Jupiter: Its Infrared Spectrum from 16 to 40 Micrometers

Spectral measurements of the thermal radiation from Jupiter in the band from 16 to 40 micrometers are analyzed under the assumption that pressure-broadened molecular hydrogen transitions are responsible for the bulk of the infrared opacity over most of this spectral interval. Both the vertical pressure-temperature profile and the molecular hydrogen mixing ratio are determined. The derived value ofthe molecular hydrogen mixing ratio, 0.89 +/- 0.11, is consistent with the solar value of 0.86.