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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 271 records · Page 15
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NASA NTRS1991

Visual and near-IR spectrophotometry of asteroids

We have been continuing our studies of the spectral properties of dark asteroids in the solar system. From these studies we expect to learn about the distribution of volatile materials, such as water in clay materials (water of hydration) and how the asteroids may relate to the comets. Our most recent work has been concentrating on simultaneous visual and near infrared photometry near Earth, main belt, and trojan asteroids. We have made observations of some unusual asteroids such as Chiron, which has recently shown cometary activity, and 944 Hidalgo, which has a comet-like orbit. We have also begun studies of the small, dark satellites of Mars and Jupiter in order to understand better how they may relate to the steroids. Could they actually be captured asteroids or comets?

Lebofsky, Larry A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Far ultraviolet spectrophotometry of BD +28 4211

The results are reported of a November 1989 rocket flight which recorded a flux-calibrated spectrum of BD +28 4211 from 912 to 1150 A with 1A resolution. BD +28 4211, an SdO-type star, is commonly used as an ultraviolet calibration source in the IUE wavelength band. The present work extends the useful range of this standard shortward of Lyman-alpha. Since previous experiments show marked disparity, this study can be useful in determining a standard in the 912 to 1216 A band.

Cook, Timothy A.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Redox effects in ordinary chondrites and implications for asteroid spectrophotometry

The sensitivity of reflectance spectra to mean ferrous iron content and olivine and pyroxene proportion enhancements in the course of metamorphic oxidation is presently used to examine whether metamorphically-induced ranges in mineralogy, and corresponding spectral parameters, may explain the observed variations in S-asteroid rotational spectra. The predicted spectral variations within any one chondrite class are, however, insufficient to account for S-asteroid rotational spectra, and predicted spectral-range slopes have a sign opposite to the rotational measurements. Metamorphic oxidation is found unable to account for S-asteroid rotational spectra.

Mcsween, Harry Y., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Spectrophotometry of Bowen resonance fluorescence lines in three planetary nebulae

The results are presented of a uniquely complete, carefully reduced set of observations of the O III Bowen fluorescence lines in the planetary nebulae NGC 6210, NGC 7027, and NGC 7662. A detailed comparison with the predictions of radiative excitation verify that some secondary lines are enhanced by selective population by the charge exchange mechanism involving O IV. Charge exchange is most important in NGC 6210, which is of significantly lower ionization than the other nebulae. In addition to the principal Bowen lines arising from Ly-alpha pumping of the O III O1 line, lines arising from pumping of the O3 line are also observed. Comparison of lines produced by O1 and O3 with the theoretical predictions of Neufeld indicate poor agreement; comparison with the theoretical predictions of Harrington show agreement with NGC 7027 and NGC 7662.

O'Dell, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1992

A new solar irradiance calibration from 3295 A to 8500 A derived from absolute spectrophotometry of Vega

By imaging sunlight diffracted by 20- and 30-micron diameter pinholes onto the entrance aperture of a photoelectric grating scanner, the solar spectral irradiance was determined relative to the spectrophotometric standard star Vega, observed at night with the same instrument. Solar irradiances are tabulated at 4 A increments from 3295 A to 8500 A. Over most of the visible spectrum, the internal error of measurement is less than 2 percent. This calibration is compared with earlier irradiance measurements by Neckel and Labs (1984) and by Arvesen et al. (1969) and with the high-resolution solar atlas by Kurucz et al. The three calibrations agree well in visible light but differ by as much as 10 percent in the ultraviolet.

Lockwood, G. W.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Ground-based observations of 951 Gaspra: CCD lightcurves and spectrophotometry with the Galileo filters

This paper reports the observations of 951 Gaspra carried out at the European Southern Observatory (La Silla, Chile) during the 1991 apparition, using the DLR CCD Camera equipped with a spare set of the Galileo SSI filters. Time-resolved spectrophotometric measurements are presented. The occurrence of spectral variations with rotation suggests the presence of surface variegation.

Mottola, Stefano↗
NASA NTRS1993

Multi-filter spectrophotometry of quasar environments

A many-filter photometric technique for determining redshifts and morphological types, by fitting spectral templates to spectral energy distributions, has good potential for application in surveys. Despite success in studies performed on simulated data, the results have not been fully reliable when applied to real, low signal-to-noise data. We are investigating techniques to improve the fitting process.

Craven, Sally E.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Optical spectrophotometry of Wolf-Rayet galaxies

We have obtained long-slit optical spectra of 10 Wolf-Rayet galaxies and four other starburst galaxies. Using the nebular emission lines we have determined the electron temperatures, electron densities, extinctions, oxygen abundances, mass of ionized hydrogen, and numbers of ionizing photons due to hot stars in these galaxies. The various forbidden line ratios clearly indicate a stellar origin for the emission-line spectrum. From the flux of the broad He II 4686 A emission feature we have estimated the number of Wolf-Rayet stars present. We have accounted for the contribution of these stars to the total ionizing flux and have calculated the ratio of the number of these stars to the number of O stars. Wolf-Rayet galaxies are among the youngest examples of the starburst phenomenon, which we observed at a propitious moment.

Vacca, William D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

The abundance of ammonia in Comet P/Halley derived from ultraviolet spectrophotometry of NH by ASTRON and IUE

From an analysis of the spatial profiles of both the NH and OH UV emissions observed by the ASTRON satellite, the ratio of ammonia-to-water production rates in Comet Halley on April 9, 1986 is derived and found to lie in the range of 0.44-0.94 percent. In order to compare this result with those based on both ground-based and in situ observations made on other dates during the 1985-1986 apparition of the comet, the IUE observational data base for December 1985 and March-April 1986 is used to evaluate the ratio of NH to OH column density in the IUE field of view and thus constrain the long-term behavior of this ratio. The IUE data base indicates that, to within a factor of 2, the ammonia-to-water production rate ratio is the same for a small sample of moderately bright comets observed recently.

Feldman, P. D.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Optical spectrophotometry of oscillations and flickering in AE Aquarii

We observed rapid variations in the nova-like cataclysmic variable AE Aquarii for 1.7 hr with 4.3 s time resolution using the 30-channel (3227-10494 A) spectrophotometer on the Hale 5 m telescope. The 16.5 and 33.0 s oscillations show a featureless blue spectrum that can be represented by a blackbody with temperature and area much smaller than the accretion disk. Models consisting of the sum of a K star spectrum and a hydrogen slab in LTE at T = 6000-10,000 K can fit the spectrum of AE Aquarii reasonably well. The spectrum of a flare indicates optically thin gas with T = 8000-12,000 K. The energy released by the flare is large compared to typical stellar flares.

Welsh, William F.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Titan - 1.5 micron photometry and spectrophotometry and a search for variability

The first photometric measurements of Titan in the mid-IR free of possible contamination from long-wavelength filter leaks are reported. A low-resolution spectrum covering the last unobserved gap in Titan's near-IR spectrum from 3.1 to 5.1 micron is shown. A series of photometric measurements is reported that may lay the foundation for long-term searches for variations in the albedos. Low-resolution spectra of Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa are also reported along with marginal detections of Neptune at 4.8 micron and two 4.8 micron observations of Uranus.

Noll, Keith S.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Spectrophotometry of Wolf-Rayet stars. I - Continuum energy distributions

All available low-resolution IUE spectra are assembled for Galactic, LMC, and SMC W-R stars and are merged with ground-based optical and NIR spectra in order to collate in a systematic fashion the shapes of these energy distributions over the wavelength range 0.1-1 micron. They can be consistently fitted by a power law of the form F(lambda) is approximately equal to lambda exp -alpha over the range 1500-9000 A to derive color excesses E(B-V) and spectral indices by removing the 2175-A interstellar absorption feature. The WN star color excesses derived are found to be in good agreement with those of Schmutz and Vacca (1991) and Koesterke et al. (1991). Significant heterogeneity in spectral index values was generally seen with any given subtype, but the groups consisting of the combined set of Galactic and LMC W-R stars, the separate WN and WC sequences, and the Galactic and LMC W-R stars all showed a striking and consistent Gaussian-like frequency distribution of values.

Morris, Patrick W.↗
NASA NTRS1990

Spectrophotometry of emission-line stars in the magellanic clouds

The strong emission lines in the most luminous stars in the Magellanic Clouds indicate that these stars have such strong stellar winds that their photospheres are so masked that optical absorption lines do not provide an accurate measure of photospheric conditions. In the research funded by this grant, temperatures and gravities of emission-line stars both in the Large (LMC) and Small Magellanic Clouds (SMC) have been measured by fitting of continuum ultraviolet-optical fluxes observed with IUE with theoretical model atmospheres. Preliminary results from this work formed a major part of an invited review 'The Distribution of Types of Luminous Blue Variables'. Interpretation of the IUE observations obtained in this grant and archive data were also included in a talk at the First Boulder-Munich Hot Stars Workshop. Final results of these studies are now being completed for publication in refereed journals.

Bohannan, Bruce↗
NASA NTRS1994

Determination of copper in tap water using solid-phase spectrophotometry

A new application of ion exchange films is presented. The films are used in a simple analytical method of directly determining low concentrations of Cu(2+) in aqueous solutions, in particular, drinking water. The basis for this new test method is the color and absorption intensity of the ion when adsorbed onto the film. The film takes on the characteristic color of the adsorbed cation, which is concentrated on the film by many orders of magnitude. The linear relationship between absorbance (corrected for variations in film thickness) and solution concentration makes the determinations possible. These determinations agree well with flame atomic absorption determinations.

Hill, Carol M.↗
NASA NTRS1993

Airborne spectrophotometry of SN 1987A from 1.7 to 12.6 microns - Time history of the dust continuum and line emission

Spectrophotometric observations of SN 1987A from the Kuiper Airborne Observatory are presented for five epochs at 60, 260, 415, 615, and 775 days after the explosion. The low-resolution (lambda/Delta lambda = 50-100) spectra of SN 1987A are combined with data from other wavelengths to model the continuum, subtract the continuum from the spectra to determine line strengths and reveal molecular bands, separate the atomic continuum radiation from the dust continuum, and derive constraints on the grain temperatures and optical depths. A scenario for the evolution of SN 1987A and that of the ejecta from which it arises is obtained on the basis of the analysis of the continuum emission.

Wooden, Diane H.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Spectrophotometry and organic matter on Iapetus. 1: Composition models

Iapetus shows a greater hemispheric albedo asymmetry than any other body in the solar system. Hapke scattering theory and optical constants measured in the laboratory are used to identify possible compositions for the dark material on the leading hemisphere of Iapetus. The materials considered are poly-HCN, kerogen, Murchison organic residue, Titan tholin, ice tholin, and water ice. Three-component mixtures of these materials are modeled in intraparticle mixture of 25% poly-HCN, 10% Murchison residue, and 65% water ice is found to best fit the spectrum, albedo, and phase behavior of the dark material. The Murchison residue and/or water ice can be replaced by kerogen and ice tholin, respectively, and still produce very good fits. Areal and particle mixtures of poly-HCN, Titan tholin, and either ice tholin or Murchison residue are also possible models. Poly-HCN is a necessary component in almost all good models. The presence of poly-HCN can be further tested by high-resolution observations near 4.5 micrometers.

Wilson, Peter D.↗