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Synoptic measurements of Martian winds using the Hubble Space Telescope
Author(s) -
Mischna Michael A.,
Bell James F.,
James Philip B.,
Crisp David
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/98gl50358
Subject(s) - martian , wind speed , hubble space telescope , atmosphere of mars , mars exploration program , atmosphere (unit) , remote sensing , meteorology , physics , astronomy , geodesy , geology , environmental science , galaxy
We used the Hubble Space Telescope to make wind speed and wind direction measurements of the Martian atmosphere during early northern summer ( L s =97°). Our strategy utilized a series of near‐UV images with optimal temporal sampling to track observable cloud features and to determine the direction and speed of cloud motion. Several techniques were used to identify similar features between images, including Fourier transform and cross‐correlation. In these measurements, which span 19–75° N lat and 319° E to 135° W Ion, we find average wind speeds of 26.2 ± 10.1 m/s and a range of wind directions from 51° to 162° with an average error of ±23°.