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Stellar Occultations: Discovering Secrets of Uranus and Beyond

Explore the mysteries of Uranus's rings through occultation observations, revealing clues about its atmosphere and internal activity. Discover how star brightness variations unveil hidden features. Witness Pluto's enigmatic landscape and potential tectonic activity. Analyze Triton's geologic signs and icy volcanoes. Delve into the intriguing world of planetary occultation studies with SOFIA and KAO predecessors.

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Stellar Occultations: Discovering Secrets of Uranus and Beyond

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  1. Star behind Uranus’s rings Eclipse Transit Occultation

  2. Stellar Occultation Observation by Airborne Platform

  3. SOFIA’s predecessor, theKuiper Airborne Observatory (KAO) ,

  4. 0 The rings of Uranus – discovered viaoccultation observations by the KAO. Data record shows ‘dropouts’ in brightness of the star as it was occulted by each ring. Star behind Uranus and rings

  5. An atmosphere gives an object a “soft edge” observable via occultation.

  6. Image of <= Pluto merged with image of background star.

  7. 2015 occultation light curve

  8. 2011 Pluto occultation light curve observed by SOFIA. *** SEEMS TOSHOW LESSATMOSPHERETHAN IN 2015.

  9. Large regions of Pluto are craterless, with folded mountain belts at their edges … signs of tectonic activity! Internal activity could be what sustains Pluto’s atmosphere.

  10. Figure 24-13a p550

  11. Figure 24-15 p551

  12. Black smoke plumes from cyro-volcanoes Voyage 2 images of Triton showing signs of geologic activity. Smooth surfaces covered by flows of water “lava”.

  13. Triton shadow path 5 Oct 2017

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