Jupiter's icy moon Ganymede has a tenuous exosphere produced by sputtering and possibly sublimation of water ice. To date, only atomic hydrogen and oxygen have been directly detected in this exosphere. Here, we present observations of Ganymede's CO₂ exosphere obtained with the James Webb Space Telescope. CO₂ gas is observed over different terrain types, mainly over those exposed to intense Jovian plasma irradiation, as well as over some bright or dark terrains. Despite warm surface temperatures, the CO₂ abundance over equatorial subsolar regions is low. CO₂ vapor has the highest abundance over the north polar cap of the leading hemisphere, reaching a surface pressure of 1 pbar. From modeling we show that the local enhancement observed near 12 h local time in this region can be explained by the presence of cold traps enabling CO₂ adsorption. However, whether the release mechanism in this high-latitude region is sputtering or sublimation remains unclear. The north polar cap of the leading hemisphere also has unique surface-ice properties, probably linked to the presence of the large atmospheric CO₂ excess over this region. These CO₂ molecules might have been initially released in the atmosphere after the radiolysis of CO₂ precursors, or from the sputtering of CO₂ embedded in the H₂O ice bedrock. Dark terrains (regiones), more widespread on the north versus south polar regions, possibly harbor CO₂ precursors. CO₂ molecules would then be redistributed via cold trapping on ice-rich terrains of the polar cap and be diurnally released and redeposited on these terrains. Ganymede's CO₂ exosphere highlights the complexity of surface-atmosphere interactions on Jupiter's icy Galilean moons.

Context. We present the first spectroscopic observations of Ganymede by the James Webb Space Telescope undertaken in August 2022 as part of the proposal "ERS observations of the Jovian system as a demonstration of JWST's capabilities for Solar System science". Aims. We aimed to investigate the composition and thermal properties of the surface, and to study the relationships of ice and non-water-ice materials and their distribution. Methods. NIRSpec IFU (2.9-5.3 μm) and MIRI MRS (4.9-28.5 μm) observations were performed on both the leading and trailing hemispheres of Ganymede, with a spectral resolution of ∼2700 and a spatial sampling of 0.1 to 0.17″ (while the Ganymede size was ∼1.68″). We characterized the spectral signatures and their spatial distribution on the surface. The distribution of brightness temperatures was analyzed with standard thermophysical modeling including surface roughness. Results. Reflectance spectra show signatures of water ice, CO₂, and H₂O₂. An absorption feature at 5.9 μm, with a shoulder at 6.5 μm, is revealed, and is tentatively assigned to sulfuric acid hydrates. The CO₂ 4.26-μm band shows latitudinal and longitudinal variations in depth, shape, and position over the two hemispheres, unveiling different CO₂ physical states. In the ice-rich polar regions, which are the most exposed to Jupiter's plasma irradiation, the CO₂ band is redshifted with respect to other terrains. In the boreal region of the leading hemisphere, the CO₂ band is dominated by a high wavelength component at ∼4.27 μm, consistent with CO₂ trapped in amorphous water ice. At equatorial latitudes (and especially on dark terrains), the observed band is broader and shifted toward the blue, suggesting CO₂ adsorbed on non-icy materials, such as minerals or salts. Maps of the H₂O Fresnel peak area correlate with Bond albedo maps and follow the distribution of water ice inferred from H₂O absorption bands. Amorphous ice is detected in the ice-rich polar regions, and is especially abundant on the northern polar cap of the leading hemisphere. Leading and trailing polar regions exhibit different H₂O, CO₂, and H₂O₂ spectral properties. However, in both hemispheres the north polar cap ice appears to be more processed than the south polar cap. A longitudinal modification of the H₂O ice molecular structure and/or nanometer- and micrometer-scale texture, of diurnal or geographic origin, is observed in both hemispheres. Ice frost is tentatively observed on the morning limb of the trailing hemisphere, which possibly formed during the night from the recondensation of water subliming from the warmer subsurface. Reflectance spectra of the dark terrains are compatible with the presence of Na- and Mg-sulfate salts, sulfuric acid hydrates, and possibly phyllosilicates mixed with fine-grained opaque minerals, with a highly porous texture. Latitude and local time variations of the brightness temperatures indicate a rough surface with mean slope angles of 15° - 25° and a low thermal inertia Γ = 20-40 J m^-2 s^-0.5 K^-1, consistent with a porous surface, with no obvious difference between the leading and trailing sides.

Photochemical aerosols were detected as high as 350 km of altitude in Pluto's atmosphere during the New Horizons fly-by. These aerosols are thought to affect Pluto's climate, by acting as cooling agents, and the colours of Pluto's surface, in particular in the dark regions named Cthulhu and Krun and at the North Pole. Pluto atmospheric and surface models have so far used the optical constants of Titan aerosol analogues (tholins), whereas their chemical composition is known to differ from that of Pluto aerosol analogues. In order to provide a new set of optical constants for Pluto tholins, we synthesized analogues of Pluto's aerosols and determined with spectroscopic ellipsometry their optical constants from 270 to 2100 nm. Three types of samples were produced from N₂:CH₄:CO gas mixtures differing in their CH₄:N₂ mixing ratio, representative of different altitudes in Pluto's current atmosphere or different seasons or epochs of Pluto. Our analysis shows a strong absorption by Pluto tholins in the UV and visible spectral ranges, with k index of a few 10⁻¹ at 270 nm, in agreement with N- and O-bearing organic molecules. Pluto tholins are less absorbent in the near-IR than in the UV–Vis wavelength range, with k of a few 10⁻³ between 600 and 2100 nm. Our comparative study highlights the dependency of n and k indices to the CH₄:N₂ mixing ratio. Aerosols formed at different altitudes in Pluto's atmosphere or during different seasons or epochs of Pluto will therefore affect the budget of Pluto radiative transfer differently. The optical constants presented in this study were tested with a Pluto surface model and with a model of light scattering. The surface modelling results highlight the suitability of these optical constants to reproduce Pluto compositional observations in the visible spectral range by MVIC and LEISA. The atmospheric modelling results conclude that Pluto tholins absorb 5 to 10 times less than Titan tholins at 500 nm, and this lower absorption is consistent with Alice observations of Pluto's haze.

Pluto's fly-by by the New Horizons spacecraft in July 2015 has revealed a dark reddish equatorial region, named Cthulhu, covered by a dark, non-icy material whose origin and composition have yet to be determined. It has been suggested that this material could form from the sedimentation of photochemical aerosols, originating from dissociation and ionisation processes in Pluto's high atmosphere (similarly to aerosols forming Titan's haze). This hypothesis is here further investigated by comparing New Horizons spectra collected both in the visible and the near-infrared to laboratory reflectance measurements of analogues of Pluto's aerosols (Pluto tholins). These aerosols were synthesised in conditions mimicking Pluto's atmosphere, and their optical and reflectance properties were determined, before being used in Hapke models. In particular, the single scattering albedo and phase function of Pluto tholins were retrieved through Hapke model inversion, performed from laboratory reflectance spectra collected under various geometries. From reconstructed reflectance spectra and direct comparison with New Horizons data, some of these tholins are shown to reproduce the photometric level (i.e. reflectance continuum) reasonably well in the near-infrared. Nevertheless, a misfit of the red visible slope still remains and tholins absorption bands present in the modelled spectra are absent in those collected by the New Horizons instruments. Several hypotheses are considered to explain the absence of these absorption features in LEISA data, namely high porosity effects or GCR irradiation. The formation of highly porous structures, which is currently our preferred scenario, could be promoted by either sublimation of ices initially mixed with the aerosols, or gentle deposition under Pluto's weak gravity.