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At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1973

Uranus atmosphere - Structure and composition.

The best available data on the geometric albedo of Uranus are shown to be compatible with a model in which particulate matter is present in the atmosphere. Cloud structures compatible with simple models for the accretion of Uranus and with thermal-balance studies of its atmosphere are discussed. A methane haze layer is suggested by the observations, and a deep, dense ammonia cloud layer far below the methane clouds is considered likely.

Prinn, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1973

The wavelength dependence of the albedos of Uranus and Neptune from 0.3 to 1.1 micron.

Narrow-band photoelectric photometry was made of Uranus and Neptune over a wavelength interval from 0.3 to 1.1 micron. The wavelength dependence of the geometric albedo was determined for these planets. Evidence is given that the comparison star used resembles the sun very closely in its energy distribution. It is shown that, apart from methane, another opacity source seems to be necessary in the atmospheres of these planets to explain the observed wavelength dependence of the geometric albedo for the two planets simultaneously. Radiative transfer calculations were made to determine if the previously suggested pressure-induced dipole absorptions of H2 result in a self-consistent explanation. This seems to be the case. The H2 abundance in this case is limited for both planets between 350 km amagat less than or equal to N(H2) less than 800 km amagat. This agrees with a previous determination of the H2 abundance for Uranus.

Wamsteker, W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Cosmological considerations regarding Uranus

The cosmogony of Uranus is discussed within the context of a picture in which solid condensed materials accumulate to form a large body, which then acquires significant amounts of gas from the primitive solar nebula. Of prime cosmogonical importance is the tilt of the equatorial plane of the planet and of the plane of the satellite orbits by 98 deg with respect to the plane of the planetary orbit. The tilt of the planet can easily occur as a result of a major collision during the formation process; it seems most likely that the tilt of the satellite orbits requires that they were formed from a gaseous disk rotating about the planet after the tilt of the planetary rotational axis had occurred. Possible methods for tilting this gaseous disk are discussed. A strong early magnetic field may have helped in this and may have played an essential role in slowing down the spin of the planet to the present observed value. These processes may have produced significant compositional differences between the satellites of Uranus and those of Jupiter and Saturn.

Cameron, A. G. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

The dynamics of Uranus' satellites

Current knowledge of the dynamics of Uranus' satellites is reviewed in support of preliminary planning for a mission to that planet. The determination of past and present orbital and rotational behavior is discussed. Improved understanding in this area is important not only for its own sake, but also for the implications with regard to the structure of the planet and to the general dynamical history of the solar system. A program of earth-based observations over the next few years would permit most effective use of a Uranus probe.

Greenberg, R.↗
NASA NTRS1975

On the Laplace relation among the satellites of Uranus

Three of Uranus' satellites are involved in an interaction similar to the Laplace relation among the Galilean satellites of Jupiter. However, there are no pair-wise commensurabilities in the Uranus system as there are among the Galilean satellites. Thus analysis by Fourier expansion of disturbing functions becomes too unwieldy for practical calculation. Instead, the unexpanded perturbations are numerically averaged over a time scale short compared to the important variations in the Laplace relation. Perturbations of Miranda's orbit are estimated to be of observable magnitude for reasonable masses of Ariel and Umbriel.

Greenberg, R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Polarization studies of Uranus

The whole-disk polarization of Uranus was measured over two apparitions in blue and red light. The behavior of the blue polarization as a function of phase angle is indicative of non-Rayleigh scattering. The red polarization phase curve, while not necessarily suggesting Rayleigh scattering, is at least consistent with that interpretation. One explanation of these data is that the blue radiation is scattered by the CH4 haze layer suggested by others for Uranus while red radiation, because of methane absorptions above this layer, does not penetrate to or scatter significantly from this haze layer. There is no whole-disk circular polarization, as expected, confirming other observations and theoretical predictions. In addition, polarization measurements of Comet West were carried out after perihelion. The results indicate that large particles are primarily responsible for the scattering of continuum light.

Michalsky, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Limb brightening on Uranus - The visible spectrum

Results are presented for pinhole and slit narrowband photoelectric area-scanning photometry of the Uranus disk at eight central wavelengths ranging from 5600 to 7500 A. The observations were undertaken to detect limb brightening on the planet and to study the nature of its disk profile as a function of geometrical albedo. A coarse analysis of the results shows that the disk must exhibit limb brightening in the two CH4 bands at 6190 and 7300 A relative to all other wavebands investigated. Except for the two CH4 bands, the shapes and widths of the images are found to be essentially identical; point-spread-function data for all wavebands indicate no significant variation in the representative Gaussian l/e width with wavelength. A fine analysis of the data reveals absolute limb brightening in the 7300-A CH4 band and absolute limb darkening in the adjacent wavebands. These results are shown to be consistent with the hypothesis that clouds are absent from the visible atmosphere of Uranus.

Price, M. J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

The structure of the atmosphere of Uranus

Models of the interior of Uranus suggest that the abundances of such substances as CH4 are greatly enhanced with respect to solar abundances of heavy elements. Such enhancement leads to a new type of model atmosphere for Uranus, which agrees with observation if the internal energy flux is small (no more than 10%) compared with the absorbed solar energy. An important feature of the models is the presence of a cloud of CH4 droplets whose top is at a temperature of approximately 90 K and a pressure of about 4 atm. Above the cloud, the atmosphere is stable because of the rapid decrease in the thermal flux with depth. Being saturated, most of the observable gaseous CH4 is near the cloud; the CH4 abundance above the cloud, of the order of 5 km-am, is a very sensitive function of the cloud-top temperature.

Danielson, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Whole-disk polarization measurements of Uranus at visible wavelengths

The whole-disk polarization of Uranus was measured over two apparitons in blue and red light. The blue polarization becomes negative near the 0.5-deg phase, indicating non-Rayleigh scattering. The red polarization phase curve shows positive polarization smaller than suggested by Rayleigh scattering models. An explanation of these data is that the blue and red radiation is scattered by the CH4 haze layer that has been suggested to reside high in the atmosphere of Uranus. As expected, there is no whole-disk circular polarization, an observation which confirms other observations and theoretical predictions.

Michalsky, J. J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

An upper limit for the 34.3-MHz synchrotron flux from Uranus

The 34.3-MHz Cocoa Cross radio telescope at Clark Lake Radio Observatory has been used to search for synchrotron radiation from Uranus between November 27, 1974, and May 13, 1975. Inspection of daily chart records for 69 observations during this time period provides a conservative upper limit to the synchrotron flux of 8 Jy. No Uranian bursts were observed. This result is compared with the kilometric burst observations of Brown (1976) as well as with models for burst and possible synchrotron emission from Uranus.

Shawhan, S. D.↗
NASA NTRS1977

On the 6825 A band of methane as observed in Uranus and Neptune

A high-resolution spectrum of the series of lines near 6825 A presumably due to CH4 has been obtained for Uranus. The line spacings are in agreement with the previous observations of Owen (1966), Bergstralh (1975), and Belton and Hayes (1975) but not with the laboratory observations reported by Lutz and Owen (1976). It is proposed that the transitions identified by Lutz and Owen are not correlated one-to-one with those features observed in the planets. Wavelength differences of up to 0.8 A are found between the laboratory and planetary features, where the resolving power allows one to specify the line positions to better than + or - 0.07 A. The spectrum obtained for Neptune is in essential agreement with that for Uranus.

Gelfand, J.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Uranus rings - An optical search

The discovery of rings surrounding Uranus has prompted reexamination of telescopic observations made a year ago with a solid-state area detector called a charge-coupling device (CCD). The extreme narrowness of the rings apparently caused them to be hidden in glare from the planet, the reflectivity of which is very high in the blue and green regions of the spectrum. However, Uranus appears as a much darker image in the near-infrared spectral regions detected by the CCD. Although no direct evidence of the rings is obtainable from the CCD images, some simplifying assumptions permit the deduction from the CCD data that average reflectivity of individual particles composing the rings is at most a few percent, much closer to that of carbonaceous chondritic material than to that of the ice-coated particles in Saturn's rings.

Smith, B. A.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Uranus - The rings are black

An investigation is conducted concerning the possibility that the rings about Uranus discovered during the occultation of star SAO 158687 might have been observed in earlier studies of the planet. It is concluded that in view of a very low estimate for the contrast of the rings seen against the disk, a detection of the rings by earlier visual observers is unlikely. It appears, however, that the Stratoscope II photographs recorded the projection of the rings on the disk of Uranus.

Sinton, W. M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Quantitative analysis of the Dermott-Gold theory for Uranus's rings

A summary is presented of an investigation which supplements the largely qualitative analysis conducted by Dermott and Gold (1977). Dermott and Gold have attempted to explain the locations of Uranus's rings in terms of resonances between ring particles and pairs of satellites. An equation of motion, analogous to that of a pendulum, is derived, taking into account a study by Wilkens (1933) of possible three-body resonances involving one minor and two major planets. Dermott and Gold had concluded that the observed pattern is probably due primarily to the effect of Ariel-Titania and Ariel-Oberon pairs. However, on the basis of the values derived in the reported investigation it is seen that Miranda plays the key role rather than Ariel, in spite of the small mass of the former. It is concluded that a decisive test of the Dermott-Gold theory has to await further observational details concerning the Uranus's rings.

Aksnes, K.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Uranus' rotational period

A modified spectroscopic technique was applied to determine the rotational period of Uranus and the orientation of the projected spin axis of the planet. The method consists in obtaining a series of spectra for both a nonrotated planet disk and for a disk rotated 180 degrees. Ignoring the effects of seeing in analyzing the spectra for no rotation of the disk leads to a lower limit on the period, and for a disk rotated 180 degrees, ignoring the seeing in the modeling of the spectra leads to an upper limit on the period. When blurring from seeing and guiding errors are added to the modeling for both image orientations and the model spectra are compared to the observations, both the period and the degree of blurring are obtained simultaneously. The results gave a period of rotation of Uranus 23 + 5 or - 2 hr.

Trafton, L.↗
NASA NTRS1978

A redetermination of the Uranus rotation period

The rotation velocity of Uranus has been measured by a comparison of spectroscopic profiles for the 5281.8 A Fraunhofer line reflected from Uranus and the moon. This method yields a rotation velocity which is insensitive to atmospheric seeing conditions. Our value for the equatorial velocity is 3.5 + or - 0.4 km/sec.

Trauger, J. T.↗
NASA NTRS1978

Evidence of an increase in the microwave brightness temperature of Uranus

Measurements are reported which indicate that the microwave brightness temperature of Uranus near 3 cm wavelength has increased by about 35% in the past decade. It is suggested that changes of this magnitude could be caused by seasonal or latitudinal variations of the microwave opacity of the Uranus atmosphere. The data appear to be inconsistent with models of synchrotron emission from a trapped radiation belt.

Klein, M. J.↗