Ultraviolet Albedo of the Moon with the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope

Richard C. Henry, Paul D. Feldman, Jeffrey W. Kruk,
Arthur F. Davidsen, and Samuel T. Durrance
Center for Astrophysical Sciences,
Department of Physics and Astronomy, The Johns Hopkins University
Charles and 34th Streets, Baltimore, Maryland 21218-2695

Abstract:

During the 1995 March flight of the Hopkins Ultraviolet Telescope (HUT), as part of the Astro-2 Space Shuttle mission, we observed the Earth's Moon over the wavelength range 820 to 1840 Å, with a resolution of 3 -- 4 Å, finding the ultraviolet albedo of the Moon to be 0.038 0.0038 at 1700 Å. We also find a gentle increase in the albedo toward shorter wavelengths. Ultraviolet albedo measurements may represent a useful tool for selenographic exploration.

Subject headings: Moon --- ultraviolet: solar system



rch@pha.jhu.edu