Abstract
THE strong absorption bands of water vapour and carbon dioxide in the infra-red obscure much of the solar spectrum from observation on the ground. By working at high altitude, however, it is possible to use measurements of absorption in these bands for obtaining data about the concentration of water vapour and other atmospheric constituents in the upper atmosphere. To make such measurements, an infra-red grating spectrometer with a resolution ∼ 2 cm.−1 has been installed in a Canberra aircraft. A heliostat maintains a steady image of the sun on the input slit of the spectrometer. The spectrometer and heliostat are installed in the unpressurized part of the aircraft necessitating an elaborate system of remote control for its operation.
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HOUGHTON, J., MOSS, T., SEELEY, J. et al. Some Observations of the Infra-red Solar Spectrum from a High-flying Aircraft. Nature 180, 1187–1188 (1957). https://doi.org/10.1038/1801187b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1801187b0
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