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A Titan atmosphere with a surface temperature of 200KThe brightness temperature of Titan at 3 mm wavelength is around 200 K according to Ulich, Conklin, and Dickel (1978). Although an earlier measurement by Briggs is much colder, 200 K as the surface temperature was used to build an atmospheric model with a surface pressure of 21 bars. CH4 clouds form between 100 and 120 km altitude. The visual limb is near 200 km. The methane mixing ratio is 0.25 percent above the clouds and 7 percent below; the dominant gas is assumed to be N2. The thermal opacity is due to pressure-induced absorption in N2 and a trace (0.5 percent) of H2, with some help from cloud particles; unit opacity is reached at 600 mbar, 110 km from the surface. The radius of the solid body in this model is 2700 km, in reasonable agreement with 2600 km obtained if the density is the same as that of Ganymede and Callisto.
Document ID
19790008595
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Hunten, D. M.
(Arizona Univ. Tucson, AZ, United States)
Date Acquired
August 10, 2013
Publication Date
December 1, 1978
Publication Information
Publication: JPL The Saturn System
Subject Category
Lunar And Planetary Exploration
Accession Number
79N16766
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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