New Horizons at Jupiter: Ground-Based and Space-Based Support Observations
On February 28th 2007 the New Horizons spacecraft will fly past
Jupiter at a range of 2.5 million km, and will conduct an extensive
series of observations of the planet and its satellites. There are
many ways in which ground-based observations, or observations by other
spacecraft, can complement the New Horizons observations. John
Spencer and Leslie Young are organizing a lunchtime workshop at the
DPS meeting, on Thursday October 12th, to discuss support
observations, but time on most telescopes should be requested before
then (most relevant groundbased telescope deadlines are at the
beginning of September or October).
Please contact us if you are interested in coordinating telescope
propsals or sharing data with other observers. John
Spencer(spencer(at)boulder(dot)swri(dot)edu) is the contact for
ground-based observations and Leslie Young
(layoung(at)boulder(dot)swri(dot)edu) is the contact for
space-based observations
Here is a detailed (52 page)
presentation describing the New Horizons Jupiter science goals and
observation plan. Note that the plan might be amended and possibly scaled back
during the implementation phase.
Highlights of the current observation plan include:
- Time-resolved near-IR image cubes of the Great Red Spot and its
surroundings, and high-resolution CCD imaging of the "Little Red Spot"
- Time series EUV/FUV observations of the Jovian aurorae, Io torus,
and solar wind during Jupiter approach
- High spatial resolution UV and near-IR imaging of the Jovian
aurorae and airglow
- UV stellar occultations observations of the atmospheres of Jupiter
and all the Galilean satellites
- Global imaging of Io's plumes and post-Galileo surface changes
- Global imaging of high-temperature (0.4 - 2.5 micron) volcanic
thermal emission from Io
- Observations of UV, and (in eclipse) visible and near-IR,
atmospheric emissions from Io, Europa, and Ganymede
- Near terminator imaging of large-scale topographic features on
Europa
- 1.25 - 2.5 micron spectroscopy of Galilean satellite surface
composition, and similar spatial resolution and better spectral
resolution than Galileo NIMS global observations
- Extensive imaging of Jupiter's rings to search for embedded
satellites and improve knowledge of the ring structure
- Distant imaging of Himalia and Elara to determine shapes, sizes, and phase curves.
- Possible detection and characterization of Jovian dust streams
- Plasma observations of the magnetosphere, including an unprecedented
3-month flight down the magnetotail.
Possible ground-based observing support programs, stressing
observations of dynamic phenomena that are best done near the time of
the New Horizons flyby, include but are not limited to:
- Observations of Jupiter's cloud dynamics in the visible and near-IR
- Observations of Jupiter's aurorae in the near-IR
- Spectroscopic observations of the composition and thermal
structure of the Jovian atmosphere
- Observations of Io's volcanic activity in the near-IR
- Eclipse observations of Io's auroral activity
- Observations of the Io torus and neutral clouds
- Observations of Jovian radio emissions
- Lightcurve observations of Himalia and Elara to determine their rotational
phase during the New Horizons observations