NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2010A-0228
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2010A-0228 |
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PI: Jason C. Cook, visitor at Southwest Research Institute, jccook@boulder.swri.edu
Address: Department of Space Studies, 1050 Walnut St., Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
CoI: Cathy Olkin, Southwest Research Institute
CoI: Leslie A. Young, Southwest Research Institute
Title: Searching for Gaseous CO in Pluto's Atmosphere
Abstract: We propose a spectroscopic program to determine the abundance of CO in the atmosphere of Pluto using Gemini South/Phoenix. Understanding the abundance of CO in Pluto's atmosphere is vital for three reasons: (i) the amount of CO helps us to understand the physics of multi- component volatile transfer, (ii) CO is expected to be the dominant cooling species in Pluto's atmosphere and (iii) the CO mole fraction is an unconstrained parameter in all atmospheric models based on occultation data. Since the first Pluto occultation in 1988, occultations have shown Pluto's atmosphere is undergoing changes consistent with an expanding atmosphere and a greater surface pressure (Elliot et al., 2003, 2007). At this time, it is vital that we establish a baseline measurement of atmospheric CO before the arrival of \emphNew Horizons in 2015 to understand the changes going on in Pluto's atmosphere.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2010A-0228 |
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