Previous investigations have employed more than 100 close observations of Titan by the Cassini orbiter to elucidate connections between the production and distribution of Titan's vast, organic-rich chemical inventory and its atmospheric dynamics. However, as Titan transitions into northern summer, the lack of incoming data from the Cassini orbiter presents a potential barrier to the continued study of seasonal changes in Titan's atmosphere. In our previous work (Thelen, A. E. et al. [2018]. Icarus 307, 380-390), we demonstrated that the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is well suited for measurements of Titan's atmosphere in the stratosphere and lower mesosphere (∼ 100 − 500 km) through the use of spatially resolved (beam sizes <1 ) flux calibration observations of Titan. Here, we derive vertical abundance profiles of four of Titan's trace atmospheric species from the same 3 independent spatial regions across Titan's disk during the same epoch (2012 to 2015): HCN, HC 3 N, C 3 H 4 , and CH 3 CN. We find that Titan's minor constituents exhibit large latitudinal variations, with enhanced abundances at high latitudes compared to equatorial measurements; this includes CH 3 CN, which eluded previous detection by Cassini in the stratosphere, and thus spatially resolved abundance measurements were unattainable. Even over the short 3-year period, vertical profiles and integrated emission maps of these molecules allow us to observe temporal changes in Titan's atmospheric circulation during northern spring. Our derived abundance profiles are comparable to contemporary measurements from Cassini infrared observations, and we find additional evidence for subsidence of enriched air onto Titan's south pole during this time period. Continued observations of Titan with ALMA beyond the summer solstice will enable further study of how Titan's atmospheric composition and dynamics respond to seasonal changes.
We present K-and L-band photometry obtained with the Keck I telescope for a representative sample of L and T dwarfs. These observations were motivated in part by the dominant role H 2 O and CH 4 play in shaping the flux near 2 and 3 mm and by the potential use of these bands as indicators of spectral class in the infrared. In addition, these observations aid the determination of the bolometric luminosity of L and T dwarfs. Here we report the K, L , and magnitudes of our objects and the trends observed in the (KϪL ) and (KϪ ) colors as L L s s a function of L and T dwarf spectral class. We compare these colors with theoretical models, derive a relationship between effective temperature and L spectral class, and compare our temperature estimates with others.
This white paper examines the benefit of the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope for studies of the Solar System's four giant planets: Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. JWST's superior sensitivity, combined with high spatial and spectral resolution, will enable near-and mid-infrared imaging and spectroscopy of these objects with unprecedented quality. In this paper we discuss some of the myriad scientific investigations possible with JWST regarding the giant planets. This discussion is preceded by the specifics of JWST instrumentation most relevant to giant planet observations. We conclude with identification of desired pre-launch testing and operational aspects of JWST that would greatly benefit future studies of the giant planets.
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