Solid Methane on Triton and Pluto: 3- to 4-micron Spectrophotometry.

J. R. Spencer, M. W. Buie, and G. L. Bjoraker. Icarus 88, 491-496 (1990) .


ABSTRACT

Methane has been identified in the Pluto/Charon system on the basis of absorption features in the reflectance spectrum at 1.5 and 2.3 microns; attention is presently given to observations of a 3.25 micron-centered deep absorption feature in Triton and Pluto/Charon system reflectance spectra. This absorption may indicate the presence of solid methane, constituting either the dominant surface species or a mixture with a highly transparent substance, such as N2 frost.


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