title: Preliminary infrared radiometry of the night side of mercury from mariner 10.
abstract: The infrared radiometer on Mariner 10 measured the thermal emission from the planet with a spatial resolution element as small as 40 kilometers in a broad wavelength band centered at 45 micrometers. The minimum brightness temperature (near local midnight) in these near-equatorial scans was 100 degrees K. Along the track observed, the temperature declined steadily from local sunset to near midnight, behaving as would be expected for a homogeneous, porous material with a thermal inertia of 0.0017 cal cm(-2) sec(-(1/2)) degrees K(-1), a value only slightly larger than that of the moon. From near midnight to dawn, however, the temperature fluctuated over a range of about 10 degrees K, implying the presence of regions having thermal inertia as high as 0.003 cal cm(-2) sec-(1/2) degrees K(-1).
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chase
authors.forename: E D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Miner
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Münch
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Neugebauer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schroeder