Mid-Infrared Observations of the Giant Planets

Abstract

The mid-infrared spectral region provides a unique window into the atmospheric temperature, chemistry, and dynamics of the giant planets. From more than a century of mid-infrared remote sensing, progressively clearer pictures of the composition and thermal structure of these atmospheres have emerged, along with a greater insight into the processes that shape them. Our knowledge of Jupiter and Saturn has benefitted from their proximity and relatively warm temperatures, while the details of colder and more distant Uranus and Neptune are limited, as these planets remain challenging targets. As the timeline of observations continues to grow, an understanding of the temporal and seasonal variability of the giant planets is beginning to develop, with promising new observations on the horizon.

49 pages (including a long bibliography), 20 figures

References in corpus (28)

• Molecfit: A general tool for telluric absorption correction. I. Method and application to ESO instruments
• Dust Ablation on the Giant Planets: Consequences for Stratospheric Photochemistry
• Neptune's Atmospheric Composition from AKARI Infrared Spectroscopy
• Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of Uranus from the Spitzer Infrared Spectrometer: 1. Determination of the Mean Temperature Structure of the Upper Troposphere and Stratosphere
• Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy of Uranus from the Spitzer Infrared Spectrometer: 2. Determination of the Mean Composition of the Upper Troposphere and Stratosphere
• Uranus at equinox: Cloud morphology and dynamics
• The Origin of Nitrogen on Jupiter and Saturn from the ${}^{15}$N/${}^{14}$N Ratio
• Moist Convection and the 2010-2011 Revival of Jupiter's South Equatorial Belt
• The source of widespread 3-$\mu$m absorption in Jupiter's clouds: Constraints from 2000 Cassini VIMS observations
• Outstanding Challenges of Exoplanet Atmospheric Retrievals
• Seasonal Evolution of Saturn's Polar Temperatures and Composition
• Evidence for multiple Ferrel-like cells on Jupiter
• Atmospheric chemistry on Uranus and Neptune
• Jupiter's Temperate Belt/Zone Contrasts Revealed at Depth by Juno Microwave Observations
• Jupiter's Equatorial Plumes and Hot Spots: Spectral Mapping from Gemini/TEXES and Juno/MWR
• Assessing the long-term variability of acetylene and ethane in the stratosphere of Jupiter
• Uranus in Northern Mid-Spring: Persistent Atmospheric Temperatures and Circulations Inferred from Thermal Imaging
• Mid-Infrared Ethane Emission on Neptune and Uranus
• Neptune long-lived atmospheric features in 2013-2015 from small (28-cm) to large (10-m) telescopes
• Unexpected Long-Term Variability in Jupiter's Tropospheric Temperatures
• Jupiter's Para-H${}_2$ Distribution from SOFIA/FORCAST and Voyager/IRIS 17-37 $\mu$m Spectroscopy
• Hot exoplanetary atmospheres in 3D
• Jupiter in the ultraviolet: acetylene and ethane abundances in the stratosphere of Jupiter from Cassini observations between 0.15 and 0.19 $\mu$m
• Longitudinal Variations in the Stratosphere of Uranus from the Spitzer Infrared Spectrometer
• Bolometric Night Sky Temperature and Subcooling of Telescope Structures
• Saturn's Seasonal Variability from Four Decades of Ground-Based Mid-Infrared Observations
• Evolution of Saturn's north polar color and cloud structure between 2012 and 2017 inferred from Cassini VIMS and ISS observations
• Refining Saturn's deuterium-hydrogen ratio via IRTF/TEXES spectroscopy

Cited by in corpus (2)

• The Thermal Structure and Composition of Jupiter's Great Red Spot From JWST/MIRI
• The Polar Stratosphere of Jupiter