Determination of the Instantaneous Values of Astronomical Atmospheric Refraction and Local Observational Modeling

A new application of astronomical atmospheric refraction in space geodesy is utilized. It is pointed out that in order to meet the high needs of this new application there must be an effective method by means of which the instantaneous value of atmospheric refraction can be directly determined. An atmospheric refraction model fitting in the geographical environment surrounding the observing station is established and then transformed into the neutral atmospheric refraction delay correction model. In this article the necessary conditions for the determination of the value of atmospheric refraction are briefly described. A method for the direct determination of the values of instantaneous atmospheric refraction in various directions and at various zenith distances by taking advantage of the observational principle of the low latitude meridian circle, explored by the Yunnan Observatory, is expounded and the atmospheric refraction observational models built on the basis of stellar spectral type classification in the 4 directions of east, south, west and north and by making use of the observed data are given.     

Polarimetry of the twilight sky and stratospheric aerosol

We propose a modification of the method of polarimetric measurements of the twilight sky, traditionally performed in a zenith direction, to study physical properties of the stratospheric aerosol (at altitudes higher than 30 km). The measurements carried out in zenith directions as a rule limit phase angles by values of 80–100°. We suggest setting up the declination of the telescope equal to the declination of the sun and measuring the polarization degree of the twilight sky at different values of the right ascension. It will allow us not only to enhance the range of the phase angles but also to plan observations in a way to obtain data on the phase dependence of the polarization degree of the light scattered by atmospheric layers at different altitudes.     

On the accuracy of the Refraction Tables of Pulkovo Observatory,fifth edition

A systematic deviation has been found of the refraction given in Pulkovo Tables, fifth edition, from the standard refraction calculated for the same ground level meteorological conditions by the procedure described in one of our previous papers. This deviation, negative for zenith distances smaller than 75° and positive for zenith distances larger than 80°, is considerably greater than the error proven to be admissible for the pure refraction determined in the latter way. The value of deviation is of the order of 0″.03 already at z₀ = 45°. For zenith distances smaller than 75° the deviation originates almost exclusively from unsufficiently accurate corrections for the air humidity. For larger zenith distances the deviation originates mainly from the correction for the air temperature and contributions of the remaining corrections can partly compensate for it. In conclusion a proposition of a new unique standard of the pure refraction is stated.     

大视场长露光观测中的大气折射影响

利用给出的严格的较差大气折射计算公式,以ＬＡＭＯＳＴ为例,计算了较差大气折射对大视场长露光天文观测的影响．并与其他作者的结果进行了比较．该方法给出的是完整的较差大气折射量,与望远镜和导星方式无关．此外,还讨论了大气色散的影响,并探讨了可能的解决方法     

Precision in determination of astronomical refraction from aerological data

Various errors in determination of the local pure astronomical refraction are evaluated versus the apparent zenith distance z₀. Numerical integration with the step imposed by heights of an aerological sounding brings the error smaller than 0″01 until z₀ = 70°. For larger zenith distances integration with a more dense step is possible after fitting the data to a five-parameter functional dependence of the refractive index on height. The fitting is simultaneously a good equalization of aerological data reducing considerably their experimental error as well as short-term local fluctuations of the atmosphere. After equalization, the error in the refraction originating from the error in the aerological data is found to approach 0″01 at z₀ = 72°, 0″1 at z₀ = 82°, 1″ at z₀ = 87°, and 10″ at the horizon. This has to be taken into account when considering systematic deviations of the local pure refraction from that determined in a standard way. The purely stochastic error in the refraction originating in the error of the refractive index at the observation site is discussed within the context of local fluctuations of the atmosphere. It is evaluated that until z₀ = 85° the precision in determining the astronomical refraction in a single observation is limited by refraction anomalies (image motion) and only above 85° the error in aerological data becomes more important.     

Study of the atmospheric refraction in a single-mode instrument – application to AMBER/VLTI

This paper presents a study of the atmospheric refraction and its effect on the light coupling efficiency in an instrument using single-mode optical fibres. We show the analytical approach which allowed us to assess the need to correct the refraction in J and H bands while observing with an 8-m Unit Telescope. We then developed numerical simulations to go further in calculations. The hypotheses on the instrumental characteristics are those of AMBER (Astronomical Multi BEam combineR), the near-infrared focal beam combiner of the Very Large Telescope Interferometric mode, but most of the conclusions can be generalized to other single-mode instruments. We used the software package caos to take into account the atmospheric turbulence effect after correction by the European Southern Observatory system Multi-Application Curvature Adaptive Optics. The optomechanical study and design of the system correcting the atmospheric refraction on AMBER is then detailed. We showed that the atmospheric refraction becomes predominant over the atmospheric turbulence for some zenith angles z and spectral conditions: for z larger than 30° in J band for example. The study of the optical system showed that it allows to achieve the required instrumental performance in terms of throughput in J and H bands. First observations in J band of a bright star, α Cir star, at more than 30° from zenith clearly showed the gain to control the atmospheric refraction in a single-mode instrument, and validated the operating law.     

Calculated atmospheric color refraction and observed stellar positions

Astrometric observations at different zenith distances have been performed in Dresden in an area centered atNGC 6791 where there are some stars with reliable color information (widely dispersed spectral types in the MK systemand color indices B_T – V_T) as well as with accurate positions from Tycho‐2 catalog. The results are used to estimate how significant improvements in stellar positions may be when accurate corrections for color refraction are taken into account. We have treated two cases for refraction calculations: (1) a photometric case for color indices and (2) a spectral case for spectral types and luminosity classes. To calculate refraction we use Stone's modified computer code (Malyuto & Meinel 2000). To treat the photometric case we have calculated the synthetic color indices for the spectral energy distributions of Sviderskiene (1988). The positional improvements due to including color refraction corrections are significant and slightly larger in the spectral case. An improvement of about 15% is reached at a zenith distance of 65°. Our basic conclusion is that color refraction should be taken into account for obtaining accurate stellar positions from ground based observations at larger zenith distances. Reliable refraction corrections may be calculated from spectral and/or photometric data.     

The speckle polarimeter of the 2.5-m telescope: Design and calibration

The speckle polarimeter is a facility instrument of the 2.5-mSAIMSU telescope that combines the features of a speckle interferometer and a polarimeter. The speckle polarimeter is designed for observations in several visible bands in the following modes: speckle interferometry, polarimetry, speckle polarimetry, and polaroastrometry. In this paper we describe the instrument design and the procedures for determining the angular scale of the camera and the position angle of the camera and the polarimeter. Our measurements of the parameters for the binary star HD 9165 are used as an example to demonstrate the technique of speckle interferometry. For bright objects the accuracy of astrometry is limited by the error of the correction for the distortion caused by the atmospheric dispersion compensator. At zenith distances less than 45? the additional relative measurement error of the separation is 0.7%, while the additional error of the position angle is 0.3°. In the absence of a dispersion compensator the accuracy of astrometry is limited by the uncertainty in the scale and position angle of the camera, which are 0.15% and 0.06°, respectively. We have performed polarimetric measurements of unpolarized stars and polarization standards. The instrumental polarization at the Cassegrain focus in the V band does not exceed 0.01%. The instrumental polarization for the Nasmyth focus varies between 2 and 4% within the visible range; we have constructed its model and give a method for its elimination from the measurements. For stars with an intrinsic polarization of less than 0.2% during observations at the Cassegrain focus the error is determined mainly by the photon and readout noises and can reach 5 × 10^?5.     

Determination of refraction anomalies by global inclinations of airstratas of identical density

This paper presents formulas for the calculation of the refraction anomalies caused by the inclination of atmospheric boundary layers. Anomalies were calculated for a few zenith distances for several different atmospheric models. It was established, that near Earth the atmospheric boundary layers have the global inclination in meridian plane near one minute of arc from North to South. They are calculated with standard deviation ±0.2′–±0.35′. The tilts are decreased gradually with the altitude and equal nearly 0 on the heights 8–10 km. Then direction of inclination is changed on opposite (from South to North) and maximum 1′ reaches on the heights 15–18 km. Next inclinations slowly decrease and equal 0 on the heights 28–30 km. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Distribution of HCN in Titan’s upper atmosphere from Cassini/VIMS observations at 3 μm

Cassini/VIMS limb observations have been used to retrieve vertical profiles of hydrogen cyanide (HCN) from its 3 μm emission in the region from 600 to 1100 km altitude at daytime. While the daytime emission is large up to about 1100 km, it vanishes at nighttime at very low altitudes, suggesting that the daytime emission originates under non-LTE conditions. The spectrally integrated radiances around 3.0 μm shows a monotonically decrease with tangent altitude, and a slight increase with solar zenith angle in the 40-80° interval around 800 km.A sophisticated non-LTE model of HCN energy levels has been developed in order to retrieve the HCN abundance. The population of the HCN 0 0⁰ 1 energy level, that contributes mostly to the 3.0 μm limb radiance, has been shown to change significantly with the solar zenith angle (SZA) and HCN abundance. Also its population varies with the collisional rate coefficients, whose uncertainties induced errors in the retrieved HCN of about 10% at 600-800 km and about 5% above. HCN concentrations have been retrieved from a set of spectra profiles, covering a wide range of latitudes and solar zenith angles, by applying a line-by-line inversion code. The results show a significant atmospheric variability above ∼800 km with larger values for weaker solar illumination. The HCN shows a very good correlation with solar zenith angles, irrespective of latitude and local time, suggesting that HCN at these high altitudes is in or close to photochemical equilibrium. A comparison with UVS and UVIS measurements show that these are close to the lower limit (smaller SZAs) of the VIMS observations above 750 km. However, they are in reasonable agreement when combining the rather large UV measurement errors and the atmospheric variability observed in VIMS. A comparison of the mean profile derived here with the widely used profile reported by Yelle and Griffith (Yelle R.V., Griffith, C.A. [2003]. Icarus 166, 107-115) shows a good agreement for altitudes ranging from 850 to 1050 km, while below these altitudes our result exhibits higher concentrations.     

Simulation studies of MACE-I: Trigger rates and energy thresholds

The MACE (Major Atmospheric Cherenkov Experiment) is an upcoming Very High Energy (VHE) γ-ray telescope, based on imaging atmospheric Cherenkov technique, being installed at Hanle, a high altitude astronomical site in Ladakh, India. Here we present Monte Carlo simulation studies of trigger rates and threshold energies of MACE in the zenith angle range of 0°–60° for on-axis γ-ray coming from point source and various cosmic ray species. We have simulated the telescope’s response to γ-rays, proton, electron and alpha initiated atmospheric Extensive Air Showers (EAS) in the broad energy range of 5 GeV to 20 TeV. For γ-rays we consider power law and log parabolic spectra while other particles are simulated with their respective cosmic ray spectrum. Trigger rates and threshold energies are estimated for the trigger configuration of 4 Close Cluster Nearest Neighbour(CCNN) pixels as implemented in MACE hardware, in combination with single channel discriminator threshold ranging from 6–10 photo electrons (pe). We find that MACE can achieve the γ-ray trigger energy threshold of ∼ 17 GeV (4 CCNN, 9 pe) at 0° zenith angle for power law spectrum. The total trigger rate at 0° zenith is expected to be ∼650 Hz, with protons contributing ∼ 80% to it. For the zenith range of 0°-40° we find that the telescope can achieve γ-ray trigger threshold energies of ∼22 GeV at 20° zenith angle and ∼40 GeV at 40° zenith angle. Integral rates are also almost constant for this zenith angle range. At zenith angle of 60°, trigger energy threshold increases to ∼173 GeV and total integral rate falls down to ∼305 Hz.     

Some results from the National Observatory of Turkey, Kazan State University, and Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory on small bodies of the solar system

A scientific collaboration between TÜB?TAK National Observatory (Turkey), Kazan State University (Russia) and Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory (Ukraine) involves observations of minor planets and near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) with the 1.5 m Russian-Turkish telescope (RTT150). Regular observations of selected asteroids in the range of 11-18 magnitudes began in 2004 with the view of determining masses of selected asteroids, improving the orbits of the NEAs, and studying physical characteristics of selected asteroids from photometric observations. More than 3000 positions of 53 selected asteroids and 11 NEAs have been obtained with an internal error in the range of 30-300 mas for a single determination. Photometric reductions of more than 4000 CCD frames are in progress. Masses of 21 asteroids were estimated through dynamical method using the ground-based optical observations, mainly from the RTT150 and Minor Planet Center. A comparison of the observational results from the RTT150 in 2004-2005 with observations of the same objects at other observatories allows us to conclude that RTT150 can be used for ground-based support in astrometry for the space mission GAIA.     

The Ground-based Experiment of the Prototype of Planetary (& Lunar) Rotation Monitor Telescope

The scientific objective of the Planetary (& Lunar) Rotation Monitor (PRM) telescope is to study the terrestrial planet's (the Moon's) rotation and its interior structure and physics by in-situ observation. In order to verify the brand new principle of observations and the data processing method, the prototype of the telescope is designed and manufactured. The prototype's optical system consists of a commercial telescope and trihedron mirror set placed at the entrance of its light path to realize the capability of observing three fields of view (FOVs) simultaneously. The ground-based validation observation began in 2017, and the images containing the stars from three FOVs were achieved. Star images from different FOVs are initially mixed together, but they can be classified into the three FOVs respectively by calculating the displacement of star images on the CCD plate between two adjacent exposures, to make the observational effect be identical with three independent observations of the three FOVs respectively. After image processing, from the orientation variation of the three FOVs simultaneously in space due to the Earth's rotation, the direction of the rotation axis of the Earth in space can be derived. Its deviation from the theoretical value is about 1${}^{″}$ in average, indicating that the working principle and data processing method are effective. The main errors in observations are discussed, including the atmospheric refraction, the thermal deformation of the commercial telescope tube, the low optical resolution caused by the short focal length, the optical aberration in the multi-FOV observation, etc. It is indicated that the spatial resolution of the telescope can be enhanced with a longer focal length, and the observational reliability can be improved by optimizing the thermal deformation control. Improving the optical design in the simultaneous observation of multiple FOVs will also be helpful to the accuracy enhancement.     

Muon flux at the geographical South Pole

The muon flux at the South Pole was measured for five zenith angles, 0°, 15°, 35°, 82.13° and 85.15° with a scintillator muon telescope incorporating ice Cherenkov tank detectors as the absorber. We compare the measurements with other data and with calculations.     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate: VI. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2006

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries made during the second semester of 2006, with the speckle camera PISCO at the 102 cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our sample contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 175 new measurements of 169 objects, with angular separations in the range 0″.1–4″.2, and an average accuracy of 0″.01. The mean error on the position angles is 0°.6. Most of the position angles could be determined without the usual 180° ambiguity with the application of triplecorrelation techniques and/or by inspection of the long integration files.We also present the new orbits we have computed for ADS 11479, 11584 and 16538, for which our measurements lead to large residuals and/or for which the revision was justified by the significant number of observations made since the last orbit computation (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

大气折射与路径弯曲延迟

电磁波信号在地球大气中的传播受到折射的影响,传播的方向发生了改变,传播的路径变为曲线,长度大于直线距离,相应的传播时间也被延长了,采用一个简化的球对称大气模型计算了光线在不同天顶距下由于路径弯曲而引起的延迟改正.     

A Possible Means of Improving the Accuracy of Refraction Delay Correction of Neutral Atmosphere

The space geodetic technology requires an accurate model of correction of refraction delay by the neutral atmosphere that varies from one observing station to another, and from one azimuth to the next. It is pointed out that under the present condition the astronomical refraction can not yet be directly determined, any correction model because of its high dependence on the assumed atmospheric distribution, is incapable of achieving the required accuracy or of improving the cut-off altitude. In this paper, based on the special properties of the lower latitude meridian circle at Yunnan Observatory and our experience of determining atmospheric refraction therewith, a new method is proposed for improving the accuracy of refraction delay correction. Namely, the measured data of astronomical refraction of an observing station from near zenith to low altitudes in different azimuths are used to evaluate the refractivities and the parameters of the mapping functions, thereby establishing a model of atmospheric refraction delay correction that varies with the observing station and the azimuth. Since it is unnecessary for the new method to adopt any atmospheric distribution model, application of this new method will improve correction accuracy of refraction delay to better than 1mm at zenith and to centimeters at low altitudes, and improve the cut-off altitude to below 5 degrees.     

低纬子午环的研制过程

叙述了低纬子午环研制的全过程，从低纬度地区子午绝对测定方法的提出和验证，仪器几种主要误差测定方法的提出，到设计、加工和安装，最后叙述了在调试中遇到的几个主要问题和解决办法。文中还以与传统子午环比较的方式，论述了在对加工精度未提出苛刻要求的情况下如何能达到高精度测量的原因。     

Measurements of 460 GHz Atmospheric Opacity at Yangbajing Observational Station†

In order to assess the submillimeter wave observational conditions of Yangbajin, a Portable Submillimeter Telescope (POST) is used to measure the zenith atmospheric opacity at 460 GHz from November 2008 to December 2008. The results show that the quartiles of atmospheric opacity during the observing time at 460 GHz at Yangbajin Observatory is 1.25, 1.42 and 1.63, and the time proportion of atmospheric opacity less than 1 is about 3.4%. At last, the submillimeter wave site conditions of Yangbajin with those of other submillimeter observatories in the world are compared, and the possible causes that may influence the submillimeter atmospheric opacity are explored.     

低纬子午环绝对测定瞬时方位差方法的改进（Ⅰ）

利用低纬子午环在卯酉圈东西两边同时观测得到的一对赤纬近似相等的恒星的天顶距，可以用来绝对确定仪器的瞬时方位差。这一方法不必对方位差的变化规律作任何假设，不需要改变现有的仪器设计方案。这将有利于改善低纬子午环的观测系统。