Aeronomy

Technical Report · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:5971309

Atreya, S K

From the known composition (H2, CH4, C2H2 at Uranus, and H2, CH4, C2H6 at Neptune) and the inversion and photolysis region temperatures, reasonable theoretical models for the upper atmospheric distribution of the neutral and ionospheric species are constructed on the basis of the expected physical and chemical processes. The models indicate that C2H2 would condense over an extensive height range of Uranus. The extent of the haze is expected to be smaller and deeper in the polar region. Some ethane is also expected to condense, mostly in the vicinity of the temperature inversion. The behavior of the acetylene condensation with latitude and time appears to be consistent with its apparent abundance variation (detected by IUE), and the brightening of Uranus observed in ground based imaging. Neptune's polar region, on the other hand is expected to be more hazy or cloudy than the equatorial region.

• Research Organization: Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5971309
• Report Number(s): N-85-11930
• Resource Relation: Other Information: In JPL Uranus and Neptune, 55-88p (N--85-11927 02-91)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
NEPTUNE PLANET
PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES
URANUS PLANET
ABUNDANCE
ENERGY TRANSFER
HYDROGEN
LYMAN LINES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
METHANE
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
THERMODYNAMICS
ALKANES
ATMOSPHERES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
ELEMENTS
HYDROCARBONS
NONMETALS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PLANETS
640107* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Planetary Phenomena