INFRARED OBSERVATIONS OF THE OUTER SOLAR CORONA.
Abstract
The 2.2 microns wavelength outer solar corona has been observed in two experiments: first, employing a ground-based telescope during the 93 second totality of the eclipse of 12 November 1966; and second, employing a balloon package with an infrared coronagraph, flown to an altitude of 28 km, during a 5.25 hour period, on 9 January 1967. The design and evaluation of the balloon-borne coronagraph is discussed, and the various origins of stray light investigated. The flight coronagraph was found to introduce a stray radiance of less than 3 x 10 to the -12th power B sub dot, where B sub dot is the radiance of the mean solar disk at 2.2 microns. During eclipse the corona was observed from 2 to 6 solar radii in the ecliptic plane, and at a single point perpendicular to the ecliptic, at 5 solar radii. Balloon observations covered the range 3.7 to 10 solar radii, at position angles from 20 degrees north to 40 degrees south of the ecliptic, on the east limb of the sun. Features attributed to the vaporization of interplanetary material were observed at 3.5, 4, 8.7 and 9.2 solar radii, the former two during the period of totality, and the latter three during the balloon observations. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 31, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0664079
Entities
People
- Robert M. Macqueen
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University