringed features" by the Descriptor Terms (Feature Types) page of the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature. The Planetary Geomatics Group of the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Astrogeology Science Center maintains the online gazetteer, which was established by The International Astronomical Union (IAU) Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN).

The Gazetteer lists four named large ringed features. Guabonito, Nath and Veles also are classed as large ringed features.

Nath lies to the southwest as Paxsi's nearest large ringed neighbor. It is located in Tsegihi, a bright albedo feature centered at minus 40 degrees south latitude, 10 degrees west longitude.

Nath's center coordinates of minus 30.5 degrees south latitude, 7.7 degrees west longitude qualify it as the only large ringed feature that is centered, not in the equatorial belt, but instead in Titan's mid-latitudes.

The southern equatorial and mid-latitude occupant's northernmost and southernmost latitudes extend to minus 29.5 degrees south and minus 31.6 degrees south, respectively. Its easternmost and westernmost longitudes reach 6.5 degrees west and 8.8 degrees west, respectively. Nath has a diameter of 95 kilometers.

Guabonito and Veles lie distantly to the southeast of Nath. Veles is positioned to the northwest of Guabonito. Both are located in Shangri-La, a dark albedo feature on Titan's anti-Saturn side. Shangri-La is centered at minus 10 degrees south latitude, 165 degrees west longitude.

Guabonito is centered at minus 10.9 degrees south latitude, 150.8 degrees west longitude. It records northernmost and southernmost latitudes of minus 10.2 degrees south and minus 11.5 degrees south, respectively. It registers easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 149.8 degrees west and 151.3 degrees west, respectively. Guabonito's diameter measures 55 kilometers.

Veles is centered at 2 degrees north latitude, 137.3 degrees west longitude. It estalishes its northernmost and southernmost latitudes at 2.4 degrees north and 1.6 degrees north, respectively. It posts easternmost and westernmost longitudes of 136.9 degrees west and 137.8 degrees west, respectively. Veles has a diameter of 45 kilometers.

The International Astronomical Union approved Paxsi as the large ringed feature's official name on Oct. 15, 2010. The Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature traces the name to the "Aymara (Peru, Bolivia) goddess of the moon, education and knowledge." Titan's craters and ringed features are named after "Gods and goddesses of wisdom," according to the Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature's documentation page, "Categories (Themes) for Naming Features on Planets and Satellites."

Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Paxsi (upper left) as northern equatorial occupant in bright terrain between Aaru and Senkyo; bright albedo feature Tsegihi, home to Paxsi's closest large ringed neighbor, Nath, lies to the south (lower left): map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Dedication

This post is dedicated to the memory of our beloved blue-eyed brother, Charles, who guided the creation of the Met Opera and Astronomy posts on Earth and Space News. We memorialized our brother in "Our Beloved Blue-Eyed Brother, Charles, With Whom We Are Well Pleased," published on Earth and Space News on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021, an anniversary of our beloved father's death.

Image credits:

Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Paxsi (upper left) in northwestern Senkyo, near Aaru: map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Titan_comp_ISSimage.pdf

Detail of Titan With ISS (Imaging Science Subsystem) Background shows Paxsi (upper left) as northern equatorial occupant in bright terrain between Aaru and Senkyo; bright albedo feature Tsegihi, home to Paxsi's closest large ringed neighbor, Nath, lies to the south (lower left): map credit NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute, via IAU/USGS Astrogeology Science Center Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature @ https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/images/Titan_comp_ISSimage.pdf

For further information:

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