6533b821fe1ef96bd127b798
RESEARCH PRODUCT
The 2-μm spectroscopy of Huygens probe landing site on Titan with Very Large Telescope/Nasmyth Adaptive Optics System Near-Infrared Imager and Spectrograph
A. CoustenisM. CombesA. NegrãoM. HirtzigVincent BoudonPierre DrossartPascal RannouEric Gendronsubject
Atmospheric Science010504 meteorology & atmospheric sciencesSoil ScienceAquatic ScienceOceanography01 natural sciencesSpectral lineadaptive opticssymbols.namesakeOpticsGeochemistry and Petrology0103 physical sciencesEarth and Planetary Sciences (miscellaneous)Radiative transfersurfaceSpectroscopyAdaptive optics010303 astronomy & astrophysicsSpectrograph0105 earth and related environmental sciencesEarth-Surface ProcessesWater Science and TechnologyPhysicsVery Large TelescopeEcology[SDU.ASTR]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]business.industryNear-infrared spectroscopyPaleontologyForestryhaze[SDU.ASTR.IM]Sciences of the Universe [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph]/Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysic [astro-ph.IM]Geophysics13. Climate actionSpace and Planetary Scienceradiative transferHuygenssymbolsbusinessTitan (rocket family)Titandescription
[1] Several ground-based telescopes followed the event of the Huygens probe descent through Titan's atmosphere (14 January 2005). We used the Nasmyth Adaptive Optics System Near-Infrared Imager and Spectrograph (NACO) adaptive optics system at the UT-4 of the Very Large Telescope in Chile to perform both spectroscopic and imaging measurements of Titan. We present here a selected sample of the spectra we acquired on 16 January 2005 in the K band between 2.03 and 2.40 μm. Our spectra include the Huygens landing site and surrounding dark and bright areas. We apply a radiative transfer code using new methane absorption coefficients calculated in the 2-μm region. The analysis of the data yields information on the atmosphere and surface properties of these areas. The latter seem to indicate a strong decrease of Titan's surface albedo between 2.03 and 2.12 μm in all areas. This is compatible with the presence of ices such as CH4 and H2O at the surface. Sensitivity tests on the influence of the haze profile and the methane absorption on these results were performed.
| year | journal | country | edition | language |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-02-16 |