Albedo, internal heat flux, and energy balance of Saturn
Abstract
Full-disk and high-resolution measurements recorded during the Voyager 1 flyby of Saturn by the radiometer of the infrared instrument, IRIS, indicate a geometric albedo of 0.242 ± 0.012, which is lower than previous estimates. The given error is largely due to uncertainties in systematic corrections; random effects are small. Combining this measurement with the Pioneer-derived phase integral yields a Bond albedo of 0.342 ± 0.030. Infrared spectra recorded at the same time by the Michelson interferometer, along with a model extrapolation to wavenumbers not covered by the instrument, yield an effective temperature of 95.0 ± 0.4°K. As in the case of the radiometer, random instrumental errors are small, and the quoted error in the effective temperature reflects primarily uncertainties in systematic corrections. The rings of Saturn significantly affect both the short- and long-wavelength fluxes. From these measurements the internal heat flux of Saturn is 2.01 ± 0.14 10 -4W cm -2, and the energy balance, defined as the ratio of total emitted to total absorbed energy, is 1.78 ± 0.09.
- Publication:
-
Icarus
- Pub Date:
- February 1983
- DOI:
- 10.1016/0019-1035(83)90147-1
- Bibcode:
- 1983Icar...53..262H
- Keywords:
-
- Albedo;
- Energy Budgets;
- Heat Flux;
- Planetary Temperature;
- Saturn (Planet);
- Infrared Radiometers;
- Instrument Errors;
- Michelson Interferometers;
- Planetary Radiation;
- Radiative Transfer;
- Radiometric Correction;
- Saturn Rings;
- Spacecraft Instruments;
- Thermal Emission;
- Voyager 1 Spacecraft;
- SATURN;
- ENERGY;
- HEATING;
- TEMPERATURE;
- FLUX;
- ALBEDO;
- VOYAGER 1;
- IRIS;
- INFRARED RADIOMETER SPECTROMETER;
- INFRARED;
- WAVELENGTHS;
- RINGS;
- INTERFEROMETER;
- MODELS;
- HELIUM;
- ABUNDANCE;
- Lunar and Planetary Exploration; Saturn, Earth Science