Physics
Scientific paper
Jul 1999
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999hst..prop.8229g&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #8229
Physics
Hst Proposal Id #8229 Solar System
Scientific paper
Titan's atmosphere is likened to the Earth's atmosphere; it is nitrogen based, has a surface pressure of 1.5 bar, and has methane which plays the role that water plays on Earth. Because methane can exist in both gas and liquid phases, weather and methane clouds are hypothesized to exist on Titan. Yet Titan's greater column abundance of atmosphere and the cooler conditions may induce conditions more quiescent than found on Earth. Here we propose to investigate the clouds in Titan's atmosphere, first discovered this year {Griffith et al. 1998}. Our goal is to study weather processes native to the Earth's lower atmosphere, yet in the exotic context offered by Titan. By scanning the 0.05'' STIS slit across of Titan's 0.8'' disk, we will build a 18x18 image of Titan. Each 0.05x0.05'' pixel will consist of a spectrum of resolution 500-1200 {grating G750L}. With methane's varying absorption coefficient acting as a vertical discriminator, we will resolve the opacity structure of the atmosphere over a range of altitudes from 400 km down to the surface. This combination of spectroscopy and imaging will allow us to detect clouds in Titan's atmosphere, determine their coverage, thickness and altitude range. We will also measure the surface reflectivity of Titan at 0.9 microns, and map the distribution of haze in the northern and southern hemispheres at altitudes where the haze is formed.
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