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We search for meridional variation in the abundance of CH$_3$D relative to CH$_4$ on Titan using near-IR spectra obtained with NIRSPAO at Keck, which have a photon-limited signal-to-noise ratio of $\sim$50. Our observations can rule out a…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2016-06-01 Máté Ádámkovics , Jonathan L. Mitchell

A large drift in the rotation rate of Titan observed by Cassini provided the first evidence of a subsurface ocean isolating the massive core from the icy crust. Seasonal exchange of angular momentum between the surface and atmosphere…

Astrophysics · Physics 2011-02-11 Jonathan L. Mitchell

We present a radiative transfer analysis of latitudinally resolved H (1.487-1.783 micron) and K (2.028-2.364 micron) band spectra of Uranus, from which we infer the distributions of aerosols and methane in the planet's atmosphere. Data were…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2018-06-06 Michael T. Roman , Don Banfield , Peter J. Gierasch

Titan is the only icy satellite in the solar system with a dense atmosphere. This atmosphere is composed primarily of nitrogen with a few percent methane, which supports an active, methane-based hydrological cycle on Titan. The presence of…

Using adaptive optics on the W.M. Keck II telescope we imaged Titan several times during 1999 to 2001 in narrowband near-infrared filters selected to probe Titan's stratosphere and upper troposphere. We observed a bright feature around the…

Cassini's observations of Titan's atmosphere are exemplary benchmarks for exoplanet atmospheric studies owing to (1) their precision and (2) our independent knowledge of Titan. Leveraging these observations, we perform retrievals (i.e.,…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2025-12-18 Prajwal Niraula , Julien de Wit , Robert Hargreaves , Iouli E. Gordon , Clara Sousa-Silva

Ten high resolution Fourier transform spectra of the pentad region near 3.3 {\mu}m of methane diluted in carbon dioxide at total pressures up to 800 hPa have been recorded at 296.5(5) K. Including a high resolution spectrum of pure methane…

Chemical Physics · Physics 2026-01-22 Thibault Bertin , Jean Vander Auwera

We use solar occultations observed by the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer aboard the Cassini Spacecraft to extract the 1 to 5 micron transmission spectrum of Saturn, as if it were a transiting exoplanet. We detect absorption from…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2015-12-09 Paul A. Dalba , Philip S. Muirhead , Jonathan J. Fortney , Matthew M. Hedman , Philip D. Nicholson , Mark J. Veyette

The optical spectra of Titan reveal a rich set of absorption features, most of which are likely associated with methane (CH$_4$). Methane is a key molecule in planetary and exoplanetary atmospheres, yet a comprehensive high-resolution…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2025-10-03 Sirinrat Sithajan , Lalita Kaewbiang , Hugh R. A. Jones , Pakakaew Rittipruk , Sukanya Meethong

We present narrow-band photometric measurements of the exoplanet GJ 1214b using the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias (GTC) and the OSIRIS instrument. Using tuneable filters we observed a total of five transits, three of which were observed…

We report the observation of a cloud system on Titan that remained localized near 40S latitude and 60W longitude for at least 34 hours. Ground-based observations obtained with the SINFONI imaging spectrograph at the Very Large Telescope…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2010-03-16 Máté Ádámkovics , Jason W. Barnes , Markus Hartung , Imke de Pater

UV observations with Cassini ISS Narrow Angle Camera of Titan's detached haze is an excellent tool to probe its aerosols content without being affected by the gas or the multiple scattering. Unfortunately, its low extent in altitude…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2017-04-05 Benoît Seignovert , Pascal Rannou , Panayotis Lavvas , Thibaud Cours , Robert A. West

Nonlinear interferometry has widespread applications in sensing, spectroscopy, and imaging. However, most implementations require highly reflective mirrors and precise optical alignment, drastically reducing their versatility and usability…

The details of the Solar system's formation are still heavily debated. Questions remain about the formation locations of the giant planets, and the degree to which volatile material was mixed throughout the proto-planetary system. One…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2013-02-20 Lucyna Kedziora-Chudczer , Jeremy Bailey , Jonathan Horner

The Cassini/Composite InfraRed Spectrometer (CIRS) instrument has been observing the middle atmosphere of Titan over almost half a Saturnian year. We used the CIRS dataset processed through the up-to-date calibration pipeline to…

Titan is one of the primary scientific objectives of the NASA ESA ASI Cassini Huygens mission. Scattering by haze particles in Titan's atmosphere and numerous methane absorptions dramatically veil Titan's surface in the visible range,…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2009-07-17 S. Rodriguez , S. Le Mouélic , C. Sotin , H. Clénet , R. N. Clark , B. Buratti , R. H. Brown , T. B. Mccord , P. D. Nicholson , K. H. Baines

Upcoming space-based coronagraphic instruments in the next decade will perform reflected light spectroscopy and photometry of cool, directly imaged extrasolar giant planets. We are developing a new atmospheric retrieval methodology to help…

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics · Physics 2016-12-14 Roxana E. Lupu , Mark S. Marley , Nikole Lewis , Michael Line , Wesley A. Traub , Kevin Zahnle

We present a reanalysis of visible/near-infrared (480-930 nm) observations of Neptune, made in 2018 with the MUSE instrument at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Narrow Field Adaptive Optics mode, reported by Irwin et al., Icarus, 311,…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2021-01-20 P. G. J. Irwin , J. Dobinson , A. James , D. Toledo , N. A. Teanby , L. N. Fletcher , G. S. Orton , S. Pérez-Hoyos

As the only icy satellite with a thick atmosphere and liquids on its surface, Titan represents a unique end-member to study the impact cratering process. Unlike craters on other Saturnian satellites, Titan's craters are preferentially…

Earth and Planetary Astrophysics · Physics 2023-06-12 Shigeru Wakita , Brandon C. Johnson , Jason M. Soderblom , Jahnavi Shah , Catherine D. Neish

Here we present a high-sensitivity, rapid, and low-cost method for methane sensing based on a nonlinear interferometer. This method utilizes signal photons generated by stimulated parametric down-conversion (ST-PDC), enabling the use of a…