On the calibration of the IRAS low-resolution spectra

The need for corrections to the LRS spectra based on a study of a number of normal stars observed by IRAS is discussed. The spectra of bright stars, such as alpha CMa, were found to be inconsistent with blackbody sources, this effect being generally observed in sources earlier than about K3. An attempt is made to correct the LRS spectra by changing the blackbody calibration temperature for Alpha Tau, assumed to be a 10,000-K blackbody source for the original LRS flux calibration. It is found that an anomalously low color temperature must be assumed for alpha Tau to produce reasonable results for earlier-type stars. Corrections based on a set of stars with well-determined effective temperatures are examined, as are the resulting color temperatures for 72 stars with Atlas spectra.