Search for Secular Changes in the Near-Infrared Spectrum of Triton

Details Search for Secular Changes in the Near-Infrared Spectrum of Triton Search for Secular Changes in the Near-Infrared Spectrum of Triton

Sep 1998

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1998dps....30.4904h&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #30, #49.04; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 30, p.1108

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

We have obtained near-IR spectra of Triton from 1995 through 1998. The spectra were recorded with the OSIRIS spectrometer and cover the 1.2-2.3 mu m wavelength region with a nominal resolving power of 300\null. The spectra clearly show absorption features due to CH_4 and N_2\null. Changes in the surface temperature of Triton are expected based on the change of solar insolation with season. This expectation is supported by observed changes in the atmospheric bulk on Triton, reported by Elliot et al. (Nature 393, 765--767, 1998). These authors report a doubling of atmospheric bulk in the last 8 years which is consistent with a temperature rise in the N_2 ice of 2 K\null. We analyze the N_2 band at 2.15 mu m, to determine if the band has changed in depth or width. Changes in band depth could be caused by volatile transport or by changes in surface texture resulting from the current maximum southern summer. Changes in band width are expected to result from the increasing temperature of Triton's surface. We also examine the CH_4 bands for evidence of changes in depth and wavelength, as would result from changes in the concentration of CH_4 dissolved in the N_2 ice.

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