Pioneer Saturn infrared radiometer - Preliminary results

Preliminary results of the infrared radiometer experiment on Pioneer Saturn are reported. The instrument made use of two broadband channels centered at 20 and 45 microns which scan at a fixed 75-deg angle with respect to the spacecraft spin axis to acquire 10,000 image pairs of Saturn and its rings in the 2.5 h before closest approach, as well as several observations of Titan. The intensities of radiation observed in both bands indicate an effective temperature of 94.4 + or - 3 K for the planet, implying a total emission greater than twice the absorbed sunlight. Infrared data also indicates a molecular abundance of 0.85 for H2 relative to H2 + He, which can be improved by comparing the derived temperature profiles and radio occultation data. Planetary temperatures are found to range from a minimum of 83 to 140 K at the 1 bar level, with differences of 2.5 K between belts and zones up to the 0.06-bar level, while ring temperatures range from 60 to 70 K on the illuminated side and from less than 60 to 67 K in the planet's shadow and average 55 K on the unilluminated side. Preliminary estimates indicate a 45-micron brightness temperature of 80 + or - 10 K for Titan.