Book Description

The study of the infrared celestial background was conducted at the Mt. John University Observatory of the South Island, New Zealand, from October 1966 through October 1967. The instrument used for the survey of the sky at 2.2 microns from -30 degrees to the South Celestial Pole is a 24-inch, f/2 cast aluminum parabolic mirror, Kanigen-nickel coated, polished to one wave (1/4 wave in the infrared), and aluminized. The data gathered in the survey indicate that the southern sky is rich in objects bright in the infrared. In particular, a 2 x 4 minute of arc diffuse source was discovered in the direction of a dark nebula in the Milky Way. (Author).