最近冥王星大气层的扩张
J L Elliot1, A Ates, B A Babcock
1Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307, USA. jle@mit.edu
Nature
|July 11, 2003
概括
对冥王星的恒星遮蔽观测显示,它的大气层自1988年以来已经扩大,这与崩的预期相反. 这些发现为冥王星的大气结构及其对太阳距离的反应提供了新的见解.
科学领域:
- 行星科学 行星科学
- 大气科学 大气科学
- 天文学 天文学
背景情况:
- 恒星遮蔽提供了高分辨率的大气概况.
- 1988年之前对冥王星大气层的观测表明了同热结构或灭绝层,随着冥王星远离太阳,人们对它的稳定性提出了疑问.
研究的目的:
- 调查自1988年以来冥王星大气层的变化.
- 为了确定冥王星的大气层是否正在崩或膨胀.
- 用隐蔽数据分析冥王星的大气结构.
主要方法:
- 2002年8月,冥王星对一个恒星遮蔽的观测.
- 通过可见波长和红外波长获取数据.
- 分析隐蔽光曲线以推断大气性质.
主要成果:
- 在冥王星大气层中发现了灭绝的证据.
- 冥王星的大气层在1988年至2002年间已经扩大.
- 观察到的膨胀与大气崩的假设相矛盾.
结论:
- 冥王星的大气是动态的,并且经历了重大变化.
- 扩张表明有弹性或不同的机制驱动大气行为.
- 需要进一步研究才能充分理解冥王星的大气演变.
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