SUBMILLIMETER OBSERVATIONS OF GALAXIES .1. 1ST RESULTS

We present the first results from a programme of millimetre and submillimetre observations of galaxies using the UKT14 photometer at the JCMT. Three of the five objects discussed here are detected at 450 mum, and most at 800 mum as well. We perform fits to the dust spectrum for these objects, and find that dust temperatures of 28-35 K with a nu2 emissivity law give the best results. We also investigate the beam corrections that would need to be made if the cool dust distribution were extended, and find that it is possible to hide a substantial amount of cold dust from our observations if this is the case. Future observations using bolometer arrays or large-beam instruments will be necessary to determine whether such a large cold component is actually present.