Project Description

Spectroscopic measurements from ground-based telescopes can provide important information about the spatial distribution of temperature and chemical abundances in planetary atmospheres. In particular, the high resolving power of many of the instruments in several facilities such as NASA Infrared Telescope Facility, Keck Observatory, or ESO’s Very Large Telescope can provide sufficient sensitivity to monitor the distribution of species that are otherwise unobserved with orbiting instrumentation.

I have participated in the desisign and execution of several observing campaigns to observe the atmospheres of Mars and Venus, as well as in the calibration and analysis of the data.

Telescope campaigns

1. The C isotope composition of Venus: a key to deciphering the origin and evolution of our sister planet. Facility: NASA IRTF. Instrument: TEXES. Dates: 25/09/2025. Telescope time: 2 hours. Role: Principal Investigator.

2. First Measurements of the ³⁴S Isotopic Ratio of SO₂ in Venus’ Atmosphere Using TEXES. Facility: NASA IRTF. Instrument: TEXES. Dates: 17/09/2025 - 18/09/2025. Telescope time: 13 hours. Role: Co-Investigator (PI Aoki).

3. Mapping the ¹³C/¹²C ratio in Martian CO₂: a search for fractionation effects in the near-surface atmosphere. Facility: NASA IRTF. Instrument: TEXES. Dates: 29/01/2025 - 30/01/2025. Telescope time: 8 hours. Role: Principal Investigator.
4. Hydrogen peroxide on Mars at the northern spring period: a key for atmospheric chemistry. Facility: NASA IRTF. Instrument: TEXES. Dates: 27/01/2025 - 28/01/2025. Telescope time: 8 hours. Role: Co-Investigator (PI Aoki).

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