EDP Sciences Journals List
Advanced Search
Subscriber Authentication Point
Home All issues Volume 417/1 Article
Free access article

Issue A&A
Volume 417, Number 1, April I 2004
Page(s) L21 - L24
Section Letters
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20040027



A&A 417, L21-L24 (2004)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20040027

Letter

VLT/NACO adaptive optics imaging of Titan

E. Gendron1, A. Coustenis1, P. Drossart1, M. Combes1, M. Hirtzig1, F. Lacombe1, D. Rouan1, C. Collin1, S. Pau1, A-M. Lagrange2, D. Mouillet2, P. Rabou2, T. Fusco3 and G. Zins4

1  Observatoire de Paris, LESIA, UMR 8109 du CNRS, 5 place Jules Janssen, 92195 Meudon Cedex, France
2  Laboratoire d'Astrophysique, Observatoire de Grenoble, BP 53, 38041 Grenoble, France
3  ONERA - DOTA, 92322 Châtillon, France
4  ESO, Karl-Schwarzschild -Str. 2, 85748 Garching bei München, Germany

( Received 18 March 2003 / Accepted 17 January 2004)

Abstract
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.


Key words: instrumentation: adaptive optics -- planets and satellites: individual: Titan -- infrared: solar system

Offprint request: E. Gendron, Eric.Gendron@obspm.fr




© ESO 2004


What is OpenURL?

The OpenURL standard is a protocol for transmission of metadata describing the resource that you wish to access. An OpenURL link contains article metadata and directs it to the OpenURL server of your choice. The OpenURL server can provide access to the resource and also offer complementary services (specific search engine, export of references...). The OpenURL link can be generated by different means.
  • If your librarian has set up your subscription with an OpenURL resolver, OpenURL links appear automatically on the abstract pages.
  • You can define your own OpenURL resolver with your EDPS Account. In this case your choice will be given priority over that of your library.
  • You can use an add-on for your browser (Firefox or I.E.) to display OpenURL links on a page (see http://www.openly.com/openurlref/). You should disable this module if you wish to use the OpenURL server that you or your library have defined.