Spatially Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Saturn

Details Spatially Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Saturn Spatially Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Saturn

Sep 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.1122c&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #11.22; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.499

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We investigate the spatial variation of cloud opacities and molecular abundances of phosphine and ammonia on Saturn. Infrared spectra between 2.7 and 5.5 microns (R 2000) were acquired using SpeX at the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility in support of Cassini/CIRS and VIMS observations of Saturn's atmosphere. We present analysis of data that were acquired in February 2004, March and November 2005, and January 2006, which were taken nearly coincident in time with Cassini cylindrical mapping sequences for VIMS and CIRS. We observed Saturn with the slit oriented parallel to the planet's rotational axis and stepped the slit across the disk in the east-west direction, thereby building up spectral image cubes (x-y-wavelength) that extend over the visible hemisphere. The observed spectra were modeled using the Synthetic Spectrum Program, developed at NASA/GSFC for the interpretation of infrared spectra of planetary atmospheres. We explore several free parameters, including the mixing ratios of ammonia and phosphine, and compare our best-fitting retrievals with those derived from Cassini/CIRS observations. We also explore the role of cloud opacity in our spectral synthesis code, incorporating cloud properties determined from Cassini/VIMS observations into our initial conditions. The results of this modeling effort are discussed in terms of their implications for regional dynamical processes.
This work was supported by NASA through grant number NNG06G126G and the National Science Foundation through award number AST-0507558.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Spatially Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Saturn 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 Spatially Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Saturn, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Spatially Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy of Saturn will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-998922