The reflectance spectrum of Titan's surface at the Huygens landing site determined by the descent imager/spectral radiometer

Abstract

The descent imager/spectral radiometer aboard the Huygens probe successfully acquired images and spectra of the surface of Titan. To counter the effects of haze and atmospheric methane absorption it carried a surface science lamp to illuminate the surface just before landing. We reconstruct the reflectance spectrum of the landing site in the 500–1500 nm range from downward looking visual and infrared spectrometers data that show evidence of lamp light. Our reconstruction is a followup to the analysis by Tomasko et al. [2005. Rain, winds and haze during the Huygens probe's descent to Titan's surface. Nature 438, 765–778], who scaled their result to the ratio of the up- and down flux measured just before landing. Instead, we use the lamp flux from the calibration experiment, and find a significantly higher overall reflectance. We attribute this to a phase angle dependance, possibly representing the opposition surge commonly encountered on solar system bodies. The reconstruction in the visible wavelength range is greatly improved. Here, the reflectance spectrum features a red slope, consistent with the presence of organic material. We confirm the blue slope in the near-IR, featureless apart from a single shallow absorption feature at 1500 nm. We agree with Tomasko et al. that the evidence for water ice is inconclusive. By modeling of absorption bands we find a methane mixing ratio of 4.5 ± 0.5 % just above the surface. There is no evidence for the presence of liquid methane, but the data do not rule out a wet soil at a depth of several centimeters.