India’s Mars Orbiter Mission has recorded the albedo on the Martian surface, in its attempt to study the atmospheric characteristics and the possible presence of methane in the Red Planet.
Measuring reflectanceThe Methane Sensor for Mars (MSM) on board the Orbiter recorded the albedo (fraction of solar energy reflected from the surface of celestial bodies back into space) of Mars while attempting to measure the reflectance in 1.65 micron, ISRO said in its post on a social networking site.
A senior ISRO official told The Hindu , “This is the first time the measurement of albedo is being recorded in the reflectance level of 1.65 micron. The data recorded would be studied and it can also help in finding out whether methane is present in Mars.”
The column density of methane, if available, would also be measured.
“Reflected solar radiation from Mars is a diagnostic signal of the planet which provides lot of information about the planet’s surface as well as its atmosphere. When we measure the radiance in a specific wavelength of light (in 1.65 micron), then we can generate a reflectance map,” the post said and has shared the map generated with data collected till December 16 last year.
