Photometer calibration error using extended standard sources

Abstract

As part of a project to compare measurements of the night airglow made by the visible airglow experiment on the Atmospheric Explorer-C satellite, the standard light sources of several airglow observatories were compared with the standard source used in the absolute calibration of the satellite photometer. In the course of the comparison, it has been found that serious calibration errors (up to a factor of two) can arise when a calibration source with a reflecting surface is placed close to an interference filter. For reliable absolute calibration, the source should be located at a distance of at least five filter radii from the interference filter.