Transit Observations of Io's Atmosphere

Details Transit Observations of Io's Atmosphere Transit Observations of Io's Atmosphere

Jul 1996

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1996hst..prop.6757h&link_type=abstract

HST Proposal ID #6757

Physics

Hst Proposal Id #6757 Solar System

Scientific paper

We propose to use the HST GHRS to observe Io while in transit of Jupiter to determine the abundance and distribution of SO_2 in Io's atmosphere. Because Jupiter's atmosphere reflects more sunlight in the UV than Io's solid surface, during transit events Io appears in silhouette in front of Jupiter's bright disk. Though extremely thin, Io's predominantly SO_2 atmosphere is thick enough to absorb a significant number of photons in UV absorption bands. Consequently, much like in occultation observations of planetary atmospheres, spectroscopic observations of Io in transit should reveal atmospheric photoabsorption structure. The amplitude of detected spectral features depends on the SO_2 photoabsorption cross section as well as the abundance and temperature of SO_2 in Io's atmosphere. The HST GHRS is uniquely well-suited for this study because it is relatively free of scattered-light in the spectral range of interest, and Io's disk {including its highest-altitude atmospheric absorption level} fit nicely into the Large Science Aperture {LSA}. Also, by placing the LSA at a fixed point on Jupiter's disk in the direct path of Io during a transit event, the GHRS RAPID readout mode allows the acquisition of time-resolved data that are sensitive to the abundance and vertical distribution of SO_2 in Io's atmosphere as well as to the existence of leading/trailing and north/south hemisphere atmospheric asymmetries.

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