Cassini-CIRS Observations of Ethylene and Propyne in the Southern Hemisphere of Titan

Details Cassini-CIRS Observations of Ethylene and Propyne in the Southern Hemisphere of Titan Cassini-CIRS Observations of Ethylene and Propyne in the Southern Hemisphere of Titan

Nov 2004

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2004dps....36.2205r&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #36, #22.05; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 36, p.1119

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

Shortly after Saturn orbit insertion on 1 July 2004 the Cassini spacecraft flew by Titan. The viewing geometry effectively confined observations to that of the southern hemisphere. The Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) made maps of this hemisphere at 3.0 cm-1 spectral resolution.
We used these maps to look for latitudinal gradients in ethylene (C2H4) and propyne (C3H4, a.k.a. methyl acetylene). Both of these species are destroyed by UV sunlight and ethylene is a source for propyne via the CH + C2H4 reaction. Observations were binned into 10 degree wide latitude bins, spaced 5 degrees apart, and ranging from 80 S to 5 S. The emission angle ranged from 30 to 60 degrees. Initial analysis based upon line to continuum ratios shows no latitudinal gradient in these species in the range covered. This is in contrast to Roe et al. 2003 (Icarus 169, 440-461) who from Keck images taken in 1999-2002 found a significant accumulation of C2H4 confined south of 50 S. Implications for photochemical modeling and lifetimes will be discussed.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

Cassini-CIRS Observations of Ethylene and Propyne in the Southern Hemisphere of Titan 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 Cassini-CIRS Observations of Ethylene and Propyne in the Southern Hemisphere of Titan, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Cassini-CIRS Observations of Ethylene and Propyne in the Southern Hemisphere of Titan will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1013620