Radar observations of asteroid 1580 Betulia

Radar observations of the asteroid 1580 Betulia, made at a wavelength of 12.6 cm, show a mean radar cross section of 2.2 ± 0.8 km² and a total spectral bandwidth of 26.5 ± 1.5 Hz. Combining our bandwidth measurements with the optically determined rotation period sets a lower limit to the asteroid's radius of 2.9 ± 0.2 km.     

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.     

Radar observations of asteroid 1 Ceres

Radar observations of asteroid 1 Ceres were made at a 12.6-cm wavelength from the Arecibo Observatory in March/April 1977. The measurements, made with a received circular polarization orthogonal to that transmitted, yield a radar cross section of (0.04 ± 0.01)πR², for R = 510 km. The corresponding radar reflectivity is less than that measured for any other celestial body. Within the accuracy of measurement, no significant variation of cross section with rotational phase is apparent. The shape of the power spectrum suggests that Ceres is rougher at the scale of the observing wavelength than the Moon and inner planets, but smoother than the outer three Galilean satellites.     

Preface

'Geology and Tectonics of Venus', special issue edited by Alexander T. Basilevsky (USSR Acad. of Sci. Moscow), James W. Head (Brown University, Providence), Gordon H. Pettengill (MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts) and R. S. Saunders (J.P.L., Pasadena).     

The rings of Saturn: Two-frequency radar observations

Observations of 3.5- and 12.6-cm radar echoes from the rings of Saturn suggest that no significant difference in scattering properties exists in this wavelength interval. The echoes are largely unpolarized at both wavelengths, and yield a radar cross section at 3.5 cm of 7.32 ± 0.84 × 10⁹ km² for each polarization. The combined radar cross sections for both polarizations correspond to 1.37 ± 0.16 times the optically observed projected A- and B-ring areas (excluding that part of the rings shadowed by the planet). The shape of the echo spectrum is compatible with a homogeneous ring scattering model, except in having excess power at frequencies near the center of the spectrum. A number of possible explanations for the observed scattering properties are explored.     

High-resolution radar maps of the lunar surface at 3.8-cm wavelength

The entire earth-facing lunar surface has been mapped at a resolution of 2 km using the 3.8-cm radar of Haystack Observatory. The observations yield the distribution of relative radar backscattering efficiency with an accuracy of about 10% for both the polarized (primarily quasispecular or coherent) and depolarized (diffuse or incoherent) scattered components. The results show a variety of discrete radar features, many of which are correlated with craters or other features of optical photographs. Particular interest, however, attaches to those features with substantially different radio and optical contrasts. An anomaly near 63° is noted in the mean angular scattering law obtained from a summary of the radar data.     

Delay-Doppler radar observations of Saturn's rings

The relative radar reflectiveness of Saturn's classical ring sections were estimated from delay-Doppler observations made at 12.6-cm wavelength. The A and B rings are responsible for most, if not all, of the radar echo. The average radar reflectivity per unit projected area of the A ring is nearly (～90%) as large as that of the B ring. The outer half of the B ring contains the most reflective part of the ring system. There is no firm evidence for detection of radar backscattering from particles interior to the B ring, exterior to the A ring, or from the planet itself. The radar reflectivity of the C ring is certainly no more than one-half that of the B ring, and probably is much less. Unexpectedly large amounts of power at Doppler shifts near the center of the echo spectrum, previously reported at both λ3.5 and λ12.6 cm for ring-plane tilt angles δ ≥ 24.4°, are not apparent in λ3.5- or 12.6-cm spectra obtained at δ ≤ 21.4°.     

The mapping of lunar radar scattering characteristics

This is the first of four articles describing a comprehensive series of radar maps of the entire visible lunar hemisphere carried out at wavelengths of 3.8 and 70 cm and analyzing the echoes in both orthogonal senses of circular polarization. In this paper, the basic techniques of delay-Doppler mapping by radar are developed, and the particular steps employed in mapping the Moon are outlined. Succeeding articles present the results obtained and discuss the way in which these results relate to other, nonradar measurements as well as to the actual lunar surface properties.     

70-cm radar observations of 433 Eros

Radar observations of 433 Eros were made at the Arecibo Observatory using a wavelength of 70 cm during the close approach of Eros to Earth in mid-January, 1975. A peak radar cross section of 39 ± 15 km² was observed. The spectral broadening obtained was approximately 30 Hz, which is consistent with a value of 16 km for the maximum radius of the asteroid. The surface of Eros appears to be relatively rough at the scale of a wavelength as compared to the surfaces of the terrestrial planets and the Moon. The composition of the surface is not well determined, except that it cannot be a highly conducting metal. A single measurement each of round-trip echo times delay and doppler shift was made.     

Radar map of Venus at 3.8 cm wavelength

Radar echoes from Venus have been mapped at a wavelength of 3.8 cm from approximately 270° to 10° in longitude and ?50° to +50° in latitude during the inferior conjunctions of 1969 and 1972. Observations made in April 1969 and again in June 1972 both show the same regions of high reflectivity as well as several large regions of low reflectivity.