On the NH3 absorption depression observable at Northern low latitudes of Jupiter
Abstract
From February to April of 2016, we carried out a special series of spectrophotometric observations of Jupiter to study the current behavior of the ammonia absorption at the low latitudes of the Northern hemisphere, where in 2004 we have found a well-defined depression of the 787 nm NH3 absorption band intensity (V.Tejfel et al., Bull.AAS, 2005, Vol. 37, p.682). In subsequent years, an existence of this depression was annually confirmed by spectral observations, although we were noticing its variable character. During observations of 2016 we obtained more than 2,500 CCD-spectrograms, including the spectra of the central meridian, the GRS, and 12 scans of Jovian disk on different dates (70 zonal spectra in each scan). The 787 nm NH3 absorption band was extracted with using of ratios of the Jovian spectra to the Saturn's disk spectrum that was taken as a reference. The depression of absorption in this band begins almost from the equator, and its maximum occurs at the planetographic latitude of 100N then the absorption increases again approaching to the latitude of 200N. The equivalent bandwidths corresponding to these latitudes are equal to 18.7 ± 1.4 A, 14.4 ± 1.0 A and 17.8 ± 0.8A. The 645 nm NH3 absorption band also shows depletion at the low latitudes of the Northern hemisphere, but it is less pronounced. At the temperate latitudes of the Northern hemisphere this band's absorption is systematically lower than the Southern Hemisphere's ones. We will continue research in this direction, especially because recently a significant depletion of gaseous NH3 has also been found with using of the VLA with high resolution (I. de Pater et al., Science, 2016, Vol. 352, Issue 6290, p.1290-1294) at the low latitudes of the Northern hemisphere in the region of the NEB.
- Publication:
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AAS/Division for Planetary Sciences Meeting Abstracts #48
- Pub Date:
- October 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016DPS....4842114T