# # Program information file # PROGRAM_ID 2022B096 PROGRAM_TITLE Titan's Stratospheric Winds from an Occultation before Equinox PROGRAM_INV1 Richard Cosentino PROGRAM_INV2 Eliot Young PROGRAM_INV3 Paul Corlies PROGRAM_INV4 Conor Nixon PROGRAM_INV5 Katherine de Kleer PROGRAM_SCICAT major planets / satellites PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_BEG The main goal of this proposal is to study Titan's stratosphere before its fall equinox from an occultation on 5-Sep-2022. Observations in Titan's stratosphere are rare, but existing haze and general circulation models [GCMs] will greatly benefit from data acquired before this highly dynamic seasonal epoch. We will investigate the state of Titan's south polar jet generated at summer solstice and the nature of the north-south Hadley circulation, prior to its transitory splitting at the fall equinox. Previous observations from occultations and ALMA Doppler wind retrievals generally coincide with the 3 other seasons [winter and summer solstices, spring equinox], therefore these observations will add a fall equinox to the record of Titan's seasonal cycle. This project will investigate the magnitude and location of its stratospheric winds and the differences found between previous occultations and ALMA observations, constrain haze properties at this epoch, and contextualize the stratosphere for other professional and amateur observers that are part of a larger coordinated community effort focused on this extraordinary event. PROGRAM_ABSTRACT_END