Smithsonian Contributions to Astrophysics VOLUME 5, NUMBER 8 AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON INTERPLANETARY DUST by PAUL W. HODGE, FRANCES W. WRIGHT, AND DORRIT HOFFLEIT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Washington, D.C. 1961 Publications of the Astrophysical Observatory This series, Smithsonian Contributions to Astrophysics, was inaugurated in 1956 to provide a proper communication for the results of research con- ducted at the Astrophysical Observatory of the Smithsonian Institution. Its purpose is the "increase and diffusion of knowledge" in the field of astrophysics, with particular emphasis on problems of the sun, the earth and the solar system. Its pages are open to a limited number of papers by other investigators with whom we have common interests. Another series is Annals of the Astrophysical Observatory. It was started in 1900 by the Observatory's first director, Samuel P. Langley, and has been published about every 10 years since that date. These quarto volumes, some of which are still available, record the history of the Observatory's researches and activities. Many technical papers and volumes emanating from the Astrophysical Observatory have appeared in the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. Among these are Smithsonian Physical Tables, Smithsonian Meteorological Tables, and World Weather Records. Additional information concerning these publications may be secured from the Editorial and Publications Division, Smithsonian Institution, Wash- ington, D.C. FBED L. WHIPPLE, Director, Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Mass. Smithsonian Institution. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington 25, D.C. - Price 25 cents An Annotated Bibliography on Interplanetary Dust BY PAUL W. HODGE,1 FRANCES W. WRIGHT,1 AND DORRIT HOFFLEIT3 This annotated bibliography presents a AHNERT, E. compilation of references to significant papers 1954. Preliminary report on attempts to de- relating to the study of interplanetary dust. tect meteoritic dust. Die Sterne, Some references have been included from vol. 30, pp. 36-38. (In German.) Bibliography on Meteoritic Dust with Brief The lack of nickel in the spherules col- Abstracts compiled by Hoffleit (Harvard College lected by Thomsen (1953) casts doubt on Observatory Reprint Series n-43, 45 pp., 1952), their interplanetary origin. Hoffmeister and now out of print. has collected dust in the neighborhood of In the selection of references from the factories and has found spherules (45 to Hoffleit bibliography, we have attempted to 135jt in diameter) similar, at first glance, to include all important papers as well as repre- Thomsen's spherules, but nonmagnetic. sentative samples that are of special interest Collections from more isolated regions con- for historical reasons. tained no spherules. Collections from snow In the selection of references published since showed no spherules but did show irregular the appearance of the Hoffleit bibliography, we particles, 15 percent of which were mag- have been guided by the main principles that netic, with diameters of 100 to 200M- Hoffleit adopted for her compilation: Three types of dust have been considered as meteor- ALLEN, C. W. itic dust in the search for material: particles that enter 1956. Influence of solar atomic emission on the upper atmosphere as minute dust particles (the the orbits of interplanetary parti- zodiacal light may be a source of such); dust products cles. Observatory, vol. 76, pp. of the disintegration of larger meteoroidal masses during their passage through the atmosphere; and 101-103. possible pulverized remnants of meteorite-impacts. The author discusses the magnitude of In addition, we include some papers relating the collision effect and shows that the rate to interplanetary dust outside the earth's at which particles approach the sun may be atmosphere. greater than that indicated by calculations As far as practicable, the titles of journals based on the Poynting-Robertson effect. appear in the original language of publication. He does not consider the influence of large- For maximum usefulness to the reader, how- scale solar magnetic fields. ever, titles of papers are given in English. ANGSTRSM, A. Papers written in a language other than 1929. On the atmospheric transmission of English are usually indicated by a parenthetical sun radiation and on dust in the note. air. Geografiska Annaler, vol. 11, p. 156ff. 1 Harvard College Observatory and Smithsonian Astropbyslcal Ob* servatory, Cambridge, Mass. The author studies the effect of dust on •Maria Mitchell Observatory, Nantuckct, Mass., and Yale Uni- versity Observatory, New Haven, Conn. measurements of the solar constant; he be- 86 86 SMITHSONIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ASTROPHYSICS lieves that dust of cosmic origin may be lists of bolides observed in the U.S.S.R. characterized by particles of smaller size Chapters 34 and 35 deal with meteoric than those of volcanic origin or of dust and cosmic dust in the earth's atmosphere, brought by convection from the earth to and meteoric material on the earth's the atmosphere. surface. The author gives a review of work done by others on meteoric and cosmic ANONYMOUS dust in the earth's atmosphere and on 1885. Meteoric dust. Sci. American, vol. meteoric material on the earth's surface. 52, p. 83ff. He concludes that more than 16,000 tons of The complete article reads: "A metallic meteoric material fall on the earth each substance in powder or small granules has year. been sent to the Science News laboratory for examination. It proves to be meteoric BARBIER, D. dust, largely composed of iron, nickel, and 1955. Variations in intensity of the zodiacal silica. Dr. Batchelder, of Pelham, N.H., light. M6m. Soc. Roy. Sci. Li6ge, who sent the specimen, states that he col- ser. 4., vol. 15, pp. 55-71. (In lected the dust on the walk in front of his French.) house after a smart thunder shower. It is The author describes his photoelectric probable that large quantities of this ma- measurements in three colors of the in- terial fall upon the earth, but remain un- tensity of the zodiacal light, and discusses noticed. Much of the iron found in soils is the variations of intensity and color with due to precipitation from interstellar time. spaces, the particles becoming entangled in our atmosphere." BARRINGER, D. B. 1909. Meteor crater in Northern Central ANYZESKI, V. Arizona. Pamphlet, National 1947. A conjecture on the nature of some Academy of Sciences, 24 pp. meteoritic matter. Pop. Astron., The author discusses small specks of vol. 55, pp. 169-171. meteoritic material admixed with rock The author suggests that some meteors fragments. may be solid hydrogen or ice with inclusions of ordinary meteoritic material. Some BEACH, A. bolides on entering the atmosphere may 1942. The zodiacal light. Astron. Soc. have a thick coating of hydrogen that Pacific, Leaflet No. 155, 8 pp. might account for some trains and might This is a historical note in popular style. explain the "nebulous meteors." BEARD, D. B. ARAGO, D. F. J. 1959. Interplanetary dust distribution. 1857. A list of the principal recorded show- Astrophys. Journ., vol. 129, pp. ers of cosmic dust. Astron. Popu- 496-506. laire, vol. 4, p. 208ff. The author maintains that the most reliable estimates of the concentration of ASTAPOVICH, I. S. of interplanetary dust depend upon our 1958. Bolides and their dust trains. In interpretations of measurements of Meteoric phenomena in the earth's scattered light observed in the solar corona atmosphere. State Publishing and in the night sky. On this basis, and House of Phys.-Math. literature, also from a theoretical discussion, he con- Moscow. (In Russian.) cludes that interplanetary dust is probably In Chapter 29 the author discusses distributed as r~3/a, where r is the distance bolides and their dust trains, and gives from the sun, and certainly the variation ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ON INTERPLANETARY DUST 87 of the dust concentration with solar 1953b. The structure of the zodiacal light. distance has this rate as an upper limit. Experimentia, vol. 9, pp. 134-135. He gives a few microns as the minimum (In German.) radius of the dust particles, and deduces At the Jungfraujoch the authors made that near the minimum particle radius, 3 8 photoelectric observations of the intensity the particle number varies as a" - , where and polarization of the zodiacal light. Chi a is the particle radius. The mass of all the the assumption that the polarization arises planets causes the dust to move towards from free electrons, the authors calculate a the ecliptic, and the distance from the space density of dust particles of 10~w/cm8, ecliptic is proportional to the solar distance which is nearly constant through the of the dust. The dust concentration at ecliptic. the earth's orbit is approximately 10~M to 15 3 10~ particles per cm , but at the earth's BOWEN, E. G. surface it is 10~10 to 10~" particles per cm3. 1953. The influence of meteoric dust on rainfall. Australian Journ. Phys., BEHR, A., and SIBDENTOPF, H. vol. 6, pp. 490-197. 1953a. Investigations of the zodiacal light Data on worldwide rainfall suggest a and the gegenschein from photo- correlation between rainfall and meteor electric measures on the Jungfrau- showers. In some localities heavy rainfalls joch. Zeitschr. Astrophys., vol. 32, tend to occur on certain days in a pattern pp. 19-50. (In German.) repeated yearly. The author suggests that The authors observed the brightness and meteoritic dust provides rain-forming nu- the polarization of the evening zodiacal clei when it enters cloud systems in the lower light by using a photoelectric photometer atmosphere. Particles with diameters of in two colors. They also observed the night 1 to 4/x require 30 to 50 days to fall to about sky in the region of the gegenschein. They 45,000 feet above the earth. This rate of interpreted the observations on the work- fall explains the 30-day lag between the ing hypothesis that the zodiacal light occurrence of the Geminid, Ursid, and material consists partly of free electrons, Quadrantid meteor showers, and the re- which cause the observed polarization, and corded maximum rainfalls.