Previous
abstract 
Next
abstract
Session 52 - First Results from the Infrared Space Observatory.
Oral session, Wednesday, June 12
Playcircle,
Within the 35 hours allocated for ISO observations under this NASA Key Project, we planned to examine a sample of normal and evolved stars, to shed light on the general question of planetary system development and evolution. Three main observational efforts include: (a) sampling A, F, G, K and M main sequence stars, defined to have photospheres detectable in the far-IR, with ISO's 10-30X IRAS sensitivity, to determine the statistical frequency of mid-IR excesses characteristic of the Vega-disk phenomenon; (b) mapping the dust disk extensions in a sample of twelve bright sources with infrared excesses, using ISO's oversampled mapping mode, and (c) surveying small portions of potential Kuiper Belt material for parallactic shifts over several months of time, in regions identified from analysis of far-IR COBE DIRBE data by Backman, Dasgupta and Stencel (1995). As of this writing (3/96), only a few percent of our observations have been completed by ISO, and first release data products are expected in a timely fashion.
