Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby

© 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. We present results from a multi-chord Pluto stellar occultation observed on 2015 June 29 from New Zealand and Australia. This occurred only two weeks before the NASA New Horizons flyby of the Pluto system and serves as a useful comparis...

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Main Authors:	Sicardy, B., Talbot, J., Meza, E., Camargo, J., Desmars, J., Gault, D., Herald, D., Kerr, S., Pavlov, H., Braga-Ribas, F., Assafin, M., Benedetti-Rossi, G., Dias-Oliveira, A., Gomes-Junior, A., Vieira-Martins, R., Bérard, D., Kervella, P., Lecacheux, J., Lellouch, E., Beisker, W., Dunham, D., Jelinek, M., Duffard, R., Ortiz, J., Castro-Tirado, A., Cunniffe, R., Querel, R., Yock, P., Cole, A., Giles, A., Hill, K., Beaulieu, J., Harnisch, M., Jansen, R., Pennell, A., Todd, S., Allen, W., Graham, P., Loader, B., McKay, G., Milner, J., Parker, S., Barry, M., Bradshaw, J., Broughton, J., Davis, L., Devillepoix, Hadrien, Drummond, J., Field, L., Forbes, M., Giles, D., Glassey, R., Groom, R., Hooper, D., Horvat, R., Hudson, G., Idaczyk, R., Jenke, D., Lade, B., Newman, J., Nosworthy, P., Purcell, P., Skilton, P., Streamer, M., Unwin, M., Watanabe, H., White, G., Watson, D.
Format:	Journal Article
Published:	Institute of Physics Publishing 2016
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71349

_version_	1848762456438996992
author	Sicardy, B. Talbot, J. Meza, E. Camargo, J. Desmars, J. Gault, D. Herald, D. Kerr, S. Pavlov, H. Braga-Ribas, F. Assafin, M. Benedetti-Rossi, G. Dias-Oliveira, A. Gomes-Junior, A. Vieira-Martins, R. Bérard, D. Kervella, P. Lecacheux, J. Lellouch, E. Beisker, W. Dunham, D. Jelinek, M. Duffard, R. Ortiz, J. Castro-Tirado, A. Cunniffe, R. Querel, R. Yock, P. Cole, A. Giles, A. Hill, K. Beaulieu, J. Harnisch, M. Jansen, R. Pennell, A. Todd, S. Allen, W. Graham, P. Loader, B. McKay, G. Milner, J. Parker, S. Barry, M. Bradshaw, J. Broughton, J. Davis, L. Devillepoix, Hadrien Drummond, J. Field, L. Forbes, M. Giles, D. Glassey, R. Groom, R. Hooper, D. Horvat, R. Hudson, G. Idaczyk, R. Jenke, D. Lade, B. Newman, J. Nosworthy, P. Purcell, P. Skilton, P. Streamer, M. Unwin, M. Watanabe, H. White, G. Watson, D.
author_facet	Sicardy, B. Talbot, J. Meza, E. Camargo, J. Desmars, J. Gault, D. Herald, D. Kerr, S. Pavlov, H. Braga-Ribas, F. Assafin, M. Benedetti-Rossi, G. Dias-Oliveira, A. Gomes-Junior, A. Vieira-Martins, R. Bérard, D. Kervella, P. Lecacheux, J. Lellouch, E. Beisker, W. Dunham, D. Jelinek, M. Duffard, R. Ortiz, J. Castro-Tirado, A. Cunniffe, R. Querel, R. Yock, P. Cole, A. Giles, A. Hill, K. Beaulieu, J. Harnisch, M. Jansen, R. Pennell, A. Todd, S. Allen, W. Graham, P. Loader, B. McKay, G. Milner, J. Parker, S. Barry, M. Bradshaw, J. Broughton, J. Davis, L. Devillepoix, Hadrien Drummond, J. Field, L. Forbes, M. Giles, D. Glassey, R. Groom, R. Hooper, D. Horvat, R. Hudson, G. Idaczyk, R. Jenke, D. Lade, B. Newman, J. Nosworthy, P. Purcell, P. Skilton, P. Streamer, M. Unwin, M. Watanabe, H. White, G. Watson, D.
author_sort	Sicardy, B.
building	Curtin Institutional Repository
collection	Online Access
description	© 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. We present results from a multi-chord Pluto stellar occultation observed on 2015 June 29 from New Zealand and Australia. This occurred only two weeks before the NASA New Horizons flyby of the Pluto system and serves as a useful comparison between ground-based and space results. We find that Pluto's atmosphere is still expanding, with a significant pressure increase of 5 ± 2% since 2013 and a factor of almost three since 1988. This trend rules out, as of today, an atmospheric collapse associated with Pluto's recession from the Sun. A central flash, a rare occurrence, was observed from several sites in New Zealand. The flash shape and amplitude are compatible with a spherical and transparent atmospheric layer of roughly 3 km in thickness whose base lies at about 4 km above Pluto's surface, and where an average thermal gradient of about 5 K km-1 prevails. We discuss the possibility that small departures between the observed and modeled flash are caused by local topographic features (mountains) along Pluto's limb that block the stellar light. Finally, using two possible temperature profiles, and extrapolating our pressure profile from our deepest accessible level down to the surface, we obtain a possible range of 11.9-13.7 µbar for the surface pressure.
first_indexed	2025-11-14T10:47:51Z
format	Journal Article
id	curtin-20.500.11937-71349
institution	Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category	Local University
last_indexed	2025-11-14T10:47:51Z
publishDate	2016
publisher	Institute of Physics Publishing
recordtype	eprints
repository_type	Digital Repository
spelling	curtin-20.500.11937-713492018-12-13T09:32:07Z Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby Sicardy, B. Talbot, J. Meza, E. Camargo, J. Desmars, J. Gault, D. Herald, D. Kerr, S. Pavlov, H. Braga-Ribas, F. Assafin, M. Benedetti-Rossi, G. Dias-Oliveira, A. Gomes-Junior, A. Vieira-Martins, R. Bérard, D. Kervella, P. Lecacheux, J. Lellouch, E. Beisker, W. Dunham, D. Jelinek, M. Duffard, R. Ortiz, J. Castro-Tirado, A. Cunniffe, R. Querel, R. Yock, P. Cole, A. Giles, A. Hill, K. Beaulieu, J. Harnisch, M. Jansen, R. Pennell, A. Todd, S. Allen, W. Graham, P. Loader, B. McKay, G. Milner, J. Parker, S. Barry, M. Bradshaw, J. Broughton, J. Davis, L. Devillepoix, Hadrien Drummond, J. Field, L. Forbes, M. Giles, D. Glassey, R. Groom, R. Hooper, D. Horvat, R. Hudson, G. Idaczyk, R. Jenke, D. Lade, B. Newman, J. Nosworthy, P. Purcell, P. Skilton, P. Streamer, M. Unwin, M. Watanabe, H. White, G. Watson, D. © 2016. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. We present results from a multi-chord Pluto stellar occultation observed on 2015 June 29 from New Zealand and Australia. This occurred only two weeks before the NASA New Horizons flyby of the Pluto system and serves as a useful comparison between ground-based and space results. We find that Pluto's atmosphere is still expanding, with a significant pressure increase of 5 ± 2% since 2013 and a factor of almost three since 1988. This trend rules out, as of today, an atmospheric collapse associated with Pluto's recession from the Sun. A central flash, a rare occurrence, was observed from several sites in New Zealand. The flash shape and amplitude are compatible with a spherical and transparent atmospheric layer of roughly 3 km in thickness whose base lies at about 4 km above Pluto's surface, and where an average thermal gradient of about 5 K km-1 prevails. We discuss the possibility that small departures between the observed and modeled flash are caused by local topographic features (mountains) along Pluto's limb that block the stellar light. Finally, using two possible temperature profiles, and extrapolating our pressure profile from our deepest accessible level down to the surface, we obtain a possible range of 11.9-13.7 µbar for the surface pressure. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71349 10.3847/2041-8205/819/2/L38 Institute of Physics Publishing restricted
spellingShingle	Sicardy, B. Talbot, J. Meza, E. Camargo, J. Desmars, J. Gault, D. Herald, D. Kerr, S. Pavlov, H. Braga-Ribas, F. Assafin, M. Benedetti-Rossi, G. Dias-Oliveira, A. Gomes-Junior, A. Vieira-Martins, R. Bérard, D. Kervella, P. Lecacheux, J. Lellouch, E. Beisker, W. Dunham, D. Jelinek, M. Duffard, R. Ortiz, J. Castro-Tirado, A. Cunniffe, R. Querel, R. Yock, P. Cole, A. Giles, A. Hill, K. Beaulieu, J. Harnisch, M. Jansen, R. Pennell, A. Todd, S. Allen, W. Graham, P. Loader, B. McKay, G. Milner, J. Parker, S. Barry, M. Bradshaw, J. Broughton, J. Davis, L. Devillepoix, Hadrien Drummond, J. Field, L. Forbes, M. Giles, D. Glassey, R. Groom, R. Hooper, D. Horvat, R. Hudson, G. Idaczyk, R. Jenke, D. Lade, B. Newman, J. Nosworthy, P. Purcell, P. Skilton, P. Streamer, M. Unwin, M. Watanabe, H. White, G. Watson, D. Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby
title	Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby
title_full	Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby
title_fullStr	Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby
title_full_unstemmed	Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby
title_short	Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby
title_sort	pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 june 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby
url	http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/71349

Pluto's atmosphere from the 2015 June 29 ground-based stellar occultation at the time of the new horizons flyby

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