Spectra, Albedos, and Colors of Solar System Bodies

We present a catalog of spectra, geometric albedos, and colors, representative of the different types of Solar System bodies, from 0.45 to 2.5 microns. Our catalog provides a baseline for comparison of exoplanet observations to 19 bodies in our own Solar System, which can assist in the prioritization of exoplanets for time-intensive follow-up with next-generation Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs) and space-based direct observation missions. We calculate and cross-reference the albedos of 8 planets, 9 moons, and 2 dwarf planets from several sources for our analysis. Using high and low-resolution spectra, we also derive colors for these bodies and explore how a color-color diagram can be used to tentatively distinguish between rocky, icy, and gaseous exoplanets before being confirmed through follow-up observations. We also explore how the colors of Solar System analog bodies would change when orbiting different host stars.

This catalog of Solar System spectra, albedos, and colors is available for download below. Find more information about this catalog and cite usage at J. Madden and Lisa Kaltenegger, A Catalog of Spectra, Albedos, and Colors of Solar System Bodies for Exoplanet Comparison, Astrobiology Volume 18 No. 12, 2018.

Individual Spectra and Albedos

Individual data files hold albedo files, and spectra at high and low resolution for different stars. Wavelengths are in microns and spectra are in W/m^2 Å