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Science 11 September 1987:
Vol. 237. no. 4820, pp. 1336 - 1340
DOI: 10.1126/science.237.4820.1336
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Articles

IRAS Serendipitous Survey Observations of Pluto and Charon

MARK V. SYKES 1, ROC M. CUTRI 1, LARRY A. LEBOFSKY 2, and RICHARD P. BINZEL 3

1 Steward Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721.
2 Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721.
3 Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719.

On 16 August 1983 the Infrared Astronomical Satellite made two separate pointed observations of Pluto and its moon Charon. Because of the small angular displacement of the system between the times of measurement, the Pluto-Charon system was identified as a source in the Serendipitous Survey (SSC 14029+0518). Detections were made at 60 and 100 micrometers with color-corrected flux densities of 581 ± 58 and 721 ± 123 millijanskys, respectively. Pluto is best described as having a dark equatorial band, and brighter polar caps of methane ice extending to ±45° latitude, at most. An upper limit of approximately 9 meter-amagats is placed on the column abundance of a methane atmosphere on Pluto, which is comparable to recent upper limits based on independent ground-based spectroscopy.

Submitted on May 1, 1987
Accepted on July 27, 1987


THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
Evidence for a Low Surface Temperature on Pluto from Millimeter-Wave Thermal Emission Measurements.
S. A. Stern, S. A. Stern, D. A. Weintraub, and M. C. Festou (1993)
Science 261, 1713-1716
   Abstract »    PDF »
Surface Ices and the Atmospheric Composition of Pluto.
T. C. Owen, T. C. Owen, T. L. Roush, D. P. Cruikshank, J. L. Elliot, L. A. Young, C. de Bergh, B. Schmitt, T. R. Geballe, R. H. Brown, et al. (1993)
Science 261, 745-748
   Abstract »    PDF »
Constraints on the Diameter and Albedo of 2060 Chiron.
M. V. Sykes, M. V. SYKES, and R. G. WALKER (1991)
Science 251, 777-780
   Abstract »    PDF »
Origin and Evolution of Outer Solar System Atmospheres.
J. I. Lunine and J. I. LUNINE (1989)
Science 245, 141-147
   Abstract »    PDF »
Hemispherical Color Differences on Pluto and Charon.
R. P. Binzel and R. P. BINZEL (1988)
Science 241, 1070-1072
   Abstract »    PDF »


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)