Abstract
ON March 10, 1977, Uranus will occult SAO 158687, a star of late spectral type with a visual magnitude of ≈ +9.5 (refs 1, 2). The occultation will be visible from land areas surrounding the Indian Ocean1,2. From high-quality light curves of this event one can obtain temperature, pressure and number density profiles of the uranian atmosphere; information about its composition; and by combining occultation timings from several stations the precise diameter and oblateness of the planet can be found. For the atmospheres of Jupiter3–5 and Mars6–9 these quantities have been obtained from recent stellar occultations by these planets. This experience can be used to predict what can be learned from the forthcoming occultation by Uranus.
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ELLIOT, J., VEVERKA, J. & MILLIS, R. Uranus occults SAO158687. Nature 265, 609–611 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1038/265609a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/265609a0
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