Albedos and size distribution of meteoroids from 0.3 to 4.8 AU

Comparison is made between the run of number density of meteoroids from penetration detectors aboard Helios A (masses below 10^?8 g) and Pioneer 10 (masses near and above 3 × 10^?9 g), the source function of the zodiacal light deduced from photometric observations aboard Helios A and Pioneer 10, counts versus brightness of objects passing by Pioneer 10 from the Sisyphus experiment and the distribution of meteoroids deduced from radar and optical meteors at the Earth. The Sisyphus experiment on Pioneer 10 observed reflecting glints on meteoroids rather than the meteoroids themselves and the counting statistics refer not to the effective radii of the meteoroids but to the effective radii of curvature of the reflecting glints on the meteoroids. The penetration detectors appear to find some increase in number density toward the Sun and a flat distribution outward to 5.2 AU. The overall behavior of the zodiacal light is that the relative distribution over direction is unchanged while the source scattering function diminishes as the inverse 1.4 power of distance from the Sun. The fit to the brightness of the zodiacal light obtained from these statistics can be combined with the mass distribution results from the optical meteors to deduce a mean geometric albedo of meteoroids of 0.006 at 1 AU from the Sun. Combination of the space distribution from radar meteors with the scattering source function of the zodiacal light yields geometric albedos for meteoroids running from 0.07 at 0.1 AU, from the Sun through 0.006 at 1 AU down to about 0.0001 at 3.3 AU which may run flat thence outward. This result is imposed by the indicated modest increase in density of meteoroids very near the Sun, a minimum between the Sun and the Earth near 0.4 AU and rising density outward to somewhere beyond 3.3 AU which is very different from the inverse 1.4 power of the distance shown for scatterers (product of number density and albedo) by the zodiacal light. A check on the distribution at very large sizes is possible if a search is made for fireballs in Jupiter's atmosphere by the Mariner Jupiter Saturn 1977 television cameras during the two encounters with Jupiter in 1979. An easy detection of such activity would put the maximum in the meteoroid distribution out near Jupiter and lend further confirmation to the indicated drop in albedo.     

Galilean satellites: 1976 radar results

Radar observations of the Galilean satellites, made in late 1976 using the 12.6-cm radar system of the Arecibo Observatory, have yielded mean geometric albedos of 0.04 ± , 0.69 ± 0.17, 0.37 ± 0.09, and 0.15 ± 0.04, for Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, respectively. The albedo for Io is about 40% smaller than that obtained approximately a year earlier, while the albedos for the outer three satellites average about 70% larger than the values previously reported for late 1975, raising the possibility of temporal variation. Very little dependence on orbital phase is noted; however, some regional scattering inhomogeneities are seen on the outer three satellites. For Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, the ratios of the echo received in one mode of circular polarization to that received in the other were: 1.61 ± 0.20 1.48 ± 0.27, and 1.24 ± 0.19, respectively, with the dominant component having the same sence of circularity as that transmitted. This behavior has not previously been encountered in radar studies of solar system objects, whereas the corresponding observations with linear polarization are “normal.” Radii determined from the 1976 radar data for Europa and Ganymede are: 1530 ± 30 and 2670 ± 50 km, in fair agreement with the results from the 1975 radar observations and the best recent optical determinations. Doppler shifts of the radar echoes, useful for the improvement of the orbits of Jupiter and some of the Galilean satellites, are given for 12 nights in 1976 and 10 nights in 1975.     

Evidence linking coronal transients to the evolution of coronal holes

The positions of X-ray coronal transients outside of active regions observed during Skylab were superposed on H synoptic charts and coronal hole boundaries for seven solar rotations. We confirmed a detailed spatial association between the transients and neutral lines. We found that most of the transients were related to large-scale changes in coronal hole area and tended to occur on the borders of evolving equatorial holes.Skylab Solar Workshop Post-Doctoral Appointee, 1975–1977.     

Effect of diffusion-thermal processes on the high-latitude topside ionosphere

We have studied the extent to which diffusion-thermal heat flow affects H⁺ temperatures in the high-latitude topside ionosphere. Such a heat flow occurs whenever there are H⁺?O⁺ relative drifts. From our study we have found that at high-latitudes, where H⁺ flows up and out of the topside ionosphere, diffusion-thermal heat flow acts to reduce H⁺ temperatures by 500–600 K at altitudes above about 900 km.     

Microcraters formed in hot glass by hypervelocity projectiles

Microcraters were formed in heated soda-lime glass by the normal incidence of spheres of plastic or fused silica with diameters between 0.8 and 4.5m and velocities between 2.5 and 10 km s^–1. The morphology of the craters in targets at temperatures up to 800°C is little different from those formed in unheated glass. Spallation still occurs to the same extent and above the same velocity threshold, but the spalls sag and sharp edges become dull in a few seconds at temperatures above the softening point. There is a small increase in the flow of glass from the central pit into a narrow lip at the higher temperatures, but this lip is often removed by spallation, especially at the higher velocities of impact. There is no evidence of a splashed lip with strings of melt overlying the spalled area. The results in conjunction with other evidence suggest that most lunar craters of micrometer size with a smooth central pit, splashed lip, and a spallation zone are the result of primary impacts.     

Search for neutral hydrogen with high negative velocities ejected from the galactic center

A search for neutral hydrogen in the velocity range –300>V>–1000 km s^–1 has been made in the zone around the galactic nucleus. Observations of 100 points reveal no neutral hydrogen at such high velocities, with brightness temperatures exceeding 0.25 K in the latitude range |b|<1°, and 0.20 K for |b|1°.     

A search for soft X-ray emission from stellar sources

With the soft X-ray detector (0.2–0.284 keV) aboard the Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS) we have searched for X-ray emission from hot star coronae and peculiar stars. On Sirius ( CMa) and Capella ( Aur) X-ray emission has been measured at 6 and 5 level, respectively, above background. In all other cases the search revealed no evidence for soft X-ray emission. Upper limits to the luminosities of about 25 star coronae (main-sequence stars, (sub)giants, and supergiants) and of 4 peculiar stars ( Sco, Lyr, P Cyg, and Car) have been obtained.Paper presented at the COSPAR/IAU Symposium on Fast Transients in X-and Gamma-Rays, held at Varna, Bulgaria, 29–31 May, 1975.     

The T Tauri star RU Lupi and its circumstellar surrounding

From simultaneous spectroscopic and photometric observations of the T Tauri star RU Lup, which was followed for nine consecutive nights, it was found that most if not all of the light variations observed on this star were caused by variable circumstellar extinction. The character and the time-scale of the variations imply that the variations are due to dust concentrations of stellar dimension crossing the line of sight to the star. The implications of this interpretation and its possible bearing on problems of protoplanetary systems are discussed.     

On the possibility of creating a radio-astronomical inertial coordinate system based on the measurement of arcs between QSOs with the aid of VLBI

The aim of this paper has been to discuss a possibility of the formation of an inertial system of coordinates, precise within 0″.001, with the aid of the measures of mutual angular distances of quasars by the VLBI technique used in radio-astronomy. Such a system depends on neither the rotation, nor revolution of the Earth around the Sun — a fact which permits a separation of the astronomical and geophysical aspects of the problem. The proposed system should permit us to resolve some general astrometric problems — such as of the precession and nutation of the Earth as well as of the motion of the terrestrial axis of rotation within the Earth, or fluctuations in the angular veoocity of terrestrial rotation.