The Jovian Atmospheres

The frequent eclipses of the Galilean satellites provide an extremely simple yet extremely powerful method for monitoring the physical structure of the Jovian atmosphere in time, latitude, and longitude. In this paper, all theoretical and observational problems involved in the use of these eclipses to scan the Jovian atmosphere are discussed in detail. It is shown that a rather complete knowledge of the structure of the Jovian atmosphere immediately above the cloud layer may be obtained from multicolor photometry of the refraction tails of the ingress light curves of the satellites. The relevant observational data may be obtained readily using currently available ground-based astronomical equipment. This technique for inferring the physical structure of a planetary atmosphere may be applied to Saturn also. In that case, the relatively infrequent eclipses of Titan may be utilized.

This comprehensive volume authoritatively describes our understanding of the complex and fascinating jovian system. Written by a team of world experts, it brings together every aspect of the giant planetary system, from the deep interior of Jupiter to the distant tiny satellites and swarms of escaping gas and dust. Chapters present a synthesis of experimental data from the Voyager, Galileo and Cassini missions, from telescopes on the ground and in space, and from theoretical models on the different components that make up the Jupiter system. This book is a valuable introduction for graduate students and an indispensable resource for all researchers in planetary science.

Planets and Their Atmospheres: Origin and Evolution

Our subject is, of course, nothing more than applied physics and chemistry. But in addition to those basic sciences the student of planetary atmospheres needs an overview of atmospheric structure and physical processes as presently understood. This book is intended to help fill that need for both graduate students and research scientists. Although the approach is mainly theoretical, very little basic physics is developed here. Material that is standard fare in third- and fourth-year physics courses is simply absorbed where needed.