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[50.07] Latitudinal variations of temperature, C₂H₂ and C₂H₆ in Saturn's stratosphere along with the detection of propane.

T. Greathouse (University of Texas at Austin), J. Moses (Lunar and PLanetary Institute), B. Bézard (Observatoire de Paris), C. Griffith (Lunar Planetary Labs), J. Lacy, C. Knez (University of Texas at Austin), M. Richter (University of California Davis)

We present latitudinal spectral scans in the mid-infrared along the central meridian of Saturn between 0^o and -90^o, which were recorded with TEXES, mounted on the NASA IRTF, in September 2002. Our spectra contain CH₄, C₂H₂ and C₂H₆ emission lines at 1230, 730, and 820 cm^-1 respectively. Thermal profiles retrieved from the CH₄ spectra, using a line-by-line radiative transfer code, reveal that the stratospheric temperature increases with latitude by ~10 K between the equator and pole in the 1 mbar region. Using our derived temperature profiles, we modeled the C₂H₂ and C₂H₆ spectra, thereby constraining the abundances of these hydrocarbons and their spatial distribution in Saturn's atmosphere. We also present the first ground based detection of C₃H₈ on Saturn.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35 #4
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.