Infrared photometry and radiometry of the planets
Armstrong, Kendall Ray
Low, Frank J.
Master of Science
The first observations of the planets Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn have been made in the far infrared at wavelengths between 304 and 300p using the Rice University Flying Infrared Telescope and crystal transmission filters cooled to liquid He temperatures. Wide band brightness temperatures have been found for the three planets which vary significantly from their calculated and observed effective temperaturces. Photometric observations at wavelengths less than 25 obtained at the University of Arizona Catalina Observatory complete the near infrared spectrum of Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Vesta, the Galilean satellites and Titan. Results at 10.2P and 224 indicate tenuous atmospheres on the satellites Jupiter T and Titan. Millimeter radiometry gives a 1.2 mn brightness temperature of 103(±32)K for Uranus. It is shown from high resolution scans that the high 54 brightness temperature of Jupiter originates below the visible cloud tops in the region of tae north equatorial belt. High resolution photometry of the Saturn system shows that the rings radiate a significant fraction of the flux observed at 10.2u and at 22u radiate over half the flux observed from the dish-rings system.