Infrared emission from interplanetary dust

Abstract

The infrared sky is dominated on large scales by emission from interplanetary dust, which produces the zodiacal emission (ZE), and interstellar dust. These two components of the infrared background differ in angular and spectral distribution, allowing the two to be separated easily in some places. A method of determining the emission from interplanetary dust near the Earth's orbit is described, and the results are compared to predictions for realistic materials with the interplanetary size distribution measured in situ.