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The visible (0.3 to 1.03 microns) spectral reflectances of N2O, NH3, H2S, and NH4HS frosts and mixtures of these frosts as well as their UV-irradiated products have been measured. These spectra are compared with the spectra of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter, Saturn's rings, and Saturn's satellites to place limits on their surface compositions.
The paper studies the detailed spectral characteristics of the planetary nebulae N97 and N153 in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), the planetary nebula N67 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), and the small H II regions N9, N61, and N81 in the SMC. Electron temperatures and densities for each nebula are derived from emission-line strengths determined by photographic spectrophotometry, and relative abundances are estimated for H, He, N, O, Ne, Ar, and S. The results show that: (1) N67 has a 60% overabundance in He/H while N97 and N153 have approximately normal He/H values; (2) all three planetaries have N/H values comparable to those of galactic planetaries but substantially higher than found in the H II regions of their respective Cloud; (3) the O/H values in the planetaries are similar to or lower than those in the H II regions of the respective Cloud; (4) the O/Ne, O/S, and O/Ar ratios in the two LMC planetaries are comparable to those in galactic planetaries; (5) the compositions of the small H II regions in the SMC are nearly identical to those of previously studied large H II regions in the same Cloud; and (6) the He/H ratio of the interstellar gas in the SMC is about 25% less than that in the Galaxy. It is concluded that most of the N abundance in both Clouds arose from nucleosynthesis sources other than planetary nebulae.
Model compositions of the moon and earth were calculated on the assumption that these planets had experienced chondrite-like nebular fractionation processes. The model correctly predicts the abundance ratios of certain volatile/refractory element pairs (e.g., Cd/Ba, Ga/La, Sn/Th, and Pb/U), the density of the moon, and the major rock types. The model is also used to reconstruct the composition of the parent eucrite body, which resembles the moon except for a lower content of refractory elements.
The lunar sample 12013, a complex mixture of gray breccia and black breccia, is described. The gray breccia consists of mostly basaltic and gabbroic lithic clasts as well as plagioclase and pyroxene mineral clasts set in a matrix of smaller clasts and a felsite of granitic composition, while the black breccia is comprised of mostly mineral clasts, some lithic clasts, and felsite blebs enclosed in an aphanitic groundmass of basaltic composition. Textural relationships indicate that the felsite and the black breccia groundmass crystallized from melts which coexisted prior to the final lithification of 12013 but failed to mix. Both the felsite and the black breccia groundmass have extreme enrichments of incompatible elements. The critical feature of their compositions is a 'splitting up' of incompatible element associations so that the highest REE and P concentrations are in the black breccia groundmass, and the highest K, Ba, and Rb concentrations are in the felsite.
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Eight analyses of the atmosphere of Venus were made beginning at an altitude of 42 km right down to the surface of the planet. The following were detected in the atmosphere of Venus: nitrogen in concentrations of 2.5 plus or minus 0.5 volumetric %, argon ir concentrations (4 plus or minus 2) x 10 to the minus 3 power volumetric %, CO--(2.8 plus or minus 1.4) x 10 to the minus 3 power volumetric % and SO2 in concentrations (1.3 plus or minus 0.6) x 10 to the minus 2 power volumetric %. The upper limits were estimated for the content of oxygen and water equal to 2 x 10 to the minus 3 power and 10 to the minus 2 power volumetric %, respectively.
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Model compositions of the earth, Venus, and Mercury are calculated from the premise that planets and chondrites underwent four identical fractionation processes in the solar nebula. Because elements of similar properties stay together in these processes, five constraints suffice to define the composition of a planet: mass of the core, abundance of U, and the ratios K/U, TI/U, and FeO/(FeO + MgO). Complete abundance tables, and normative mineralogies, are given for all three planets. A review of available data shows only a few gross trends for the inner planets: FeO decreases with heliocentric distance, whereas volatiles are depleted and refractories are enriched in the smaller planets.
Observational data available for Sirius are of poorer quality than those for Vega, with both the angular diameter and absolute fluxes at different wavelengths being less accurately known. While these data yield an effective temperature of 10,000 + or - 250 K, the 13-color photometry of Johnson and Mitchell (1975) suggests that Sirius is about 450 K hotter than Vega's effective temperature of 9650 + or - 200 K. The c(1) color of the uvby system, the 33-52 and 35-52 colors of the 13-color photometry, and the H-alpha, H-beta and H-gamma line profiles all give log g values of about 4.3, which is in agreement with the value deduced from the mass and the radius, the latter being deduced from the angular diameter and the parallax.
Agglutinate glasses from nine Apollo soils have been studied using an automated electron microprobe technique in order to test the fusion of the finest fraction model proposed by Papike (1981). The nine average agglutinate glass compositions are compared with the calculated fused-soil-free compositions, the bulk compositions and the 90-20 micron fraction compositions of the soils in which they are found. It is found that the agglutinate glass data are consistent with the composition of most of the fractions finer than 10 microns, allowing for the volatile loss of K2O and Na2O; some inconsistencies that do arise may result from the degree of soil maturity and the amount of material finer than 10 microns. It is concluded that the fusion of the finest fraction model is a good first approximation of mechanisms affecting the formation of agglutinate glass.
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Observational evidence pertaining to the origin and composition of cometary material is reviewed. Arguments favoring the undifferentiated character of the icy conglomerate are summarized. Theoretical descriptions of the sublimation of a cometary nucleus and the velocity field of the expanding gas are presented and compared with observations. The nature of cometary dust and the atomic abundances of H, C, N, O, and S in the volatile fraction are examined, and data on the dust and volatile fractions are combined to derive elemental abundances. It is shown that O, N, and S in cometary nuclei appear to have essentially cosmic abundances but that both H and C are drastically depleted with respect to the cosmic abundances. The apparent depletion of C by a factor of more than three is discussed. It is suggested that the missing carbon might be hidden in the dust fraction in the form of heavy organic molecules or might have remained in either the primeval solar nebula or interstellar space.
Of the 21 samples acquired for the Viking X-ray fluorescence spectrometer, 17 were analyzed to high precision. Compared to typical terrestrial continental soils and lunar mare fines, the Martian fines are lower in Al, higher in Fe, and much higher in S and Cl concentrations. Protected fines at the two lander sites are almost indistinguishable, but concentration of the element S is somewhat higher at Utopia. Duricrust fragments, successfully acquired only at the Chryse site, invariably contained about 50% higher S than fines. No elements correlate positively with S, except Cl and possibly Mg. A sympathetic variation is found among the triad Si, Al, Ca; positive correlation occurs between Ti and Fe. Sample variabilities are as great within a few meters as between lander locations (4500 km apart), implying the existence of a universal Martian regolith component of constant average composition. The nature of the source materials for the regolith fines must be mafic to ultramafic.
The earth's climate as it relates to the evolution of life is discussed.. Seven fundamental characteristics of the early evolutionary environment are examined, including a carbon dioxide and water vapor atmosphere, atmospheric mass between 500 and 1000 mb, a global hydrosphere, lowered solar luminosity, hospitable average global temperatures, a convectively active atmosphere, and trace gases. The influence of the early earth's extensive hydrosphere on the origin of life is considered. The warming of that hydrosphere due to radiative fluxes and the greenhouse effect is examined, and the nature of the feedback between clouds and climate is addressed.
Quantitative molecular abundances are becoming available for dense interstellar clouds and circumstellar envelopes, revealing both similarities across a wide range of source conditions and significant differences in the chemistries involved. As understanding concerning the processes that lead to particular compositions increases, it may become possible to relate these findings to the evolution of molecular clouds and hence to the chemistry of regions in which stellar and planetary formation is in progress. Attention is given to the results of a recently completed spectral scan of the Orion molecular cloud, as well as the envelope around the evolved star IRC + 10216, published by Johansson et al. (1983).
Studies of the charge composition of two solar gamma ray/neutron-flare events reveal a striking enrichment of iron relative to oxygen with a smaller enrichment of intermediate nuclei. He/O is also enhanced and moderate amounts of He-3 are detected but there is no evidence for H-2 or H-3.
A new method to estimate the mean atomic number of primary cosmic rays in energy range 10 to the 3rd power to 10 to the 5th power Gev/nucleon is suggested. The Baksan underground scintillation telescope data are used for this analysis. The results of 7500 h run of this experiment are presented.