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Earth‐based remote sensing of solar system objects
Author(s) -
Muhleman Duane O.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
reviews of geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 8.087
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1944-9208
pISSN - 8755-1209
DOI - 10.1029/95rg00555
Subject(s) - solar system , astronomy , asteroid , physics , electromagnetic spectrum , remote sensing , spacecraft , planet , telescope , photometry (optics) , jovian , astrobiology , geology , optics , stars , saturn
It can be said that remote sensing began with Galileo's invention of the telescope and covers the entire history of observational astronomy to this day. Recently, the subject has rapidly advanced with the development of observing techniques made possible by the invention of new detectors and telescopes over the entire electromagnetic spectrum from gamma rays to meter‐wavelength radio emission. Superbly quantitative measurements of distant planets, satellites, comets and asteroids are now routinely made using the techniques of visible, IR and microwave spectrometry in addition to radar mapping and broadband photometry in all bands. Beautiful results, often reaching the sublime, have been obtained with ingenious instruments aboard robotic spacecraft, in particular the Voyager and Magellan vehicles. Equally ingenious are observations and experiments made from Earthbound astronomical facilities operated by distant relatives of the great master and innovator. Here, we limit this 5‐year review to these latter efforts, partly because there have been few spacecraft successes in this period (except for Magellan), but also because our understanding of the solar system has continued to grow in this period with the use of Earthbased techniques. The Earth orbiting Hubble Telescope is now a magnificent success in the visible and near IR bands and is proving to be a powerful tool for solar system imaging, easily exceeding that of the Earthbound telescopes. This subject is too vast to review here. There is as yet no real progress to report on the search for other solar systems. These investigations await the development of arrayed telescopes in all wavelength bands, (such as the two Keck telescopes on Mauna Kea), a program that will probably remain “Earthbound” for the next decade or so. Preliminary work has been carried out with arrayed telescopes in the millimeter wavelength band. Many ideas and very preliminary results can be found in Beckwith and Sargent [1992], and Sargent and Beckwith [1993].