On the temperature dependence of possible S8 infrared bands in planetary atmospheres

Measurements of the temperature dependence between 77 and 333°K of the infrared spectrum of cyclic octatomic sulfur suggest that the 23 μm Jovian feature very tentatively identified by Houck et al. [Science 189, 720–722 (1975)] is not due to S₈; and that the temperature dependence of the frequency of the 835 cm^? band of S₈ may be a useful temperature marker in planetary studies.