Far infrared and submillimeter brightness temperatures of the giant planets

Technical Report · Fri Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5961544

Hildebrand, R H; Loewenstein, R F; Harper, D A; Orton, G S; Keene, J; Whitcomb, S E

The brightness temperatures of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune were measured in the range 35 to 1000 micron. The effective temperatures derived from the measurements, supplemented by shorter wavelength Voyager data for Jupiter and Saturn, are 126.8 + or - 4.5 K, 93.4 + or - 3.3 K, 58.3 + or - 2.0 K, and 60.3 + or - 2.0 K, respectively. The implications of the measurements for bolometric output and for atmospheric structure and composition are discussed. The temperature spectrum of Jupiter shows a strong peak at approx. 350 microns followed by a deep valley at approx. 450 to 500 microns. Spectra derived from model atmospheres qualitatively reproduced these features but do not fit the data closely.

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Moffett Field, CA (USA). Ames Research Center
• OSTI ID: 5961544
• Report Number(s): N-86-15223
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERES
BOLOMETERS
BRIGHTNESS
DATA
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
INFORMATION
JUPITER PLANET
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
NEPTUNE PLANET
NUMERICAL DATA
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
PLANETS
SATURN PLANET
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT
URANUS PLANET