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Temperatures of the outer planet thermospheres exceed those predicted bysolar heating alone by several hundred degrees. Enough energy is deposited atauroral regions to heat the entire thermosphere, but models predict thatequatorward distribution is inhibited by strong Coriolis forces and ion drag. Abetter understanding of auroral energy deposition and circulation are criticalto solving this so-called energy crisis. Stellar occultations observed by theUltraviolet Imaging Spectrograph instrument during the Cassini Grand Finalewere designed to map the thermosphere from pole to pole. We analyze theseobservations, together with earlier observations from 2016 and 2017, to createa two-dimensional map of densities and temperatures in Saturns thermosphere asa function of latitude and depth. The observed temperatures at aurorallatitudes are cooler and peak at higher altitudes and lower latitudes thanpredicted by models, leading to a shallower meridional pressure gradient. Undermodified geostrophy, we infer slower westward zonal winds that extend to lowerlatitudes than predicted, supporting equatorward flow from approximately 70 to30 degrees latitude in both hemispheres. We also show evidence of atmosphericwaves in the data that can contribute to equatorward redistribution of energythrough zonal drag.

A pole to pole pressure temperature map of Saturn's thermosphere from Cassini Grand Finale data