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Titan's Surface Temperatures Measured by Cassini CIRSA large fraction of 19-micron thermal radiation from the surface of Titan reaches space through a spectral window of low atmospheric opacity. The emergent radiance, after removing the effect of the atmosphere, gives the brightness temperature of the surface. This atmospheric window is covered by the far-infrared channel of the Composite Infrared spectrometer1 (CIRS) on Cassini. In mapping Titan surface temperatures, CIRS is able to improve upon results of Voyager IRIS, by taking advantage of improved latitude coverage and a much larger dataset. Observations are from a wide range of emission angles and thereby provide constraints on the atmospheric opacity and radiance that are used to derive the surface temperature. CIRS finds an average equatorial surface brightness temperature of 93.7+/-0.6 K, virtually identical to the HASI temperature at the Huygens landing site. Mapping in latitude shows that the surface temperature decreases toward the poles by about 2 K in the south and 3 K in the north. This surface temperature distribution is consistent with the formation of lakes seen at high latitudes on Titan.
Document ID
20080023421
Acquisition Source
Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Jennings, Donald E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Flasar, F. M. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Kundle, V. G. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Samuelson, R. E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Pearl, J. C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Nixon, C. A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Carlson, R. C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Mamoutkine, A. A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Brasunas, J. C. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Guandique, E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Arhterberg, R. K. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Bjoraker, G. L. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Romani, P. N. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Segura, M. E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Albright, S. A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Elliott, M. H. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Tingley, J. S. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Calcutt, S. (Oxford Univ. Oxford, United Kingdom)
Coustenis, A. (Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Bezard, B. (Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Courtin, R. (Observatoire de Paris-Meudon France)
Date Acquired
August 24, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2008
Subject Category
Space Sciences (General)
Meeting Information
Meeting: Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting
Location: Cairns
Country: Australia
Start Date: July 29, 2008
End Date: August 1, 2008
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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