Detecting extended solar-system structures with COBE (Cosmic Background Explorer)

Technical Report · Wed Nov 29 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:7145547

Sykes, M V

The Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) offers a new opportunity for the study of extended solar system structures discovered by the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). It is expected that of these structures, Type II dust trails may be detected by the Diffuse Infrared Background Experiment (DIRBE) in which case there will be a final chance to discover their parent sources, which are as yet unknown, by immediate follow-up from groundbased imaging along the trail. Zodiacal dust bands will be easily detected at most wavelengths by DIRBE, allowing for additional analysis of their structure and geometry, as well as comparison at near-infrared wavelengths with the spectra of asteroid family members from which they are thought to derive. The other COBE experiments, as a consequence of their large beam sizes and long operating wavelengths, are not expected generally to detect these structures in the broad zodiacal emission.

• Research Organization: Steward Observatory, Tucson, AZ (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7145547
• Report Number(s): AD-A-216380/6/XAB; SCIENTIFIC--4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640107* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Planetary Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ASTEROIDS
ASTRONOMY
BACKGROUND RADIATION
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
COSMIC DUST
COSMIC RADIATION
DETECTION
DIFFUSION
DUSTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EMISSION
INFRARED RADIATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
NEAR INFRARED RADIATION
RADIATIONS
SATELLITES
SIZE
SOLAR SYSTEM
ZODIACAL LIGHT