The NASA Astrophysics Data System: Free Access to the Astronomical Literature On-line and through Email

The Astrophysics Data System (ADS) provides access to the astronomical literature through the World Wide Web. It is a NASA funded project and access to all the ADS services is free to everybody world-wide. The ADS Abstract Service allows the searching of four databases with abstracts in Astronomy, Instrumentation, Physics/Geophysics, and the LANL Preprints with a total of over 2.2 million references. The system also provides access to reference and citation information, links to on-line data, electronic journal articles, and other on-line information. The ADS Article Service contains the full articles for most of the astronomical literature back to volume 1. It contains the scanned pages of all the major journals (Astrophysical Journal, Astronomical Journal, Astronomy & Astrophysics, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and Solar Physics), as well as most smaller journals back to volume 1.The ADS can be accessed through any web browser without signup or login. Alternatively an email interface is available that allows our users to execute queries via email and to retrieve scanned articles via email. This might be interesting for users on slow or unreliable links, since the email system will retry sending information automatically until the transfer is complete. There are now 9 mirror sites of the ADS available in different parts of the world to improve access. The ADS is available at: http://ads.harvard.edu This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

构建中国虚拟天文台的天文数据结点

随着天文观测数据的爆炸式增长以及数据网格技术等新兴IT技术的日趋成熟,虚拟天文台应运而生。虚拟天文台成为基于数据网格技术的解决复杂海量天文数据的访问和管理的一种有效手段。我们对现有中国虚拟天文台体系结构底层进行设计与实现,并完成了其核心部分一天文数据结点。天文数据结点可发布和管理异构的数据资源,为用户提供统一的数据访问接口,进而为天文学家实现对各种天文数据的无缝透明访问和处理提供了方便。本文重点介绍了我们设计的天文数据结点的体系结构,以及结点各部分的功能,并讨论了其关键技术的实现。     

天文文献情报工程概述

本文主要介绍中国科学院天文系统文献情报自动化建设、文献工程建设、数据工程建设、资源共享与计算机共享网建设。由于其牵涉到1984年以来的一系列工程建设呐容繁多,所以仅从文献情报现代化建设、资源共享建设出发,从整体上对各有关内容作一概述。     

Interactive image retrieval in large astronomical archives: The Aspect system

We present a method to access efficiently and effectively images in large astronomical archives. This method allows users to interactively participate in the retrieval process. They may virtually 'navigate' through the archive for choosing images that are relevant for their purposes. The navigation process is performed by switching back and forth between three retrieval-system modes: a query mode, a browse mode and an inspection mode. The method has been applied to an image retrieval system to access solar radio spectrograms archived at ETH in Zurich. The system, called ASPECT, allows access to over 50000 data sets on-line.     

Enhanced management of personal astronomical data with FITSManager

Although the roles of data centers and computing centers are becoming more and more important, and on-line research is becoming the mainstream for astronomy, individual research based on locally hosted data is still very common. With the increase of personal storage capacity, it is easy to find hundreds to thousands of FITS files in the personal computer of an astrophysicist. Because Flexible Image Transport System (FITS) is a professional data format initiated by astronomers and used mainly in the small community, data management toolkits for FITS files are very few. Astronomers need a powerful tool to help them manage their local astronomical data. Although Virtual Observatory (VO) is a network oriented astronomical research environment, its applications and related technologies provide useful solutions to enhance the management and utilization of astronomical data hosted in an astronomer’s personal computer. FITSManager is such a tool to provide astronomers an efficient management and utilization of their local data, bringing VO to astronomers in a seamless and transparent way. FITSManager provides fruitful functions for FITS file management, like thumbnail, preview, type dependent icons, header keyword indexing and search, collaborated working with other tools and on-line services, and so on. The development of the FITSManager is an effort to fill the gap between management and analysis of astronomical data.     

中国虚拟天文台研发策略与重点

由于不同的天文和技术背景，不同的虚拟天文台项目采取了不同的研究策略。本文首先介绍了国际上几个典型虚拟天文台项目的研发目标和工作重点；然后讨论了包括中国虚拟天文台在内的小型虚拟天文台项目在研发方面的优势和劣势。中国虚拟天文台项目根据自身所处的具体情况确定自己将走应用路线，争取在某些领域取得突破，研发重点包括五个方面：China-VO系统平台建设、国内外天文数据的统一访问、现有天文工具的虚拟天文台集成、天文设备的虚拟天文台集成、虚拟天文台基础上的公众教育。     

云南天文台高分辨率斑点成像的新进展

本文报道了对天文目标：双星ＡＤＳ１６８００、ＡＤＳ１６１７３,三星Ｈｕ６６（ＡＤＳ１１３４４）和Ｈｌｄ１７１（ＡＤＳ１６６４８）进行的斑点成像观测及测量结果。介绍了所用的二维光子计数斑点像探测系统的性能,分析了探测系统的光子噪声、附加噪声和其它更复杂的噪声对斑点图的平均功率谱和重谱的影响。在讨论了改正重谱中的噪声偏差项时提出了对重谱基底施加正性约束的算法。测量的结果表明,实现了高精度的微射受限天文     

面向Web服务的天文数据发布技术

目前主流的天文数据发布主要使用基于Web页面和基于REST风格的Web服务两种发布技术,但存在诸多不足,特别是不利于自动化工具实现机器识别并调用。WebService技术作为一种日趋成熟的分布式计算模型,拥有跨平台与松耦合等很多优势,通过Web服务实现天文数据发布可以提高天文研究工作的灵活性和自动化程度。对Web服务在虚拟天文台中的应用情况及目前主要的天文数据发布技术进行了系统的调研,并在此基础上就如何实现符合IVOA规范且面向Web服务的天文数据发布服务进行了分析,针对一个天文数据发布实例,设计并实现了同时支持SOAP风格和REST风格的锥型检索服务,测试结果表明服务设计是成功的。     

基于虚拟天文台的HXMT卫星数据检索发布系统设计与实现

目前,国际上诸多天文项目均遵循虚拟天文台（Virtual Observatory,VO）标准协议开发各天文数据检索发布系统,对外公开发布数据,并对数据资源进行VO注册,从而使用户通过虚拟天文台门户网站即可访问获取不同天文项目的数据集.硬X射线调制望远镜（HXMT）卫星项目也将虚拟天文台技术引入HXMT卫星数据检索发布系统的设计与实现过程中,既满足HXMT卫星数据发布需求,又将HXMT卫星数据融入虚拟天文台环境,实现国际天文数据的共享共用.系统提出了符合虚拟天文台规范的体系架构,并选取SCS锥形检索、VOTable数据格式等虚拟天文台标准协议加以实现,采用MVC模式、SSH框架以及各种J2EE技术进行软件研发,提供检索访问、浏览下载和可视化功能.实践和应用结果表明,系统在解决天文数据资源互操作、共享发布、检索访问及异构应用集成方面均具有可操作性,对我国空间天文卫星数据检索发布系统的研制具有参考意义.     

VO_IMPAT:中国虚拟天文台图像处理分析工具

中国虚拟天文台图像处理分析工具（VO_IMPAT），是由国家天文台虚拟天文台项目组开发的一项服务，它提供了对数字巡天图像数据（Digital Sky Survey，DSS）、天文星表以及其他数据库的交互访问。VO_IMPAT的设计目的是实现多波段天文数据的融合。可以将不同波段的星表叠加到DSS底图上，如光学波段的USNO星表、近红外波段的2MASS星表、射电波段的NVSS星表和X射线波段的RASS星表。同时VO_IMPAT还可以对图像进行放大、缩小、伪彩色、等高线、直方图、尖锐化、平滑化、旋转等处理，不同的星表数据可以采用不同的颜色和图标显示。     

Clustering analysis of line indices for LAMOST spectra with AstroStat

The application of data mining in astronomical surveys,such as the Large Sky Area MultiObject Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope(LAMOST)survey,provides an effective approach to automatically analyze a large amount of complex survey data.Unsupervised clustering could help astronomers find the associations and outliers in a big data set.In this paper,we employ the k-means method to perform clustering for the line index of LAMOST spectra with the powerful software Astro Stat.Implementing the line index approach for analyzing astronomical spectra is an effective way to extract spectral features for low resolution spectra,which can represent the main spectral characteristics of stars.A total of 144 340 line indices for A type stars is analyzed through calculating their intra and inter distances between pairs of stars.For intra distance,we use the definition of Mahalanobis distance to explore the degree of clustering for each class,while for outlier detection,we define a local outlier factor for each spectrum.Astro Stat furnishes a set of visualization tools for illustrating the analysis results.Checking the spectra detected as outliers,we find that most of them are problematic data and only a few correspond to rare astronomical objects.We show two examples of these outliers,a spectrum with abnormal continuum and a spectrum with emission lines.Our work demonstrates that line index clustering is a good method for examining data quality and identifying rare objects.     

Tracing and using data lineage for pipeline processing in Astro-WISE

Most workflow systems that support data provenance primarily focus on tracing lineage of data. Data provenance by data lineage provides the derivation history of data including information about services and input data that contributed to the creation of a data product. We show that tracing lineage by means of full backward chaining not only enables users to share, discover and reuse the data, but also supports scientific data processing through storage, retrieval and (re)processing of digitized scientific data. In this paper, we present Astro-WISE, a distributed system for processing, analyzing and disseminating wide field imaging astronomical data. We show how Astro-WISE traces lineage of data and how it facilitates data processing, retrieval, storage and archiving. Particularly we show how it solves issues related to the changing data items typical for the scientific environment, such as physical changes in calibrations, our insight in these changes and improved methods for deriving results.     

Utilization of the European Hubble Space Telescope Science Data archive

The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a very complex astronomical observing facility, producing data with unique calibration and analysis requirements. The data are collected in Science Data Archives which are available through computer networks world wide. This paper describes the approaches and technologies which are being used at the Space Telescope European Coordinating Facility (ST-ECF) to enable users in different institutions to efficiently work with HST data.     

Telescopes in the mirror of scientometrics

Counting papers and citations is one way to estimate the significance of particular astronomical telescopes and other facilities in the long time gap between the verdict of history and the referee’s report on your most recent proposal. This has been done for 2,184 observational astronomy papers published between 1960 and 1964 (with 14,237 citations in 1965–1969) and the numbers looked at in various ways. The extreme dominance of California in optical astronomy and of the UK and Australia in radio astronomy provides the background against which ESO, NOAO, NRAO, and A&A were founded, with equality of access to facilities having increased enormously in the intervening 40 years, but inequality of results having increased slightly. A number of other factoids about astronomical publications, the community, and their environments surfaced during the counting process, and a subset reported here, including a few pertaining to the more distant past.     

The GALEX public archive at MAST

The Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) was successfully launched on April 28, 2003. Over the last 7 years, the GALEX mission has expanded our understanding of the process of star formation and galaxy evolution. GALEX data, consisting of far-UV (1344-1786A) and near-UV (1771-2831A) imaging over most of the sky, and grism spectroscopy, are available to the entire astronomical community and to the general public via the Multi-mission Archive at Space Telescope (MAST). The main characteristics and access tools to the large data archive (16TB) are presented. Groups within the GALEX Science Team, and the MAST archive teams, have undertaken complementary projects to conduct all-sky searches for time-variable and transient sources within GALEX data (e.g. Welsh et al. in Astron. J. 130:823, 2005; Wheatley et al. in Astron. J. 136:259, 2008). Results and tools for variability searches developed by MAST during this process, will be made available to the general community.     

Low-cost high performance distributed data storage for multi-channel observations

The New Vacuum Solar Telescope (NVST) is a 1-m solar telescope that aims to observe the fine structures in both the photosphere and the chromosphere of the Sun. The observational data acquired simultaneously from one channel for the chromosphere and two channels for the photosphere bring great challenges to the data storage of NVST. The multi-channel instruments of NVST, including scientific cameras and multi-band spectrometers, generate at least 3 terabytes data per day and require high access performance while storing massive short-exposure images. It is worth studying and implementing a storage system for NVST which would balance the data availability, access performance and the cost of development. In this paper, we build a distributed data storage system (DDSS) for NVST and then deeply evaluate the availability of real-time data storage on a distributed computing environment. The experimental results show that two factors, i.e., the number of concurrent read/write and the file size, are critically important for improving the performance of data access on a distributed environment. Referring to these two factors, three strategies for storing FITS files are presented and implemented to ensure the access performance of the DDSS under conditions of multi-host write and read simultaneously. The real applications of the DDSS proves that the system is capable of meeting the requirements of NVST real-time high performance observational data storage. Our study on the DDSS is the first attempt for modern astronomical telescope systems to store real-time observational data on a low-cost distributed system. The research results and corresponding techniques of the DDSS provide a new option for designing real-time massive astronomical data storage system and will be a reference for future astronomical data storage.     

Interferometric calibrations and astronomical calibrators

This chapter gives some indications on the selection of suitable astronomical calibrators for interferometric observations. After an introduction to interferometric calibrations, we will focus on the criteria, steps and tools developed by ESO to prepare VLTI observations and to select calibrators. Although the tools described here are focused on VLTI, the problem of astronomical calibrators is the same for the other interferometers and can be approached in the same way.     

Alternative Astronomical Software Packages

At a time when the United Nations, in collaboration with Wolfram Research, has selected the Mathematica software package to inform developing countries about available scientific tools, it is important to review other choices of software being used by active scientists around the world. For observational astronomers with large volumes of digital data to be analyzed, the main challenges are data reductions, image handling, model comparisons, interactive fits, data simulations and visualizations, etc. There are several good alternative software packages such as: AIPS, IRAF, MIDAS and IDL The first three packages can be obtained free of charge by contacting the sponsoring institutions. Information can be obtained, via the World Wide Web, from the URLs indicated in the footnotes. IDL is a commercial package that can be used in all kinds of computer platforms and is extensively used in space astronomy (e.g., main language of software reduction packages of missions like IUE, HST, ROSAT, SOHO, etc). All of these packages are able to handle some of the most common commercial and scientific data formats (FITS, CDF and HDF). These software packages provide general tools for image processing and data reduction with emphasis on, but not limited to, astronomical applications. All of these packages have good active customer support strategies, the most useful ones being periodic newsletters, related meetings (e.g., annual meeting on Astronomical Data Analysis Software and Systems), software user groups, bulletin board discussions, FAQs, etc. The purpose of this paper is to present the relative usefulness, available platforms, associated libraries, related resources, of these software packages and the many already existing and potential astronomical applications. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Astro-WISE interfaces

From a simple text interface to a graphical user interfaces—Astro-WISE provides the user with a wide range of possibilities to interact with the information system according to the user’s tasks and use cases. We describe a general approach to the interfacing of a scientific information system. We use this approach to create a number of services, which allows the user to browse the data stored in the system, to process the data and to exchange the newly created images and catalogs with the users within the system and wider astronomical community. Reusability of interfaces and services is another important feature of our approach. It reduces the time and resources spent to interface other information systems created from Astro-WISE.