Solid Particles in the Solar System

Our knowledge of the distribution and properties of the small solid particles within the solar system continues to improve rapidly. Much of the progress is due to observations from spacecraft which offer completely new locations from which to view phenomena such as the zodiacal light. In combination with ground-based observations and improved theoretical models, a picture now emerges with a clarity un­ attainable even a few years ago. The need for a survey of the situation was recognized in 1976 and, at meetings of COSPAR and the International Astronomical Union in that year, planning began for a symposium to be held in 1979 at a time and place convenient for those attending the IAU General Assembly in Montreal. The result was IAU Symposium No. 90, "Solid Particles in the Solar System", held at the University of Ottawa, from August 27 to 30, 1979. This volume includes eleven invited papers intended to survey par­ ticular areas of the overall subject and numerous contributed papers providing more detail on specific problems. We hope the combination will prove valuable to both the general reader interested in the current picture of the particles in interplanetary space and also to the specialist involved in research in the field.

I Zodiacal Light — Measurements and Models.- Optical Investigation of Dust in the Solar System (Invited).- Four Years of Zodiacal Light Observations from the Helios Space Probes.- Brightness and Polarization of the Zodiacal Light: Results of Fixed-position Observations from Skylab.- The ISPM Zodiacal Light — Background Starlight Experiment.- Planned Observations of the Diffuse Sky Radiation During Shuttle Mission STS-4.- An Attempt to Observe Zodiacal Light at 5 µ with a Balloon Experiment.- Change in the Zodiacal Light with Solar Activity.- Two-dimensional Photographic Photometry of the Zodiacal Light from Spatial Observations.- Far-ultraviolet Studies. VIII. Apollo 17 Search for Zodiacal Light.- Photometric Axis Measurements of the Zodiacal Light at Large Elongations.- The Symmetry Plane of the Zodiacal Cloud Near 1 AU.- Method for the Determination of Density and Phase Functions of Interplanetary Dust.- Method of Scattering Plane Scanning.- Inversion of the Zodiacal Brightness Integral: a new Geometric Approach.- Evidence that the Properties of Interplanetary Dust Beyond 1 AU are Not Homogeneous.- Zodiacal Light Models with a Bimodal Population.- Wavelength Dependent Models of the Zodiacal Light.- II Meteors and Meteorites.- Meteors and Atmospheres (Invited).- The Influence of the Atmosphere on Radar Meteor Rates.- Serial Correlation of Meteor Radar Rates.- Analysis of Meteor Data.- Orbit, Chemical Composition and Atmospheric Fragmentation of a Meteoriod from Instantaneous Photographs.- Two Station Television Meteor Studies.- One Hundred and Fifteen Years of Meteor Spectroscopy.- Correlation of Height and Forbidden Oxygen Line Strength for Perseid Meteors.- Experimental and Theoretical Study of Radiometeors.- Ground Radar Detection of Meteoroids in Space.- On Time-dependent Models of the Meteoric Background Complex.- Evolution of Meteoroid Orbits Over Millenia.- The Core of the Meteor Stream Associated with Comet Halley.- The Quadrantid Meteor Stream: Past, Present and Future.- Evolution of Orbits and Intersection Conditions with the Earth of the Geminid and Quarantid Meteor Streams.- The Structures of the Taurid, Geminid and Quarantid Meteor Streams.- Television Observations of the Delta-Aquarid Shower.- Observational and Theoretical Aspects of Fireballs (Invited).- Interaction of Large Bodies with the Earth’s Atmosphere (Invited).- Probability of Collision with the Earth and Orbital Life-Time of Bodies of Asteroidal and Cometary Origin.- The Stream of Crater Forming Meteorites on the Earth.- On the Mass Distribution of Meteorites and Their Influx Rate.- III The Interplanetary Dust Complex 1. Sources, Evolution, and Dynamics.- Sources of Interplanetary Dust (Invited).- Physical Characteristics of Cometary Dust from Optical Studies (Invited).- Physical Characteristics of Cometary Dust from Dynamical Studies: A Review (Invited).- On the Particle-Size Distribution Function of Cometary Dust.- On the Dust Production Rates of Comets.- Nature of Dust Grains in the Atmosphere of Comet Ashbrook.- Ultraviolet Albedo of Comet West (1976 VI).- Evidence for Fragmentation of Strongly Nonspherical Dust Particles in the Tail of Comet West 1976 VI.- Experiments on Dust Collection for a Cometary Mission.- Dust Experiment for a Rendezvous Cometary Mission.- An Impact Mass-Spectrometer for the Halley Probe.- In Situ Measurements of Interplanetary Dust in the Inner Solar System (Invited).- Circumsolar Motion of Dust of Particles at the Stage of Increasing Solar Luminosity.- A Simple Derivation of the Radiation Forces Felt by Scattering Particles.- Effect of Radiation Pressure on the Restricted Three-body Problem.- Collisions Among Interplanetary Dust Grains.- Dynamics of Micrometeoroids.- Poynting-Robertson Effect and Collisions in the Interplanetary Dust Cloud.- The Electrostatic Potential of Interplanetary Grains.- Motion of Charged Dust Particles in Interplanetary Dust.- Electromagnetic Effects on the Zodiacal Dust Cloud.- Electromagnetic Effects on Hyperbolic Cosmic Dust Particles.- A Two-Stream Instability in Streams of Charged Grains.- Trajectories of Sublimating Interplanetary Dust Grains.- Orbital Elements of Micrometeoroids Detected by the Helios 1 Space Probe in the Inner Solar System.- A Monte Carlo Simulation of the Mass Distribution in an Accreting System of Dust Particles.- Submicron Particles in Meteor Streams.- IV The Interplanetary Dust Complex 2. Physical Properties.- Analysis of Interplanetary Dust Collections. (Invited).- From Interstellar Dust to Comets to the Zodiacal Light (Invited).- Laboratory Measurements on the Infrared Features of Interstellar Silicate Grains.- Cosmic Dust Synthesized in Reducing Environments.- Collisional Processes of Iron and Steel Projectiles on Targets of Different Densities.- Determination of Particle Densities by Penetration Studies.- Thermomagnetic Study of Chondrules.- Evidence for Ice Meteoroids Beyond 2 AU.- Existence and Role of Amorphous Grains in the Solar System.- Grain Disruption by Collisions with Solar Energetic Particles.- Radiation Induced Rotation of Interplanetary Dust Particles; a Feasibility Study for a Space Experiment.- Micrometeoroid Multiple Foil Penetration and Particle Recovery Experiments on Board Space Shuttle’s Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF).- V Particles and Planets.- Planetary Rings (Invited).- Charged Dust Rings in the Outer Planetary Magnetospheres.- Orbits of Submicron Lunar Ejecta in the Earth-Moon System.- Interaction of Lunar Ejecta and the Magnetosphere of the Earth.- VI Summary by P.M. Millman.