Saturn: UBV photoelectric pinhole scans of the disk

UBV pinhole scans of the Saturn disk have been made with a photoelectric area-scanning photometer. Limb profiles, spaced parallel to the equator, were obtained over the entire southern hemisphere of the planet. Saturn was found to exhibit strong limb brightening in the ultraviolet, moderate limb brightening at blue wavelengths, and strong limb darkening in the visual region of the spectrum. Latitudinal variations in the disk profiles were found. In general, the degree of limb brightening decreases towards the polar region. Pronounced asymmetry is apparent in the disk profiles in each color. The sunward limb is significantly brighter than the opposite limb. This asymmetry depends on phase angle; approaching zero at opposition, it reaches a maximum near quadrature. Our observations are interpreted using an elementary radiative transfer model. The Saturn atmosphere is approximated by a finite homogeneous layer of isotropically scattering particles overlying a Lambert scattering haze or cloud layer. The reflectivity of the haze or clouds is a strongly dependent function of wavelength. Our best-fitting model consists of a clear H₂ layer of column density ～31 km-am above the haze or clouds; the maximum permitted H₂ column density is ～46 km-am. The H₂ column density above the equatorial region appears to be less than at temperate latitudes. The phase-dependent asymmetry in the disk profiles is a natural consequence of the scattering geometry. Our results are consistent with current knowledge of the Saturn atmosphere.     

Uranus: Narrow-waveband disk profiles in the spectral region 6000 to 8500 Angstroms

New narrow-band (100 Å) photoelectric slit scan photometry of Uranus has been obtained in the spectral region 6000 to 8500 Å. Coarse radial intensity profiles in seven wavebands are presented. Measurements of the point spread function have been used to partially remove the effects of atmospheric seeing. Restoration of the Uranus image, with a spatial resolution limit ～0″.5 arc, has been achieved by means of analytical Fourier-Bessel inversion. Results of the investigation confirm earlier studies of limb brightening on the Uranus disk. But not all strong CH₄ absorption bands are found to exhibit limb brightening. Specifically, the CH₄ bands at 8000 and 8500 Å show pronounced apparent limb darkening. Polar brightening may be responsible for the phenomenon. If so, an aerosol haze with a local optical thickness ～0.5 or greater would be required. Visibility of the dense cloud layer located deep in the atmosphere might also cause apparent limb darkening. If so, the maximum permitted [CH₄/H₂] mixing ratio in the visible atmosphere would correspond to ～3 times the solar value.     

SiteTesting with IRA-935 Hygrometer and Statistical Analyses

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Mid-eclipse brightening of the Galilean satellites

Brinkmann (1973) has suggested that the Galilean satellites might briefly manifest a brightening at mid-eclipse due to a concentration of light refracted into the geometric umbra of Jupiter by the atmosphere around the terminator. Results obtained using two different models of the Jovian atmosphere indicate that such a brightening is unlikely even for Callisto due to the probable aerosol concentration in the Jovian atmosphere at the relevant altitudes.     

A Martian yellow cloud—July 1971

A short-term yellow cloud was observed in the southern hemisphere of Mars from July 10 to 22, 1971. The initial cloud was first photographed on the morning limb at 7:45am local Martian sun time in the Serpentis-Hellespontus region (315°W; 27°S), 74 Earth days (72 Martian days) prior to the onset of the September major yellow storm. Historical observations from the Lowell Observatory archives indicate that prestorm yellow clouds of limited extent are not uncommon.Positional measurement and photographic differential photometry of the July yellow cloud were possible throughout its entire evolution because Mars was favorably situated and photographic coverage by the International Planetary Patrol was adequate. Maps showing the cloud's initial location, hourly and diurnal behavior, apparent motion, and areal coverage by haze are presented. The similarities between the July cloud and other southern hemisphere yellow clouds are summarized. Its relationships to classical albedo features and Mariner 9 topographic data are discussed. Photographic photometry indicates that the enhanced contrast between the yellow cloud and its surroundings is probably due more to the brightening of the cloud-covered areas than to any darkening of contiguous areas.     

Restored methane band images of Uranus and Neptune

Charge-coupled device images of Uranus and Neptune taken in the 8900-Å absorption band of methane are presented. The images have been digitally processed by means of nonlinear deconvolution techniques to partially remove the effects of atmospheric seeing. The restored Uranus images show strong limb brightening consistent with previous observations and theoretical models of the planet's atmosphere. The computer-processed images of Neptune show discreted cloud features similar to those reported previously by B. A. Smith, H. J. Reitsema and S. M. Larson (1979 Bull. Amer. Astron. Soc.11, 570). A time series of the restored Neptune images shows a continuous variation which may be due to the planet's rotation.     

A photometric perturbation of the counterglow

A weakening of the radiance of the counterglow in the anti-solar direction relative to the regions 5°–15° away is interpreted as evidence for a cloud of scattering material in the general region of the Earth-Moon system. Further evidence is indicated, by the relative brightening at ?180° in the vicinity of the L4 libration point, that the cloud is significantly denser there than in adjacent locations.     

Possible correlation of Io's posteclipse brightening with major solar flares

In 6 of the 7 instances where posteclipse brightening of Io has been reported by observers using blue filters, a major solar flare occurred within 10° of the sub-Jovian longitude in the 100-day interval prior to observation. In none of the 18 instances where no posteclipse brightening was observed did such a flare occur. It is proposed that a phenomenon associated with a major solar flare causes an increase in the trapped particle flux at Io's orbit by an order of magnitude. The posteclipse brightening may be caused by thermoluminescence of Io's surface material upon emergence. Alternatively, it is possible that the increase in trapped particle flux would warm the surface, creating a temporary atmosphere which would precipitate during eclipse cooling and vaporize in the period of warming after reemergence.     

Near-infrared light curve of Comet 9P/Tempel 1 during Deep Impact

On UT 2005 July 4 we observed Comet 9P/Tempel 1 during its encounter with the Deep Impact flyby spacecraft and impactor. Using the SpeX near-infrared spectrograph mounted on NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, we obtained 0.8-to-2.5 μm flux-calibrated spectral light curves of the comet for 12 min before and 14 min after impact. Our cadence was just 1.1 s. The light curve shows constant flux before the impact and an overall brightening trend after the impact, but not at a constant rate. Within a 0.8-arcsec-radius circular aperture, the comet rapidly-brightened by 0.63 mag at 1.2 μm in the first minute. Thereafter, brightening was more modest, averaging about 0.091 mag/min at 1.2 μm, although apparently not quite constant. In addition we see a bluing in the spectrum over the post-impact period of about 0.07 mag in J-H and 0.35 mag in J-K. The majority of this bluing happened in the first minute, and the dust only marginally blued after that, in stark contrast to the continued brightening. The photometric behavior in the light curve is due to a combination of crater formation effects, expansion of the ejecta cloud, and evolution of liberated dust grains. The bluing is likely due to an icy component on those grains, and the icy grains would have had to have a devolatilization timescale longer than 14 min (unless they were shielded by the optical depth of the cloud). The bluing could also have been caused by the decrease in the “typical” size of the dust grains after impact. Ejecta dominated by submicron grains, as inferred from other observations, would have stronger scattering at shorter wavelengths than the much larger grains observed before impact.     

云南天文台凤凰山大气含水量全年测量数据的统计分析

给出了云南天文台上空垂直大气含水量Ｗ０的全年测量数据的统计结果和精度分析。包括Ｗ０的逐日变化,Ｗ０分别在雨季和旱季的分布     

Studies of the solar chromosphere from millimetre and sub-millimetre observations

Spectroheliograms were obtained in bands centred at 1.2 mm, 0.8 mm and 0.4 mm wavelength during 1969 and 1971. In order to obtain photometrically valid data, a specialized set of reduction techniques was employed, obviating the effects of severe differential attenuation across the disc by atmospheric water vapour and of emission noise from the atmosphere, before taking out the instrumental spread functions of the telescope and detector.Comparison of our maps with those of other observers at 3 mm and 8.6 mm wavelength suggests that the chromospheric brightness temperature increments above active regions show a monotonic increase with increasing height above the photosphere over the normal increase in brightness temperature in the quiet chromosphere. Within the limit of angular resolution of 3 available, no evidence was recorded of normal limb brightening in our three passbands but the presence of isophotes at 50% of the central disc temperature consistently circumscribing the optical limb implies a narrow spike of sub-millimetre brightening close to the limb.     

Global mean cloud coverage on Venus in the near-infrared

We present a map of the global mean lower cloud coverage of Venus. This map is the average of 35 nights of 2.26 μm night side observations taken at NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, over the years spanning 2001-2007. The atmosphere of Venus is a very dynamic system, and the lower clouds are constantly changing [Crisp, D., Allen, D.A., Grinspoon, D.H., Pollack, J.B., 1991a. The dark side of Venus: near-infrared images and spectra from the Anglo-Australian Observatory. Science, 253, 1263-1266]. By studying average cloud coverage, the daily variations are suppressed in order to see the underlying persistent cloud pattern. We find a relatively thick but highly variable equatorial band of clouds (±20° in latitude) and more quiescent mid-latitude clouds that are less opaque on average, with persistent cloudiness near the poles. We show that there is enough variation between our daily observations or between observations taken in different months that they cannot be considered individually representative of the global mean. We also compare the cloud coverage map to the topography of Venus and find no definitive correlations with high altitude features.     

The Visual Light Curve Of C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) From Discovery To Late 1997

We present a light curve of C/1995 O1 (Hale-Bopp) compiledfrom more than 3000 visual observations of the comet made by members of the The Astronomer Group world-wide. These observations cover the period from discovery through to the end of 1997. The light curve shows that the rate of brightening of the comet varied widely at different times, with rapid rates of brightening at high heliocentric distance pre-perhelion and a comparably rapid post-perihelion fade. There is no evidence that the comet was suffering a large photometric outburst when first discovered, although a small outburst can be identified at perihelion. At least five difficult brightening regimes can be identified in the light curve between discovery and perihelion. From 2.5 AU to perihelion the rate of brightening with decreasing heliocentric distance was typical for “fairly” new comets(n ∼ 3.5, where “n” is the power law exponent of the heliocentric distance), although this was preceded by a period of very slow brightening with n ∼ 1 from r ∼ 4.0 AU to r ∼ 2.8 AU and followed by an initially more rapid brightening which appears to be related to the on-set of rapid water sublimation activity. We derive the light curve parameters at different stages of the comet's apparition. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A large cloud outburst at Titan's south pole

Images of Titan acquired over five nights in October 2004 using the adaptive optics system at the Keck Observatory show dramatic increases in tropospheric cloud activity at the south pole compared with all other images of Titan clouds to date. During this time, Titan's south polar clouds brightened to more than 18 times their typical values. The Cassini Ta flyby of Titan occurred as this storm was rapidly dissipating. We find that the brightness of this cloud outburst is consistent with the dramatic transient brightening of Titan observed in atmospheric windows on two nights in 1995 by Griffith et al. [Griffith, C.A., Owen, T., Miller, G.A., Geballe, T., 1998. Nature 395 (6702) 575-578] if we scale the brightness of the cloud by projecting it onto the equator. While apparently infrequent, the fact that large cloud events have been observed in different seasons of Titan's year indicates that these large storms might be a year-round phenomenon on Titan. We propose possible mechanisms to explain these occasional short-term increases in Titan's cloud activity.     

黑子半影内偶极运动磁特征的Hinode观测研究

利用Hinode卫星观测的单色像和磁图,对出现在黑子半影内的35对偶极运动磁特征进行形态特征、运动速度以及低层太阳大气响应3方面的研究,得出以下结论:(1)偶极运动磁特征正负两极成对出现在黑子半影较垂直的磁场之间并向着半影外边界运动,间接验证了偶极运动磁特征起源于黑子半影水平磁场,在2-8小时的时间间隔内,同一位置上会反复出现形态特征和运动速度相似的偶极运动磁特征,为海蛇状磁力线模型提供了证据支持. (2)光球和色球在偶极运动磁特征向外运动过程中会出现增亮,说明偶极运动磁特征会加热中低层太阳大气.(3)偶极运动磁特征的出现位置和半影磁场结构分布符合非梳子状黑子半影结构特征.     

Lidar atmospheric measurements on Mars and Earth

The LIDAR instrument operating from the surface of Mars on the Phoenix Mission measured vertical profiles of atmospheric dust and water ice clouds at temperatures around −65 °C. An equivalent lidar system was utilized for measurements in the atmosphere of Earth where dust and cloud conditions are similar to Mars. Coordinated aircraft in situ sampling provided a verification of lidar measurement and analysis methods and also insight for interpretation of lidar derived optical parameters in terms of the dust and cloud microphysical properties. It was found that the vertical distribution of airborne dust above the Australian desert is quite similar to what is observed in the planetary boundary layer above Mars. Comparison with the in situ sampling is used to demonstrate how the lidar derived optical extinction coefficient is related to the dust particle size distribution. The lidar measurement placed a constraint on the model size distribution that has been used for Mars. Airborne lidar measurements were also conducted to study cirrus clouds that form in the Earth’s atmosphere at a similar temperature and humidity as the clouds observed with the lidar on Mars. Comparison with the in situ sampling provides a method to derive the cloud ice water content (IWC) from the Mars lidar measurements.     

A 1D microphysical cloud model for Earth,and Earth-like exoplanets: Liquid water and water ice clouds in the convective troposphere

One significant difference between the atmospheres of stars and exoplanets is the presence of condensed particles (clouds or hazes) in the atmosphere of the latter. In current 1D models clouds and hazes are treated in an approximate way by raising the surface albedo, or adopting measured Earth cloud properties. The former method introduces errors to the modeled spectra of the exoplanet, as clouds shield the lower atmosphere and thus modify the spectral features. The latter method works only for an exact Earth-analog, but it is challenging to extend to other planets.The main goal of this paper is to develop a self-consistent microphysical cloud model for 1D atmospheric codes, which can reproduce some observed properties of Earth, such as the average albedo, surface temperature, and global energy budget. The cloud model is designed to be computationally efficient, simple to implement, and applicable for a wide range of atmospheric parameters for planets in the habitable zone.We use a 1D, cloud-free, radiative–convective, and photochemical equilibrium code originally developed by Kasting, Pavlov, Segura, and collaborators as basis for our cloudy atmosphere model. The cloud model is based on models used by the meteorology community for Earth’s clouds. The free parameters of the model are the relative humidity and number density of condensation nuclei, and the precipitation efficiency. In a 1D model, the cloud coverage cannot be self-consistently determined, thus we treat it as a free parameter.We apply this model to Earth (aerosol number density 100 cm^?3, relative humidity 77%, liquid cloud fraction 40%, and ice cloud fraction 25%) and find that a precipitation efficiency of 0.8 is needed to reproduce the albedo, average surface temperature and global energy budget of Earth. We perform simulations to determine how the albedo and the climate of a planet is influenced by the free parameters of the cloud model. We find that the planetary climate is most sensitive to changes in the liquid water cloud fraction and precipitation efficiency.The advantage of our cloud model is that the cloud height and the droplet sizes are self-consistently calculated, both of which influence the climate and albedo of exoplanets.     

The origin of Ganymede's polar caps

Since their discovery in Voyager images, the origin of the bright polar caps of Ganymede has intrigued investigators. Some models attributed the polar cap formation to thermal migration of water vapor to higher latitudes, while other models implicated plasma bombardment in brightening ice. Only with the arrival of Galileo at Jupiter was it apparent that Ganymede possesses a strong internal magnetic field, which blocks most of the plasma from bombarding the satellite's equatorial region while funneling plasma onto the polar regions. This discovery provides a plausible explanation for the polar caps as related to differences in plasma-induced brightening in the polar and the equatorial regions. In this context, we analyze global color and high resolution images of Ganymede obtained by Galileo, finding a very close correspondence between the observed polar cap boundary and the open/closed field lines boundary obtained from new modeling of the magnetic field environment. This establishes a clear link between plasma bombardment and polar cap brightening. High resolution images show that bright polar terrain is segregated into bright and dark patches, suggesting sputter-induced redistribution and subsequent cold trapping of water molecules. Minor differences between the location of the open/closed field lines boundary and the observed polar cap boundary may be due to interaction of Ganymede with Jupiter's magnetosphere, and our neglect of higher-order terms in modeling Ganymede's internal field. We postulate that leading-trailing brightness differences in Ganymede's low-latitude surface are due to enhanced plasma flux onto the leading hemisphere, rather than darkening of the trailing hemisphere. In contrast to Ganymede, the entire surface of Europa is bombarded by jovian plasma, suggesting that sputter-induced redistribution of water molecules is a viable means of brightening that satellite's surface.     

Spectroscopic investigation of the chromosphere

The cloud model employed in the analysis of chromospheric contrast profiles is subject to two criticisms. The source function in the cloud may not be varied independently of the Doppler width in the case of Hα and the radiative coupling between the cloud and the underlying atmosphere cannot be ignored. These criticisms are investigated quantitatively with two simple extreme models. It is found that by taking account of both effects the cloud model may be reinstated. Observed chromospheric features may be understood in terms of clouds of varying parameters embedded in the uppermost regions of a generally undisturbed homogeneous atmosphere. The variable cloud parameters are the optical thickness, the Doppler width, the bulk velocity and the angular size viewed from the line forming regions of the underlying atmosphere. Without multidimensional models the distribution of these parameters in chromospheric features observed at supergranulation boundaries for instance cannot be determined. General considerations however allow the interpretation of plagettes as simply low-lying mottles and allow the chromospheric velocity distribution derived by the original cloud model analysis to be upheld.