Discovery of sodium and potassium vapor in the atmosphere of the moon

Details Discovery of sodium and potassium vapor in the atmosphere of the moon Discovery of sodium and potassium vapor in the atmosphere of the moon

Aug 1988

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1988sci...241..675p&link_type=abstract

Science (ISSN 0036-8075), vol. 241, Aug. 5, 1988, p. 675-680.

Computer Science

96

Lunar Atmosphere, Lunar Limb, Potassium, Sodium Vapor, Emission Spectra, Lunar Composition, Lunar Surface, Vertical Distribution

Scientific paper

A ground-based telescopic study of the lunar surface with high resolution spectroscopy has led to the discovery of sodium and potassium vapor 'atmospheres'. The scale height for the sodium atmosphere is 120 + or - 42 km, and for potassium 90 + or - 20 km; these values imply that the effective temperature of the two elements closely approximates that of the lunar surface. The sodium density at the south polar region is similar to that at the subsolar point, indicating widespread distribution of the vapor. The ratio of sodium to potassium densities, at 6 (+ or - 3):1, is close to the lunar surface ratio and suggests that the atmosphere originated in the vaporization of surface minerals.

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