Synergies between ground-based and space-based observations in the solar system and beyond

TL;DR

Combining ground-based and space-based observations across various wavelengths and resolutions enhances our understanding of planetary atmospheres, surfaces, and near-Earth objects, demonstrating the scientific value of observational synergy.

Contribution

This paper highlights the benefits and provides examples of synergistic observational strategies combining ground and space data to improve planetary and solar system studies.

Findings

Synergistic observations increase data richness and scientific insights.

Examples include atmospheric studies of Venus, Mars, Titan, and Jupiter.

Recommendations for future combined observational campaigns.

Abstract

Telescope and detector developments continuously enable deeper and more detailed studies of astronomical objects. Larger collecting areas, improvement in dispersion and detector techniques, and higher sensitivities allow detection of more molecules in a single observation, at lower abundances, resulting in better constraints of the targets physical and chemical conditions. Improvements on current telescopes, and not to mention future observatories, both in space and on the ground, will continue this trend, ever improving our understanding of the Universe. Planetary exploration missions carry instrumentation to unexplored areas, and reveal details impossible to observe from the Earth by performing in-situ measurements. Space based observatories allow observations of object at wavelength ranges absorbed by the Earths atmosphere. The depth of understanding from all of these studies can be greatly enhanced by combining observations: ground-based and space-based, low-resolution and high-resolution, local and global-scale, similar observations over a broader or different spectra range, or by providing temporal information through follow-ups. Combined observations provide context and a broader scope of the studied object, and in this white paper, we outline a number of studies where observations are synergistically applied to increase the scientific value of both datasets. Examples include atmospheric studies of Venus, Mars, Titan, comets, Jupiter, as well as more specific cases describing synergistic studies in the Juno mission, and ground-based radar studies for near Earth objects. The examples aim to serve as inspiration for future synergistic observations, and recommendations are made based on the lessons learned from these examples.