High-resolution microwave images of Saturn

Details High-resolution microwave images of Saturn High-resolution microwave images of Saturn

Sep 1989

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1989sci...245.1211g&link_type=abstract

Science (ISSN 0036-8075), vol. 245, Sept. 15, 1989, p. 1211-1215.

Computer Science

28

High Resolution, Microwave Imagery, Saturn Atmosphere, Saturn Rings, Space Observations (From Earth), Atmospheric Composition, Brightness Temperature, Radiative Transfer, Radio Interferometers, Saturn (Planet), Saturn, Imagery, Microwaves, Rings, Radio Methods, Interferometry, Wavelengths, Earth-Based Observations, Brightness, Temperature, Depth, Atmosphere, Radiative Transfer, Mixing, Ammonia, Saturation, Abundance, Polarization, Scattering, Maps, Photographs, Disk, Models, Diagrams, Optical Properties

Scientific paper

An analysis of high-resolution microwave images of Saturn and Saturn's individual rings is presented. Radio interferometric observations of Saturn taken at the Very Large Array in New Mexico at wavelengths of 2 and 6 centimeters reveal interesting new features in both the atmosphere and rings. The resulting maps show an increase in brightness temperature of about 3 K from equator to pole at both wavelengths, while the 6-centimeter map shows a bright band at northern midlatitudes. The data are consistent with a radiative transfer model of the atmosphere that constrains the well-mixed, fully saturated, NH3 mixing ratio to be 0.00012 in a region just below the NH3 clouds, while the observed bright band indicates a 25 percent relative decrease of NH3 in northern midlatitudes. Brightness temperatures for the classical rings are presented. Ring brightness shows a variation with azimuth and is linearly polarized at an average value of about 5 percent. The variations in ring polarization suggest that at least 20 percent of the ring brightness is the result of a single scattering process.

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