Stellar occultations and transits occur when a planetary body passes in front of a star (including our Sun). For objects with an atmosphere, refraction plays an essential role to explain the drops of flux and the aureoles observed during these events. This can be used to derived key parameters of the atmospheres, such as their density, pressure and temperature profiles, as well as the presence of atmospheric gravity waves and zonal winds. Here we derive from basic principles the equations that rule the ray propagation in planetary atmospheres, and we show how they can be used to derive the physical parameters of these atmospheres.
Les occultations stellaires et les transits se produisent lorsqu’un corps planétaire passe devant une étoile (y compris notre Soleil). Pour les objets avec une atmosphère, le rôle de la réfraction est essentiel pour expliquer les chutes de flux et les auréoles observées lors de ces événements. Ces derniers peuvent être utilisés pour déduire des paramètres clés des atmosphères, comme leurs profils de densité, de pression et de température, ainsi que la présence d’ondes de gravité ou de vents zonaux. À partir des principes fondamentaux, nous déduisons les équations qui régissent la propagation des rayons dans les atmosphères planétaires, et nous montrons comment elles peuvent être utilisées pour déduire les paramètres physiques de ces atmosphères.
Published online:
Mot clés : Réfraction, Atmosphères Planétaires, Occultations Stellaires, Transits, lentilles gravitationnelles
CC-BY 4.0
@article{CRPHYS_2022__23_S1_213_0,
author = {Bruno Sicardy},
title = {Study of atmospheres in the solar system, from stellar occultation or planetary transit},
journal = {Comptes Rendus. Physique},
pages = {213--241},
publisher = {Acad\'emie des sciences, Paris},
volume = {23},
number = {S1},
year = {2022},
doi = {10.5802/crphys.109},
language = {en},
}
Bruno Sicardy. Study of atmospheres in the solar system, from stellar occultation or planetary transit. Comptes Rendus. Physique, Volume 23 (2022) no. S1, pp. 213-241. doi : 10.5802/crphys.109. https://comptes-rendus.academie-sciences.fr/physique/articles/10.5802/crphys.109/
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