Eclipse: technology and mission concept for the coronagraphic imaging survey of nearby planetary systems
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Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Backman, D..
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We present an overview of the science capabilities enabled by a mid-infrared camera/spectrometer on board the NGST. Even without full mid-IR optimization, a mid-infrared (5-30 microns) instrument on the NGST will be orders of magnitude more sensitive than any equivalent ground-based instrument/telescope combination. In the extragalactic arena, the mid-IR region is critical for a complete understanding of the or high-redshift universe, dusty star-formation regions at low and high redshifts, and starburst vs. AGN discrimination. In the local universe, great strides forward can be made using mid-IR imaging, spectroscopy, and coronagraphy of dusty and rocky disks of all ages, from protostellar to remnant debris disks. Near-neighbor detection and characterization can also be greatly advanced by mid-infrared observations.
Optical observations of the X-ray burst source MXB 1837 + 05 (Ser X-1) made at different observatories are discussed. Six X-ray bursts were detected with SAS-3 X-ray Observatory during these observations, but no simultaneous optical signals were seen during or after any of these bursts. For an assumed burst duration of 10 sec, the 3-sigma upper limits of the ratio of the detected energy in an optical burst to that in an X-ray burst range from 3 x 10 to the minus fifth to 6 x 10 to the minus fifth.