title: Infrared Moon imaging for remote sensing of atmospheric smoke layers.
abstract: Simultaneous visible and long-wave infrared (IR) images of the Moon were used with a simple energy-balance model to study the spatial pattern of lunar surface temperatures. The thermal images were obtained with a radiometrically calibrated, compact, low-cost, commercial IR camera mounted on a small telescope. Differences between the predicted and measured maximum Moon temperatures were used to determine the infrared optical depth (OD), which represents the path-integrated extinction of an elevated layer of wildfire smoke in the atmosphere. The OD values retrieved from the IR Moon images were combined with simultaneous OD measurements from a ground-based, zenith-pointing lidar operating at a wavelength of 532 nm to determine an IR-to-visible OD ratio of 0.50±0.18 for moderately aged wildfire smoke aerosol.
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Nugent
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vollmer