Article

Calibration of planetary brightness temperature spectra at near-millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths with a Fourier-transform spectrometer.

Applied Optics (impact factor: 1.41). 06/1996; 35(16):2752-63. pp.2752-63
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT A medium-resolution Fourier-transform spectrometer for ground-based observation of astronomical sources at near-millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths is described. The steps involved in measuring and calibrating astronomical spectra are elaborated. The spectrometer is well suited to planetary spectroscopy, and initial measurements of the intrinsic brightness temperature spectra of Uranus and Neptune at wavelengths of 1.0 to 1.5 mm are presented.

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Keywords

astronomical sources
 
calibrating astronomical spectra
 
initial measurements
 
intrinsic brightness temperature spectra
 
medium-resolution Fourier-transform spectrometer
 
Neptune
 
planetary spectroscopy