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Opposition surge

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126: 288:. As for the principal mechanism of the phenomenon, measurements indicate that the opposition effect exhibits only a small wavelength dependence: the surge is 3-4% larger at 0.41 μm than at 1.00 μm. This result suggests that the principal cause of the lunar opposition surge is shadow-hiding rather than coherent backscatter. 31: 151:
As the phase angle of an object lit by the Sun decreases, the object's brightness rapidly increases. This is mainly due to the increased area lit, but is also partly due to the intrinsic brightness of the part that is sunlit. This is affected by such factors as the angle at which light reflected from
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from the viewpoint of the observer), this intrinsic brightness is usually close to its maximum. At a phase angle of zero degrees, all shadows disappear and the object is fully illuminated. When phase angles approach zero, there is a sudden increase in apparent brightness, and this sudden increase is
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A theory for an additional effect that increases brightness during opposition is that of coherent backscatter. In the case of coherent backscatter, the reflected light is enhanced at narrow angles if the size of the scatterers in the surface of the body is comparable to the wavelength of light and
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The phase angle is defined as the angle between the observer, the observed object and the source of light. In the case of the Solar System, the light source is the Sun, and the observer is generally on Earth. At zero phase angle, the Sun is directly behind the observer and the object is directly
181:. The usual major cause of the effect is that a surface's small pores and pits that would otherwise be in shadow at other incidence angles become lit up when the observer is almost in the same line as the source of illumination. The effect is usually only visible for a very small range of 269:. Gehrels' later studies showed that the same effect could be shown in the moon's brightness. He coined the term "opposition effect" for the phenomenon, but the more intuitive "opposition surge" is now more widely used. 283:
have suggested that its brightness increases by some 40% between a phase angle of 4° and one of 0°, and that this increase is greater for the rougher-surfaced highland areas than for the relatively smooth
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the object is observed. For this reason, a full moon is more than twice as bright as the moon at first or third quarter, even though the visible area illuminated appears to be exactly twice as large.
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near zero. For bodies whose reflectance properties have been quantitatively studied, details of the opposition effect – its strength and angular extent – are described by two of the
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Since Gehrels' early studies, an opposition surge has been noted for most airless solar system bodies. No such surge has been reported for bodies with significant atmospheres.
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the distance between scattering particles is greater than a wavelength. The increase in brightness is due to the reflected light combining coherently with the emitted light.
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Hameen-Anttila, K.A.; Pyykko, S. (July 1972). "Photometric behaviour of Saturn's rings as a function of the saturnocentric latitudes of the Earth and the Sun".
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When the angle of reflection is close to the angle at which the light's rays hit the surface (that is, when the Sun and the object are close to
532: 193:), an opposition surge is due to the uncovering of shadows on the ring particles. This explanation was first proposed by 117:. Two physical mechanisms have been proposed for this observational phenomenon: shadow hiding and coherent backscatter. 302: 310:, the apparently enormous and magnified shadow of an observer cast upon the upper surfaces of clouds opposite the Sun 139:
spacecraft at phase angles of 0°, 7° and 33°. The left image at 0° phase angle shows the brightness surge due to the
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have shown that a strong coherent backscatter effect is required to explain the high albedos at radar wavelengths.
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von Seeliger, H. (1887). "Zur Theorie der Beleuchtung der grossen Planeten insbesondere des Saturn".
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Coherent Backscatter: An Explanation for the Unusual Radar Properties of Outer Planet Satellites
561: 166: 114: 110: 353: 418: 349: 285: 130: 8: 576: 541: 220: 422: 523:, "Atmospheric optics" website. Includes a picture of the opposition surge on the moon 453:
Photometric Studies of Asteroids. V: The Light-Curve and Phase Function of 20 Massalia
77:, when illuminated from directly behind the observer. The term is most widely used in 515: 434: 194: 135: 81:, where generally it refers to the sudden noticeable increase in the brightness of a 492: 472: 452: 386: 101:
of observation approaches zero. It is so named because the reflected light from the
529:, "Atmospheric optics" website. Diagrammatic representation of the opposition surge 426: 318: 186: 430: 307: 242: 190: 35: 526: 520: 246: 232: 82: 50: 537: 550: 438: 178: 30: 125: 313: 262: 42: 38: 78: 46: 406: 266: 219:. In particular, recent observations of Titan at 2.2 cm with 174: 74: 241:
On Earth, water droplets can also create bright spots around the
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The existence of the opposition surge was described in 1956 by
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Wavelength dependence of polarization. III. The lunar surface
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Coherent backscatter phenomena have also been observed with
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Hayabusa observes the opposition surge of Asteroid Itokawa
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Burrati, B. J.; Hillier, J. K.; & Wang, M. (1996) "
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appear significantly brighter than predicted by simple
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Scattering, absorption and radiative transfer (optics)
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The Lunar Opposition Surge: Observations by Clementine
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Gehrels, T.; Coffeen, T.; & Owings, D. (1964) "
407:"Anomalous radar backscatter from Titan's surface?" 404: 548: 265:during his study of the reflected light from an 405:Janssen, M.A.; Le Gall, A.; Wye, L.C. (2011). 256: 331: 245:in various situations. For more details, see 366: 533:"The-moon wikispaces" opposition surge page 369:Abh. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. Math. Naturwiss. Kl 398: 360: 189:. In the case of planetary rings (such as 173:The effect is particularly pronounced on 124: 29: 200: 14: 549: 155: 170:referred to as the opposition surge. 538:Opposition surge on Saturn's B Ring 24: 303:Bidirectional reflectance function 177:surfaces of airless bodies in the 25: 593: 509: 226: 160: 485: 465: 445: 379: 13: 1: 324: 431:10.1016/j.icarus.2010.11.026 7: 527:opposition effect mechanism 291: 257:Throughout the Solar System 120: 10: 598: 341:Astronomy and Astrophysics 251:Glory (optical phenomenon) 237:Glory (optical phenomenon) 230: 204: 148:ahead, fully illuminated. 41:brightens the area around 34:Opposition surge from the 61:(sometimes known as the 572:Observational astronomy 354:1972A&A....19..235H 207:Coherent backscattering 115:astronomical opposition 144: 111:Lambertian reflectance 54: 457:Astrophysical Journal 128: 33: 451:Gehrels, T. (1956) " 201:Coherent backscatter 557:Astronomical events 423:2011Icar..212..321J 275:In the case of the 156:Physical mechanisms 145: 55: 567:Optical phenomena 521:opposition effect 195:Hugo von Seeliger 141:opposition effect 63:opposition effect 45:'s shadow during 16:(Redirected from 589: 503: 489: 483: 469: 463: 449: 443: 442: 402: 396: 383: 377: 376: 364: 358: 357: 335: 319:Geometric albedo 279:, B. J. Buratti 187:Hapke parameters 133:, imaged by the 67:opposition spike 59:opposition surge 21: 597: 596: 592: 591: 590: 588: 587: 586: 547: 546: 542:Cassini–Huygens 512: 507: 506: 490: 486: 470: 466: 450: 446: 403: 399: 384: 380: 365: 361: 336: 332: 327: 308:Brocken spectre 294: 259: 243:antisolar point 239: 231:Main articles: 229: 209: 203: 163: 158: 123: 71:Seeliger effect 36:retroreflective 28: 23: 22: 18:Seeliger effect 15: 12: 11: 5: 595: 585: 584: 579: 574: 569: 564: 559: 545: 544: 535: 530: 524: 518: 511: 510:External links 508: 505: 504: 484: 464: 444: 417:(1): 321–328. 397: 378: 359: 348:(2): 235–247. 329: 328: 326: 323: 322: 321: 316: 311: 305: 300: 293: 290: 258: 255: 247:Heiligenschein 233:Heiligenschein 228: 227:Water droplets 225: 205:Main article: 202: 199: 162: 159: 157: 154: 122: 119: 83:celestial body 51:Neil Armstrong 27:Optical effect 26: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 594: 583: 580: 578: 575: 573: 570: 568: 565: 563: 562:Lunar science 560: 558: 555: 554: 552: 543: 539: 536: 534: 531: 528: 525: 522: 519: 517: 514: 513: 501: 498: 494: 488: 481: 478: 474: 468: 461: 458: 454: 448: 440: 436: 432: 428: 424: 420: 416: 412: 408: 401: 394: 391: 388: 382: 374: 370: 363: 355: 351: 347: 343: 342: 334: 330: 320: 317: 315: 312: 309: 306: 304: 301: 299: 296: 295: 289: 287: 282: 278: 273: 270: 268: 264: 254: 252: 248: 244: 238: 234: 224: 222: 218: 213: 208: 198: 196: 192: 188: 184: 180: 176: 171: 168: 161:Shadow hiding 153: 149: 142: 138: 137: 132: 129:Dwarf planet 127: 118: 116: 112: 108: 104: 100: 96: 92: 88: 84: 80: 76: 72: 68: 64: 60: 52: 48: 44: 40: 37: 32: 19: 499: 496: 487: 479: 476: 467: 459: 456: 447: 414: 410: 400: 392: 389: 381: 372: 368: 362: 345: 339: 333: 280: 274: 271: 260: 240: 214: 210: 183:phase angles 179:Solar System 172: 164: 150: 146: 140: 134: 70: 66: 62: 58: 56: 540:as seen by 314:Gegenschein 263:Tom Gehrels 99:phase angle 43:Buzz Aldrin 577:Radiometry 551:Categories 502:: 490-499. 482:: 826-852. 477:Astron. J. 462:: 331-338. 395:: 407:417. 385:Hapke, B. 375:: 405–516. 325:References 167:opposition 85:such as a 49:(photo by 39:lunar soil 439:0019-1035 197:in 1887. 79:astronomy 75:particles 47:Apollo 11 292:See also 267:asteroid 191:Saturn's 175:regolith 121:Overview 113:when at 419:Bibcode 350:Bibcode 221:Cassini 97:as its 497:Icarus 437:  411:Icarus 390:Icarus 298:Albedo 281:et al. 87:planet 286:maria 217:radar 131:Ceres 95:comet 93:, or 435:ISSN 277:Moon 249:and 235:and 136:Dawn 107:Mars 105:and 103:Moon 91:moon 57:The 500:124 495:". 475:". 460:195 455:". 427:doi 415:212 69:or 553:: 480:69 433:. 425:. 413:. 409:. 393:88 373:16 371:. 346:19 344:. 253:. 89:, 65:, 53:). 441:. 429:: 421:: 356:. 352:: 143:. 20:)

Index

Seeliger effect

retroreflective
lunar soil
Buzz Aldrin
Apollo 11
Neil Armstrong
particles
astronomy
celestial body
planet
moon
comet
phase angle
Moon
Mars
Lambertian reflectance
astronomical opposition

Ceres
Dawn
opposition
regolith
Solar System
phase angles
Hapke parameters
Saturn's
Hugo von Seeliger
Coherent backscattering
radar

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