In situ measurements of the physical characteristics of Titan's environment

被引：532

作者：

Fulchignoni, M

Ferri, F

Angrilli, F

Ball, AJ

Bar-Nun, A

Barucci, MA

Bettanini, C

Bianchini, G

Borucki, W

Colombatti, G

Coradini, M

Coustenis, A

Debei, S

Falkner, P

Fanti, G

Flamini, E

Gaborit, V

Grard, R

Hamelin, M

Harri, AM

Hathi, B

Jernej, I

Leese, MR

Lehto, A

Stoppato, PFL

López-Moreno, JJ

Mäkinen, T

McDonnell, JAM

McKay, CP

Molina-Cuberos, G

Neubauer, FM

Pirronello, V

Rodrigo, R

Saggin, B

Schwingenschuh, K

Seiff, A

Simoes, F

Svedhem, H

Tokano, T

Towner, MC

Trautner, R

Withers, P

Zarnecki, JC

机构：

[1] Univ Padua, CISAS G Colombo, I-35131 Padua, Italy

[2] Observ Paris, LESIA, F-92195 Meudon, France

[3] Univ Denis Diderot Paris 7, UFR Phys, F-75006 Paris, France

[4] Open Univ, PSSRI, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, Bucks, England

[5] Tel Aviv Univ, Dept Geophys & Planetary Sci, IL-69978 Tel Aviv, Israel

[6] NASA, Ames Res Ctr, Moffett Field, CA 94035 USA

[7] ESA Headquarters, Sci Directorate, F-75015 Paris, France

[8] European Space Agcy, Estec, ESA, NL-2200 AG Noordwijk, Netherlands

[9] Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, I-00198 Rome, Italy

[10] CETP IPSL, F-94107 St Maur, France

[11] CNRS, LPCE, F-45071 Orleans, France

[12] Finnish Meteorol Inst, Helsinki 00100, Finland

[13] Austrian Acad Sci IWF, Space Res Inst, A-8042 Graz, Austria

[14] CSIC, Inst Astrofis Andalucia, E-18080 Granada, Spain

[15] Univ Murcia, Dept Phys, Appl Electromagnet Grp, E-30100 Murcia, Spain

[16] Univ Cologne, Inst Geophys & Meteorol, D-50923 Cologne, Germany

[17] Univ Catania, DMFCI, I-95125 Catania, Italy

[18] Politecn Milan, Dipartimento Meccan, I-20133 Milan, Italy

[19] Boston Univ, Ctr Space Phys, Boston, MA 02215 USA

来源：

NATURE | 2005年 / 438卷 / 7069期

关键词：

D O I：

10.1038/nature04314

中图分类号：

O [数理科学和化学]; P [天文学、地球科学]; Q [生物科学]; N [自然科学总论];

学科分类号：

07 ; 0710 ; 09 ;

摘要：

On the basis of previous ground-based and fly-by information, we knew that Titan's atmosphere was mainly nitrogen, with some methane, but its temperature and pressure profiles were poorly constrained because of uncertainties in the detailed composition. The extent of atmospheric electricity ('lightning') was also hitherto unknown. Here we report the temperature and density profiles, as determined by the Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI), from an altitude of 1,400 km down to the surface. In the upper part of the atmosphere, the temperature and density were both higher than expected. There is a lower ionospheric layer between 140 km and 40 km, with electrical conductivity peaking near 60 km. We may also have seen the signature of lightning. At the surface, the temperature was 93.65 +/- 0.25 K, and the pressure was 1,467 +/- 1 hPa.

引用

页码：785 / 791

页数：7

共 45 条

[1] PREDICTIONS OF THE ELECTRICAL-CONDUCTIVITY AND CHARGING OF THE AEROSOLS IN TITANS ATMOSPHERE [J].