Paper
MEASUREMENT OF MICROWAVE RADIATION FROM THE PLANET MERCURY
Published Nov 1, 1962 · A. H. Barrett, F. Haddock, W. E. Howard
The Astrophysical Journal
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Abstract
BS>The microwave emission from the planet Mercury has been measured relative to the flux density of three radio sources at wavelengths of 3.45 and 3.75 cm, using the University of Michigan 85-foot reflector with two different radiometers. The measured mean antenna temperature is 0.05 deg K. From this value a mean equivalent black-body disk temperature of about 400 deg K is derived. A subsolar point temperature of the planet of 1100 deg plus or minus 300 deg K (est. m.e.) at mean solar distance is derived if it is assumed that the temperature distribution of the sunlit surface of Mercury varies as the one- quarter power of cos theta , where theta is the angle of incidence of solar radiation, and that the temperature of the dark hemisphere is zero. A lower subsolar temperature is obtained if radioactive heating and a lunartype insulating dust layer on the surface are assumed, since the dark hemisphere will then contribute to the mean disk temperature. The effect of orbital libration will also modity the deduced subsolar temperature. (auth)
The subsolar temperature of Mercury is 1100 deg plus or minus 300 deg K at mean solar distance, with radioactive heating and a lunar-type insulating dust layer potentially lowering this temperature.
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