Measuring Titan's mesospheric temperatures by infrared spectroscopy

Details Measuring Titan's mesospheric temperatures by infrared spectroscopy Measuring Titan's mesospheric temperatures by infrared spectroscopy

Aug 2005

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2005dps....37.4523p&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #37, #45.23; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 37, p.721

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Titan's temperature profile is an indicator of the atmospheric energy transport, by radiation, convection and conduction. From the surface up to ˜250 km altitude, the temperature profile was measured by the Voyager 1 radio occultations and infrared spectra. In the troposphere, heating by the surface and low atmosphere by solar radiation absorption and cooling by emission to space are the dominant processes that establish the temperature profile, which decreases from ˜94 K at the surface, to ˜70 K at 200 km. Between 200 and 350 km, the atmosphere radiative absorption and emission balance, and the temperature is approximately constante. At 250-500 km altitudes, observations of stellar occultations reveal oscillations between 170 and 150 K. Atmospheric models predict the existence of a mesosphere, in the region 350-550 km, with the temperature decreasing from ethane and other hydrocarbons' emissions. In this work we analyze emission lines of methane's ν 4 band (8.1 μ m, 1230 cm-1) with high resolution spectra. The line profiles of different intensities allow us to determine the vertical temperature profile for the region 100-600 km, which was not possible with previously available data. We present the first infrared observation that can measure independently the temperatures for the regions 100-200 km, 200-400 km, and 400-600 km. These measurements show the existence of a mesosphere, with a temperature drop of at least 15 K from 380+50-100 km altitude.
Paulo Penteado is sponsored by the NASA Planetary Astronomy Program and the Brazilian Government through CAPES.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Measuring Titan's mesospheric temperatures by infrared spectroscopy does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with Measuring Titan's mesospheric temperatures by infrared spectroscopy, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Measuring Titan's mesospheric temperatures by infrared spectroscopy will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-952258