Titan's Clouds Detections: Observational Constraints from Adaptive Optics and Comparison to GCM Predictions.

Details Titan's Clouds Detections: Observational Constraints from Adaptive Optics and Comparison to GCM Predictions. Titan's Clouds Detections: Observational Constraints from Adaptive Optics and Comparison to GCM Predictions.

Jan 2009

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009dps....40.3123h&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #31.23; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.560

Physics

Optics

Scientific paper

Although spectroscopically detected since 1995, Titan's clouds were only imaged at the beginning of the new millennium. Since then, many different types of clouds were reported: large systems of convective methane clouds above the South Pole, single clouds at specific latitudes (40°S mainly), and ethane clouds close to the north pole terminator. We present here an analysis of the evolution as a function of time and latitude of the methane-based features as detected either from Earth with adaptive optics systems, or in situ with Cassini-Huygens. This study includes two parts. First, we base our investigation on disk-resolved images gathered from 2000 to 2005 at the CFHT (with PUEO/KIR or PUEO/OASIS) or at the VLT (NAOS/CONICA) in the near Infrared. On these observations, only the larger cloud systems at the South Pole are visible, even though the VLT specifications should have allowed us to observe the same "transient clouds” reported from Keck observations. Through modeling, we infer upper limits on the cloud activity at the time of our observations to explain the discrepancy between the Keck and the VLT reports. Thus we are able to retrieve upper limits from non-detections, to be merged with the gathering of "true” clouds detections. As a second step, we then compare this improved collection of data to the predictions of Rannou et al (2004) GCM model. As we show, the GCM reproduces efficiently both the latitudinal and chronological variations of the cloud activity. We will also discuss possible explanations for the observations that the GCM fails to reproduce, and their implications on the sources of Titan's clouds.

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