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M. Roos-Serote (Lisbon Astron. Obs., Portugal), P. Rannou (Service d'Aeronomie, Paris), K. Rages (NASA/Ames), M. Cabane (Service d'Aeronomie, Paris), C. McKay (NASA/Ames)
Titan showed an unexpected north-south asymetry when the Voyager spacecraft flew by in the 1980. Images taken in with the Imaging Sub Systems on these spacecraft showed the presence of a main and a detached haze layer. Rannou et al. 1997 (JGR 102, 10.997) analyzed two high phase angle images applying a microphysical model for fractal particles and a scattering radiative transfer model, working with a code of optical properties for fractal aggregates. From fitting the I/F-altitude profiles they obtained information about the production altitude and the mean aggregate structure. They also attributed the latitudinal variation of scattering by haze to a variation of the production rate. However, more work is to be done on the subject because images taken at different phase angles and wavelengths exists. They contains much more information than the two clear filters already used. A full study of all these data should allow to get simultaneously latitudinal profiles of aerosols number, size and structure at Voyager
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: roos@oal.ul.pt