1. VLT/NACO adaptive optics imaging of Titan
- Author
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M. Hirtzig, Francois Lacombe, Patrick Rabou, Athena Coustenis, D. Mouillet, Gérard Zins, M. Combes, C. Collin, S. Pau, Pierre Drossart, Anne-Marie Lagrange, Eric Gendron, Daniel Rouan, T. Fusco, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique (LESIA), Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Pôle Astronomie du LESIA, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Ingénieurs, Techniciens et Administratifs, Pôle Planétologie du LESIA, Laboratoire d'études spatiales et d'instrumentation en astrophysique = Laboratory of Space Studies and Instrumentation in Astrophysics (LESIA), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire de Paris, Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Université Paris sciences et lettres (PSL)-Sorbonne Université (SU)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Paris Cité (UPCité), Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (LAOG), Université Joseph Fourier - Grenoble 1 (UJF)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), ONERA, and European Southern Observatory (ESO)
- Subjects
Physics ,Very Large Telescope ,Solar System ,Complex topography ,biology ,Astronomy ,Astronomy and Astrophysics ,Astrophysics ,biology.organism_classification ,symbols.namesake ,Space and Planetary Science ,Planet ,High spatial resolution ,symbols ,Conica ,[PHYS.ASTR]Physics [physics]/Astrophysics [astro-ph] ,Adaptive optics ,Titan (rocket family) - Abstract
International audience; The advent of the NAOS/CONICA adaptive optics system at the ESO Very Large Telescope recently gave us the opportunity to map the surface of Titan and to search for atmospheric variations at high spatial resolution and contrast. We report here the first results from a series of observations of Titan performed with this instrument in a number of near-infrared narrow-band filters, covering various altitude regions and three different longitudes (out of the 16 days of Titan's orbit). We have achieved unequaled contrast on images showing complex topography on Titan's trailing hemisphere and have found robust evidence for the north-south asymmetry inversion. The presence of other interesting atmospheric features at Titan's South Pole is described.
- Published
- 2004
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