The collision of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter: Detection and evolution of HCN in the stratosphere of the planet
- Marten, A.
- Gautier, D.
- Griffin, Matthew
- Matthews, H. E.
- Naylor, D. A.
- Davis, G. R.
- Owen, T.
- Orton, G.
- Bockelée-Morvan, D.
- Colom, P.
- Crovisier, J.
- Lellouch, E.
- de Pater, I.
- Atreya, S.
- Strobel, D.
- Han, B.
- Sanders, D. B.
DOIAbstract
We report submillimeter heterodyne observations of Jupiter taken with the JCMT during and after the infall of Comet Shoemaker‐Levy 9 into the planet. We detected the J = 4 ‐ 3 and J = 3 ‐ 2 rotational transitions of HCN in emission at many of the impact sites. Measurements suggest for fragment G a mixing ratio of ∼ 5 × 10−8 above the 0.5‐mbar pressure level and a total HCN mass of 6 × 1011g. Subsequent observations, made in September and November 1994, reveal that HCN is still present but that the lines now appear in absorption. This results from a cooling of the stratospheric thermal profile between July and September. Chemical implications of the observed persistence of HCN in the Jovian stratosphere for over 6 months are discussed
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