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Encyclopedia of Astrobiology pp 1Cite as

Albedo Feature

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Synonym

Regio

Definition

A geographic area on the surface of a planet or satellite that is distinguished from adjacent terrains by a difference in brightness or albedo.

Classical albedo features have been identified with Earth-based telescopes, while no detailed morphology could be resolved. Time-varying albedo features can be due to seasonal changes, for example, due to frost covers or due to the redistribution of bright dust or dark sand sheets by aeolian activity. Thanks to high-resolution imagery on board of space probes, albedo feature nomenclatures are increasingly replaced with detailed feature descriptions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Planetary Research, German Aerospace Center DLR, Berlin, Germany

    Daniela Tirsch

Authors
  1. Daniela Tirsch
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Correspondence to Daniela Tirsch .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Tirsch, D. (2014). Albedo Feature. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_44-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_44-7

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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