MOLECULAR ABSORPTION BANDS IN STUDIES OF JUPITER’S ATMOSPHERE
Keywords:
Jupiter, atmosphere, clouds, Great Red Spot, spectrophotometry, ammonia, molecular absorption, brightness radio temperatureAbstract
Despite more than half a century of spectral studies of Jupiter, the informational possibilities of observing the planet, even in the visible wavelength range, are far from being fully utilized. At present, the focus of attention of many researchers has shifted to the area of thermal infrared and microwave radiation of Jupiter due to the appearance and application of the largest optical and radio telescopes. Absorption by methane and ammonia molecules plays a significant role in the transfer and output of this thermal radiation. However, these gases are minor components in the chemical composition of the Jovian atmosphere. The study of the behavior of the absorption bands of methane and ammonia by estimates of their equivalent widths or high-resolution rotational
lines observed in the visible spectral range can serve as a valuable addition to such studies. Formation of absorption bands observed in the wavelength range 500-940 nm. Occurs in the gas-aerosol environment of the planetary troposphere due to scattering and true absorption of incident sunlight.Therefore, without losing the value of studying space-time variations both in the total absorption of molecular bands and at their rotational-vibrational structure, it is a complex study of the behavior of weak and moderate absorption bands that can be used for the optical sounding of the Jupiter troposphere with its cloudy layers. The report presents the results based on long-term spectral observations of Jupiter. They include a description of several features in the behavior of the molecular absorption bands of methane and ammonia from measurements of their equivalent widths and measurements of the intensities of individual rotational absorption lines of ammonia and quadrupole lines of molecular hydrogen.These results indicate the possibility of detecting previously unknown features in the behavior of weak molecular absorption bands, including those correlating with those observed in the thermal radiation of Jupiter.
