SPINR studies astronomical phenomena using spectrographs developed for
the ongoing TERRIERS satellite
project at the Center for Space
Physics at Boston University.
These instruments are four Single Element Imaging Spectrographs (SEIS) (Cotton,
et al,1994) which are simple, efficent systems capable of recording the
spectrum of a wide field while imaging the same area. In order to map the
two dimensional field the system is spun about its viewing axis and a reconstruction
algorithm we have developed (Cook etal, 1995, Stephan etal, 1995, and Betremieux
etal, 1993) is used to separate the two dimensional image of the field. This
technique yields a full three dimensional data set including right ascension,
declination, and wavelength which can be used to study both the spectrum of
multiple objects in the field as well as light from the diffuse background.
The instrument yields a spectral resolution of approximatly 5-10 Angstroms
over a bandpass of 800A to 1400A, with a spatial resolution of 5-15 arcminutes
over a 10 by 10 degree field of view.
The experiment studied the Upper Scorpius Cloud, particularly the
relationship between dust grain size and composition by mapping the
ultraviolet (UV) flux across the region. The collection of stars scattered throughout the field can be used for absorption studies. It is likely that this
dual approach of measuring both the scattering and the absorptions properties
of the interstallar medium will prove more productive than either method would
independently.