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Article
Radial Velocity Observations of the Extended Lunar Sodium Tail
Geophysical Research Letters
  • E. J. Mierkiewicz, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  • M. Line, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • F. L. Roesler, University of Wisconsin-Madison
  • R. J. Oliversen, Goddard Space Flight Center
Document Type
Article
Publication/Presentation Date
10-28-2006
Abstract/Description

We report the first velocity resolved sodium 5889.950 Å line profile observations of the lunar sodium tail observed in the anti-lunar direction near new Moon. These observations were made on 29 March 2006, 27 April 2006 and 28 April 2006 from Pine Bluff (WI) observatory with a double etalon Fabry-Perot spectrometer at a resolving power of ∼80,000. The observations were made within 2–14 hours from new Moon, pointing near the anti-lunar point. The average observed radial velocity of the lunar sodium tail in the vicinity of the anti-lunar point for the three nights reported was 12.4 km s−1 (from geocentric zero). The average Doppler width of a single Gaussian fit to the emission line was 7.6 km s−1. In some cases the line profile appears asymmetric, with excess lunar sodium emission at higher velocity (∼18 km s−1 from geocentric zero) that is not accounted for by our single Gaussian fit to the emission.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027650
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Additional Information

Article # L20106

Dr. Mierkiewicz was not affiliated with Embry-RIddle Aeronautical University at the time this paper was published.

Required Publisher’s Statement
“Mierkiewicz, E. J., Line, M., Roesler, F. L., & Oliversen, R. J. (2006). Radial velocity observations of the extended lunar sodium tail. Geophysical Research Letters, 33(20), L20106, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027650. To view the published open abstract, go to https://doi.org and enter the DOI.”
Citation Information
E. J. Mierkiewicz, M. Line, F. L. Roesler and R. J. Oliversen. "Radial Velocity Observations of the Extended Lunar Sodium Tail" Geophysical Research Letters Vol. 33 Iss. 20 (2006)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/edwin_mierkiewicz/6/