Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Sep 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....41.0808c&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #41, #8.08
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
One of the next frontiers in extrasolar planet exploration is color characterization. We have analyzed images of the Earth and Moon acquired during the EPOXI mission with the High Resolution Instrument (HRI) and seven color filters, and compiled disk-integrated spectra for a range of Solar System planets from previous studies. These data form a basis for characterizing exoplanetary systems in the future. The images used for this study were taken on January 16, 2005 and May 29, 2008 by the Deep Impact spacecraft's HRI at distances of 1.64x106 km and 0.33 AU, phase angles of 97.6° and 75.1°, resolutions of 3.3 and 99.0 km/pix, respectively. We derived disk-integrated spectra of the Earth and far side of the Moon in addition to regionally integrated spectra of the Sahara Desert, African savanna, northern and southern hemispheres of the lunar far side, and various regions of the lunar near side. Ground based low-resolution spectra of lunar near side regions from McCord et al. 1972 were compared with our data for verification. We also convolved disk-integrated spectra of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Titan (Karkoschka 1994, 1998) with the HRI filter transmission curves to compare the low-resolution spectral features of gaseous planets with those of terrestrial bodies. The resulting spectra of the Moon and Earth are similar to what is expected for rocky bodies with and without an atmosphere, and the spectra of the Sahara and savanna are also what is expected of dry desert and vegetated regions. We observe that the low-resolution spectral signatures of the Giant Planets, the Moon and Earth are unique. A solar system like our own would have these characteristic spectral features at low resolution and visible wavelengths.
Barry Richard
Crow Carolyn A.
Deming Drake L.
Hewagama Tilak
Livengood Timothy A.
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