Titan's Clouds from Gemini and Keck Adaptive Optics Imaging

Details Titan's Clouds from Gemini and Keck Adaptive Optics Imaging Titan's Clouds from Gemini and Keck Adaptive Optics Imaging

Dec 2002

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002apj...581.1399r&link_type=abstract

The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 581, Issue 2, pp. 1399-1406.

Physics

Optics

85

Infrared: Solar System, Instrumentation: Adaptive Optics, Planets And Satellites: Individual: Titan

Scientific paper

Using adaptive optics on the Gemini and Keck II telescopes, we found a thin haze and discrete clouds in Titan's south polar troposphere. The discrete clouds vary on timescales of a few hours. We propose a seasonal mechanism to explain the formation of this spring polar tropospheric haze. Assuming that the clouds are located in or above the haze, we suggest that convection within this haze layer triggers methane condensation; subsequent latent heat release leads to vigorous convection and formation of transient clouds. Our results have significant implications for planning the Cassini mission flybys of Titan. Based on observations obtained at the Gemini Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation (NSF) on behalf of the Gemini partnership: the National Science Foundation (United States), the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (United Kingdom), the National Research Council (Canada), CONICYT (Chile), the Australian Research Council (Australia), CNPq (Brazil), and CONICET (Argentina). This paper is based on observations obtained with the Adaptive Optics System Hokupa`a/QUIRC, developed and operated by the University of Hawaii Adaptive Optics Group, with support from the NSF.

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