Extreme limb profiles of the sun at far-infrared and submillimeter wavelengths

Technical Report · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1986

OSTI ID:7185601

Lindsey, C; Becklin, E E; Orrall, F Q; Werner, M W; Jefferies, J T; Gatley, I

Thirty, 50, 100, and 200 microns solar limb intensity profiles determined with arcsecond resolution from airborne observations of the occultation of the solar limb during the total eclipse of 1981 July 31 are presented. Two points of particular importance emerge: (1) the longer-wavelength (100 and 200 micron) limbs are significantly brighter than disk center. At 200 microns the extreme limb is about 1.22 times the brightness of disk center. This is consistent with the 6000 K temperature-plateau structure of the model chromospheres of Vernazza, Avrett, and Loeser (1973, Ap. J., 184, 605; 1981; Ap. J. Suppl., 45, 635;) and (2) the longer wavelength limbs are extended significantly further above the visible limb than Vernazza, Avrett, and Loeser predict. These results provide a strong basis for modeling of the solar chromosphere free from the assumption of gravitational-hydrostatic equilibrium.

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Moffett Field, CA (USA). Ames Research Center
• OSTI ID: 7185601
• Report Number(s): N-86-32375; NASA-TM-88251; A-86236; NAS-1.15:88251
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640104* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Solar Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERES
CHROMOSPHERE
DATA
DATA ACQUISITION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FAR INFRARED RADIATION
INFORMATION
INFRARED RADIATION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NUMERICAL DATA
RADIATIONS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
SOLAR FLARES
SOLAR RADIATION
STELLAR RADIATION