Triton's Atmospheric Structure in 2001 from the Tr231 Occultation

Details Triton's Atmospheric Structure in 2001 from the Tr231 Occultation Triton's Atmospheric Structure in 2001 from the Tr231 Occultation

Nov 2001

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2001dps....33.4906p&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS Meeting #33, #49.06; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 33, p.1130

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On 2001 August 25, an occultation by Triton of the star designated Tr231 (McDonald and Elliot, Astronomical Journal, 119, 2000, 936-944) was observed from the 1.9-m telescope of the South African Astronomical Observatory. Preliminary analysis indicates that this light curve has the highest signal to noise of any Earth-based observations of Triton occultations (Olkin, et al., Icarus, 129, 1997, 178-201; Elliot, et al., Icarus, 148, 2000, 347-369). Initial inversions of this light curve indicate a thermal profile with a positive thermal gradient (dT/dR) at altitudes above 50-60 km, but having an isothermal or negative gradient below. These results are qualitatively consistent with those from the 1997 (Tr180) HST occultation light curve (Elliot, et al., Icarus, 143, 2000, 425-428). The initial thermal gradient of those results can be explained by the downward conduction of heat deposited high in the atmosphere coupled with CO radiative cooling. The addition of a currently unidentified cooling mechanism at lower altitudes is required to explain the isothermal or sub-isothermal profile below 50km. Analysis of the Tr231 event is continuing. This work is partially supported by NASA grants NAG5-10444 and NAG5-9008.

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