<p>The Nature paper by Bertoldi et al. (2006) says:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Our millimetre observations were performed with the Max-Planck Millimeter Bolometer (MAMBO-2) array detector at the IRAM 30 m telescope on Pico Veleta, Spain.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is a ground-based telescope in the Spanish Sierra Nevada mountains at 2850m to try and get above as much of the precipitable water vapor, which has a very large effect on sub-mm observations, as possible. Its website is <a href="https://www.iram-institute.org/EN/30-meter-telescope.php" rel="noreferrer">here</a></p>
<p>Since it's common to refer to the Spitzer and its predecessor, the <a href="https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/infrared-astronomical-satellite-iras/" rel="noreferrer">IRAS mission</a>, when discussing far-infrared observations, I suspect the authors typed &quot;IRAM&quot;, thought &quot;IRAS (satellite)&quot; and made a simple typo that was not caught before publication.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-09T16:10:17.290Z
2020-10-09T16:10:17.290Z
astrosnapper
<p>The Nature Research Letter <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10550" rel="nofollow noreferrer">A Pluto-like radius and a high albedo for the dwarf planet Eris from an occultation</a> (also <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/47105166.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a> and <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51749198_A_Pluto-like_radius_and_a_high_albedo_for_the_dwarf_planet_Eris_from_an_occultation" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>) says about half-way through:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We now reassess Eris’ surface temperature in the light of our new results. Measurements by the Spitzer<sup>22</sup> and IRAM<sup>11</sup> satellites imply disk-averaged brightness temperatures of T<sub>b</sub>=30±1.2 K and T<sub>b</sub>=38±7.5 K at 70 and 1,200 mm, respectively.</p>
<ul>
<li><p><sup>11</sup>Bertoldi,F.F.Altenhoff,W.Weiss,A.,Menten,K.M.&amp;Thum,C.Thetrans-neptunian object UB313 is larger than Pluto. Nature 439, 563–564 (2006).</p>
</li>
<li><p><sup>22</sup>Stansberry, J. et al. in The Solar System beyond Neptune (eds Barucci, M. A., Boehnhardt, H., Cruikshank, D. P. &amp; Morbidelli, A.) 161–179 (Univ. Arizona Press, 2008).</p>
</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>The caption of Figure 1 of reference 11 (Bertoldi et al. 2006) mentions:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The 117-element MAMBO-2 camera has an effective frequency for thermal radiation of 250 GHz, a half-power bandwidth of 80 GHz (210–290 GHz), and a beam size of 10.7 arcsec (corresponding to 760,000 km at a distance of 96 AU).</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and I think it refers to</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://astro.uni-bonn.de/%7Ebertoldi/projects/mambo/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Welcome to the home of MAMBO; the &quot;Max-Planck-Millimeter-Bolometer&quot;</a></li>
<li><a href="http://svo2.cab.inta-csic.es/svo/theory/fps/index.php?id=IRAM/MAMBO2.250GHz&amp;&amp;mode=browse&amp;gname=IRAM&amp;gname2=MAMBO2#filter" rel="nofollow noreferrer">IRAM/MAMBO2.250GHz</a></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Question:</strong> Is the use of the word <em>satellites</em> in &quot;Measurements by the Spitzer<sup>22</sup> and IRAM<sup>11</sup> satellites...&quot; correct, or does the latter refer to terrestrial measurments?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-09T15:36:38.537Z
Nice Question !
Infinity Milestone
<radio-astronomy><space-telescope><radio-telescope><infrared>
Is there an IRAM satellite that measures thermal radiation at 250 GHz, or was this a ground-based instrument?
uhoh
# Is there an IRAM satellite that measures thermal radiation at 250 GHz, or was this a ground-based instrument?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-10-09)

The Nature Research Letter [A Pluto-like radius and a high albedo for the dwarf planet Eris from an occultation](https://www.nature.com/articles/nature10550) (also [here](https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/47105166.pdf) and [here](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/51749198_A_Pluto-like_radius_and_a_high_albedo_for_the_dwarf_planet_Eris_from_an_occultation)) says about half-way through:

> We now reassess Eris’ surface temperature in the light of our new results. Measurements by the Spitzer22 and IRAM11 satellites imply disk-averaged brightness temperatures of Tb=30±1.2 K and Tb=38±7.5 K at 70 and 1,200 mm, respectively.
>
> * 11Bertoldi,F.F.Altenhoff,W.Weiss,A.,Menten,K.M.&Thum,C.Thetrans-neptunian object UB313 is larger than Pluto. Nature 439, 563–564 (2006).
> * 22Stansberry, J. et al. in The Solar System beyond Neptune (eds Barucci, M. A., Boehnhardt, H., Cruikshank, D. P. & Morbidelli, A.) 161–179 (Univ. Arizona Press, 2008).

The caption of Figure 1 of reference 11 (Bertoldi et al. 2006) mentions:

> The 117-element MAMBO-2 camera has an effective frequency for thermal radiation of 250 GHz, a half-power bandwidth of 80 GHz (210–290 GHz), and a beam size of 10.7 arcsec (corresponding to 760,000 km at a distance of 96 AU).

and I think it refers to

* [Welcome to the home of MAMBO; the "Max-Planck-Millimeter-Bolometer"](https://astro.uni-bonn.de/%7Ebertoldi/projects/mambo/)
* [IRAM/MAMBO2.250GHz](http://svo2.cab.inta-csic.es/svo/theory/fps/index.php?id=IRAM/MAMBO2.250GHz&&mode=browse&gname=IRAM&gname2=MAMBO2#filter)

**Question:** Is the use of the word *satellites* in "Measurements by the Spitzer22 and IRAM11 satellites..." correct, or does the latter refer to terrestrial measurments?

**Tags:** radio-astronomy, space-telescope, radio-telescope, infrared

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Nice Question !  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-10-09. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

The Nature paper by Bertoldi et al. (2006) says:

> Our millimetre observations were performed with the Max-Planck Millimeter Bolometer (MAMBO-2) array detector at the IRAM 30 m telescope on Pico Veleta, Spain.

This is a ground-based telescope in the Spanish Sierra Nevada mountains at 2850m to try and get above as much of the precipitable water vapor, which has a very large effect on sub-mm observations, as possible. Its website is [here](https://www.iram-institute.org/EN/30-meter-telescope.php)

Since it's common to refer to the Spitzer and its predecessor, the [IRAS mission](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/infrared-astronomical-satellite-iras/), when discussing far-infrared observations, I suspect the authors typed "IRAM", thought "IRAS (satellite)" and made a simple typo that was not caught before publication.


---

