Spatially Resolved Spectroscopy of Titan's Surface and Atmosphere
Abstract
Spatially resolved near-infrared spectra of both the leading and trailing hemispheres of Titan were acquired with the Palomar 200-inch telescope and adaptive optics system in September 1999 and July 2000. Radiative transfer modeling of these observations allows us to map Titan's high altitude haze, methane clouds, and surface albedo. At 2.05 μ m wavelength, the stratospheric haze optical depth varies from 0.04 in the northern mid-latitudes to 0.20 above the south pole. South polar hazes also extend lower in Titan's atmosphere, to 25 km above the surface. No optically thick methane clouds are detected at the ~800 km spatial resolution achieved by these observations. The 2.05 μ m surface albedo at mid to low latitudes is found to vary locally from 0.07 to 0.15, and be near 0.15 in the high southern latitudes. We will present maps of the haze distribution and surface albedo.
- Publication:
-
AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #32
- Pub Date:
- October 2000
- Bibcode:
- 2000DPS....32.1702B