Abstract
An empirical model of the photosphere rests on observations of: (1) the solar constant—which fixes the temperature scale, (2) limb darkening—from which the variation of temperature with depth throughout the atmosphere is determined, and (3) the energy distribution—which, together with limb darkening, reveals the opacity at each depth and for each wavelength.
Chap. I: The contineuous spectrum was written by Pierce; Chap. II: The Fraunhofer spectrum by Goldberg.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
General references
Unsöld, A.: Physik der Sternatmosphären, 2nd ed. Berlin: Springer 1955. — A comprehensive and detailed account of the physics of stellar atmospheres: Stellar atmospheres in thermal equilibrium. Continuous spectrum and formation of stellar atmospheres. Measurement of the intensity distribution in Fraunhofer lines. Physical foundations of the theory of Fraunhofer lines. The origin of the Fraunhofer lines. Physics of the Sun. Unsöld’s 57 page bibliography covers the literature in the above fields to 1955.
Chandrasekhar, S.: Radiative transfer. Oxford: Clarendon Press 1950.
Kourganoff, V.: Basic methods in transfer problems. Oxford: Clarendon Press 1952. — Ref. [2] and [3] present in detail all the known mathematical methods and techniques employed in the solution of the equation of radiative transfer for plane parallel atmospheres.
Woolley, R. v. d. r., and D. W. N. Stibbs: The outer layers of a star. Oxford: Clarendon Press 1953. — Especially valuable for its presentation of the physical concept of transfer problems both for the continuum and for absorption lines.
Minnaert, M.: The Solar System, Vol.1: The Sun. Chap. III: the Photosphere, ed. G. P. Kuiper. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago University Press. 1953. — An excellent review of the empirical models of the photosphere. Part one treats the continuum, part two the Fraunhofer spectrum. Contains an extensive bibliography up to 1953.
Righini, G.: Draft Report Commission 12 International Astronomical Union 1958. — A very brief summary of the most recent work on the solar photosphere.
Strömgren, B.: Astrophysics, ed. by Hynek, Chap. V: The growth of our knowledge of the physics of the stars. New York: McGraw-Hill 1951. — A historical review of the work on the continuum and line spectrum.
Aller, L. H.: The atmospheres of the sun and stars. New York: Ronald Press Co. 1953. — A textbook covering the fundamentals and leading to the modern theories and observations of the sun and stars.
Moore, C. E.: Handbook of the Solar System, Vol. I, Chap. 4, The Identification of Solar Lines, ed. by G. P. Kuiper. Chicago, Ill.: Chicago University Press 1953. — Summarizes techniques and results connected with measurements of wavelengths and identifications of solar lines.
St. John, C. E., C. E. Moore, L. M. Ware, E. F. Adams and H. D. Babcock: A Revision of Rowland’s Preliminary Table of Solar Spectrum Wavelengths. Published by Carnegie Institution of Washington. No. 396, 1928. — Contains wavelengths, identifications and eye estimates of intensities for Fraunhofer lines in the wavelength region λ 2975 — λ 7331, with an infrared addendum λ 7333 — λ 10218. A new Revised Rowland Table covering the entire photographic region observable from the ground, i.e., λ 2935 to λ 13495 is in preparation by C. E. Moore.
Babcock, H. D., and C. E. Moore: The Solar Spectrum, λ 6600 — λ 13495. Published by Carnegie Institution of Washington, No. 579, 1947. Wavelengths, identifications and eye estimates of intensities. An ultraviolet extension to the 1928 Revised Rowland, λ 2935 — λ 3060, has also been published by H. D. Babcock, C. E. Moore and M. F. Coffeen: Astrophys. Journ. 107, 287 (1948).
Minnaert, M., G. F. W. Mulders and J. Houtgast: Photometric Atlas of the Solar Spectrum. Amsterdam: D. Schnabel 1940. — Complete intensity map of Fraunhofer spectrum in the region λ 3332 — λ 8771.
Photometric Catalogue of Fraunhofer Lines λ 6600 — λ 8770. Rech. Astr. Obs. Utrecht 12, Part 2 (1951). — Contains catalogue of equivalent widths measured from Utrecht Atlas. Measurements in the region λ 4500 — λ 6600 have also been completed but not yet published.
Mohler, O. C., A. K. Pierce, R. R. McMath and L. Goldberg: Photometric Atlas of the Near Infrared Solar Spectrum, λ 8465 — λ 25242. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press 1950. — Extends the Utrecht Atlas to the near infrared by observations made with photoconductive cells.
Mohler, O. C.: A Table of Solar Spectrum Wavelengths 11 984 Å to 25 578 Å. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press 1955. — The companion table to the Michigan infrared atlas, containing wavelengths, identifications and equivalent widths of both solar and telluric lines.
Migeotte, M., L. Neven and J. Swensson: The Solar Spectrum from 2.8 to 23.7 Microns. Mém. Soc. Roy. Sci. Liège, Special Volume No. 1 (1956); No. 2 (1957). In three parts. Parts I and II contain an intensity atlas and a table of wavelengths, respectively. Part III, still in preparation, will consist of an atlas of laboratory spectra of molecules present in the earth’s atmosphere.
Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1959 Springer-Verlag OHG. Berlin · Göttingen · Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Goldberg, L., Pierce, A.K. (1959). The Photosphere of the Sun. In: Flügge, S. (eds) Astrophysics III: The Solar System / Astrophysik III: Das Sonnensystem. Handbuch der Physik Encyclopedia of Physics, vol 11 / 52. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45929-0_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45929-0_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-45931-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-45929-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive