Other
Scientific paper
Oct 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010dps....42.5206c&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #42, #52.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 42, p.1071
Other
Scientific paper
The first visible light studies of Earth-sized extrasolar planets will employ photometry or low-resolution spectroscopy. We analyzed the limitations of using photometric colors to characterize extrasolar planets using EPOCh medium-band filter photometry between 350 and 950 nm obtained with the Deep Impact (DI) High Resolution Instrument (HRI) of the Earth, Moon, and Mars in addition to previous full-disk observations of the other six solar system planets and Titan. We determined the HRI 350, 550, and 850 nm filters are optimal for distinguishing Earth from the other planets and separating planets to first order based on their atmospheric and surface properties. As in this study, detailed conclusions that can be drawn about exoplanet atmospheres simply from a color-color plot are limited due to potentially competing physical processes in the atmosphere. For example, the presence of a Rayleigh scattering atmosphere can be detected by an increase between 350 to 550 nm, but the absence or Rayleigh scattering cannot be confirmed due to the existence of atmospheric and surface absorbing species in the UV. We also observed that methane and ammonia are the only species responsible for absorption in the 850 nm filter in our Solar System. The combination of physical processes present on extrasolar planets may differ from those we see locally. Nevertheless, a generation of telescopes capable of collecting such photometric observations can serve a critical role in first order characterization and constraining the population of Earth-like extrasolar planets.
Barry Richard K.
Crow Carolyn
Deming Drake L.
Hewagama Tilak
Lisse Carey Michael
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