Near-infrared adaptive optics imaging of the satellites and individual rings of Uranus

Abstract We present the first Earth-based images of several of the individual faint rings of Uranus, as observed with the adaptive optics system on the W.M. Keck II telescope on four consecutive days in October 2003. We derive reflectivities based on multiple measurements of 8 minor moons of Uranus as well as Ariel and Miranda in filters centered at wavelengths of 1.25(J), 1.63(H), and 2.1(Kp) μm. These observations have a phase angle of 1.84°–1.96°. We find that the small satellites are somewhat less bright than in observations made by the HST at smaller phase angles, confirming an opposition surge effect. We calculate albedoes for the ring groups and for each ring separately. We find that the e ring particles, as well as the particles in the three other ring groups, have albedoes near 0.043 at these phase angles. The equivalent depths of some of the individual rings are different than predicted based upon ring widths from occultation measurements (assuming a constant particle ring brightness); in particular the γ ring is fainter and the η ring brighter than expected. Our results indicate that q, the ratio of e ring intensity at apoapse vs. periapse, is close to 3.2 ± 0.16 . This agrees well with a model that has a filling factor for the e ring of 0.06 (Karkoschka, 2001, Icarus 151, 78–83). We also determine values of the north to south brightness ratio for the individual rings and find that in most cases they are close to unity.