Physical nature of the Doppler-frequency spectrum from a rotating planet and its effect on detection

The results of a quantitative analysis of the returned signal received from a rotating spherical planet are interpreted by the aid of the Cornu spiral. These agree with the experimental results obtained for the moon and Venus, and indicate that the integration of samples of the received signal is dominated by the spherical shape of the planet in spite of random surface irregularities large in terms of wavelength.