Improved constraints on Neptune's atmosphere from submillimetre-wavelength observations

André Marten (1, 2) , H. E. Matthews (3) , Tobias C. Owen (4) , Raphaël Moreno (1, 2) , Taufiq Hidayat (5) , Yvon Biraud (1, 2)

1 LESIA - Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique
2 Pôle Planétologie du LESIA
3 JAC - Joint Astronomy Centre
4 Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii
5 Department of Astronomy and Bosscha Observatory

We describe observations of Neptune carried out using the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (Mauna Kea, Hawaii) during September 1998. High-quality data for the sub-mm-wavelength rotational transitions of HCN (J=4-3) and CO (J=3-2 and 4-3) were obtained, and we use the data to make improved determinations of the abundances of these trace species and the temperature profile of Neptune's atmosphere.

Domaines: Astrophysique [astro-ph]

André Marten, H. E. Matthews, Tobias C. Owen, Raphaël Moreno, Taufiq Hidayat, et al.. Improved constraints on Neptune's atmosphere from submillimetre-wavelength observations. Astronomy and Astrophysics - A&A, 2005, 429, pp.1097-1105. ⟨10.1051/0004-6361:20041695⟩. ⟨hal-03785741⟩