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[22.02] 0.85-1 micron Study of Titan's resolved disk : Adaptive Optics Spectro-imaging with CFHT/OASIS

M. Hirtzig, A. Coustenis (LESIA, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon, 92195 Meudon Cedex, France), O. Lai (LESIA and CFHT, Hawaii,USA), P. Rannou (S. A., Univ. Paris 6 - Univ. de Versailles, France), B. Schmitt (Lab. de Planétologie, Grenoble, France), E. Emsellem, A. Pecontal-Rousset (Observatoire de Lyon, France)

We observed Titan with OASIS/PUEO (Optically Adaptive System for Imaging Spectroscopy) at the CFHT on November 17, 2000. We covered the spectral region from 0.865 to 1.037 micron with R=1000. The images of Titan thus acquired - in 1 hour of integration time - bear a S/N of about 20, for a pixel size of 0.04 arcsec. After reducing and processing the data (with XOasis) we recovered several independent spectra at different locations of Titan's disk.

In this spectral range we can investigate, among other, the 0.83 and 0.94 CH₄ windows, which provide crucial information on the satellite's surface. The adjacent methane bands give access to the atmospheric properties.

We present our data and their analysis, which involves modeling the atmospheric component and estimating the albedo for each resolved spot on Titan, while comparing the surface observations in the windows with laboratory spectra of various ices and tholin material absorbing in the 0.9-1.1 micron range.

If the author provided an email address or URL for general inquiries, it is as follows:
http://www.lesia.obspm.fr/planeto/Titan/

Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #3< br> © 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.