中国小望远镜观测太阳系小天体项目的回顾

回顾了中国用小望远镜进行的一些科研项目,如小行星的天体测量和测光观测,近地天体的观测和天然行星卫星的天体测量观测.介绍了小行星和近地天体轨道的测定,以及行星/月球历表的编制.简述了天体测量标准区的建立,从射电源光学对应体推算光学和射电参考架的联系,双星轨道的测定,以及星团成员星自行的测定.提出了改进GSC2.3的新项目...     

120cm近地天体望远镜选址

介绍紫金山天文台120cm近地天体望远镜选址情况，给出了选址点的夜天光亮度和大气视宁度，风向，风速，温度，液温差和相对温度等气象要素的观测结果，结果表明：盱眙跑马山的天文气候条件满足120cm近地天体望远镜的要求。     

国际小行星搜寻最新成果

2010～2011年度第六期国际小行星搜寻活动于2010年12月13日～2011年1月22日举行,第七期活动于2011年4月5日～2011年5月22日举行。两期活动先后有十八个学校的一百多位学生参加,取得了丰硕的成果：发现主带小行星7个,证认近地天体4个,进行近地天体观测100多次。     

不同测站近地小行星地基观测效能评估研究

目标的完备性搜索是开展近地小行星预警和防御的前提. 为量化评价近地小行星观测效能, 提高监测设备使用效率, 提出一种综合望远镜参数和测站天文条件的观测效能评估方法. 以观测目标信噪比作为检测指标, 设定检测条件形成目标检测方法, 定义评价指标用于评估近地小行星观测效能. 再基于近地小行星轨道数据和尺度分布模型, 建立近地小行星轨道数据模拟样本库. 最后选取中国科学院紫金山天文台盱眙观测站和中国科学院国家天文台冷湖观测台址, 仿真分析近地天体望远镜对直径0.01--30km近地小行星的观测效能, 结果表明: 不考虑两观测站年有效观测时间差异, 近地天体望远镜在冷湖观测全尺寸模拟样本的效能比在盱眙提高了5.21倍, 其中对1km以上直径目标的观测效能相当, 对1km以下直径目标的观测效能差异开始显现, 对0.1km以下直径目标冷湖优势更显著.     

近地小行星轨道演化的研究

主要阐述近年来在近地小行星轨道演化研究工作中所获得的一些基本结果，即合理的力学模型和相应的有效算法，并以实际预报算例（近地小行星与地球的交会状态）与有关权威性的结果作了比较，证实这些研究结果确实是可信的。在给出的力学模型中，考虑了所有可能影响近地小行星运动的力学因素，包括各大天体和较大的主带小行星的引力作用、有关天体的扁率影响以及源于太阳引力的后牛顿效应。而在计算方法中，合理地处理了变步长问题和月球位置量这种相对而言的快变化问题，使得数值求解一个高维方程组时，对各天体而言，可采用同一步长进行 积分，避免了求解过程中的复杂性。     

近地天体预警防御综述

近地天体数量多且撞击危害大,预警防御是有效应对其撞击威胁的基本手段,具体的预警防御技术已成为国际研究热点。中国已加入专门负责近地天体预警防御的国际组织,但具体研究多处于起步阶段。详细阐述了发展近地天体预警防御技术的必要性及基本的应对流程,阐述了搜索监测、国际组织及其技术研究、深空探测项目等各方面的国际研究进展情况,简要分析了轨道偏转防御的基本策略以及核爆、动能撞击、引力牵引、改变太阳光压和激光剥蚀等5种主要防御手段的原理及优缺点,总结了近地天体预警防御领域未来工作的4个重点方向。最后针对我国的研究现状提出几点建议和思考。     

星际^26Al的平稳核燃烧星体模型—星际^26Al的天体源泉问题之一

介绍了有关星际＾２６Ａｌ发射的１．８０９ ＭｅＶγ射线的空间探测结果，简要介绍并评述了有关星际＾２６Ａｌ天体来源问题中的平稳核燃烧星体模型，即大质量主序星模型、ＷＲ星模型和处于渐近巨分支阶段红巨星模型。根据近几年核物理实验新进展所获得的有关核反应率的新数据，指出这些模型都面临着严重困难，似乎不大可能成为星际＾２６Ａｌ的重要天体源泉。     

利用基本天体测量仪器开展天文测光研究

讨论有关天体测量中的测光问题，介绍一些地面天体测量仪器和空间天体测量望远镜的测光研究。给出一种测光资料的处理方法，并建议利用ＤＣＭＴ开展天文光课题研究。     

皖小行星轨道演化的研究现状

近地小行星由于地球的特殊关系为世人所瞩目,对其研究始于５０年代,近年来已成为太阳系动力学中的一个热门课题。全面地介绍了近年来关于近地小行星的研究状况,包括对近地小行星轨道演化的研究的方法和主要结果。     

太阳系动力学中当前的重要课题

以当前太阳系动力学中的重要课题以及研究方法进行讨论，并提出一些看法，课题中主要讨论动力学模型，轨道共振，行星环，混沌和长期演化，近地天体运动，Kupiper带，太阳系中的引力理论，以及其他有关问题。     

Capturing near earth objects

Recendy,Near Earth Objects (NEOs) have been attracting great attention,and thousands of NEOs have been found to date.This paper examines the NEOs'orbital dynamics using the framework of an accurate solar system model and a SunEarth-NEO three-body system when the NEOs are close to Earth to search for NEOs with low-energy orbits.It is possible for such an NEO to be temporarily captured by Earth; its orbit would thereby be changed and it would become an Earth-orbiting object after a small increase in its velocity.From the point of view of the Sun-Earth-NEO restricted three-body system,it is possible for an NEO whose Jacobian constant is slightly lower than C1 but higher than C3 to be temporarily captured by Earth.When such an NEO approaches Earth,it is possible to change its orbital energy to nearly the zero velocity surface of the three-body system at point L1 and make the NEO become a small satellite of the Earth.Some such NEOs were found; the best example only required a 410 m s-1 increase in velocity.     

Ultra-low delta-v objects and the human exploration of asteroids

Missions to near-Earth objects (NEOs) are key destinations in NASA's new ‘Flexible Path’ approach. NEOs are also of interest for science, for the hazards they pose, and for their resources. We emphasize the importance of ultra-low delta-v from LEO to NEO rendezvous as a target selection criterion, as this choice can greatly increase the payload to the NEO. Few such ultra-low delta-v NEOs are currently known; only 65 of the 6699 known NEOs (March 2010) have delta-v <4.5 km/s, 2/3 of typical LEO-NEO delta-v. Even these are small and hard to recover. Other criteria – short transit times, long launch windows, a robust abort capability, and a safe environment for proximity operations – will further limit the list of accessible objects. Potentially there is at least an order of magnitude more ultra-low delta-v NEOs, but finding them all on a short enough timescale (before 2025) requires a dedicated survey in the optical or mid-IR, optimally from a Venus-like orbit because of the short synodic period for NEOs in that orbit, plus long arc determination of their orbits.     

Optical colors of 56 near-Earth objects: trends with size and orbit

We present the results of BVRIZ photometry of 56 near-Earth objects (NEOs) obtained with the 1-m Jacobus Kapteyn telescope on La Palma during 2000 and 2001. Our sample includes many NEOs with particularly deep 1-μm pyroxene/olivine absorption bands, similar to Q-type asteroids. We also classify three NEOs with particularly blue colors. No D-type asteroids were found, placing an upper limit of ∼2% on the fraction of the NEO population originating in the outer main belt or the Trojan clouds. The ratio of dark to bright objects in our sample was found to be 0.40, significantly higher than current theoretical predictions. As well as classifying the NEOs, we have investigated color trends with size and orbit. We see a general trend for larger silicate objects to have shallower absorption bands but find no significant difference in the distribution of taxonomic classes at small and large sizes. Our data clearly show that different taxonomic classes tend to occupy different regions of (a, e) space. By comparing our data with current model predictions for NEO dynamical evolution we see that Q-, R-, and V-type NEOs tend to have orbits associated with “fast track” delivery from the main belt, whereas S-type NEOs tend to have orbits associated with “slow track” delivery. This outcome would be expected if space weathering occurs on time scales of >10⁶ years.     

Capturing near earth objects

Recently,Near Earth Objects(NEOs) have been attracting great attention,and thousands of NEOs have been found to date.This paper examines the NEOs' orbital dynamics using the framework of an accurate solar system model and a Sun-Earth-NEO three-body system when the NEOs are close to Earth to search for NEOs with low-energy orbits.It is possible for such an NEO to be temporarily captured by Earth;its orbit would thereby be changed and it would become an Earth-orbiting object after a small increase in its velocity.From the point of view of the Sun-Earth-NEO restricted three-body system,it is possible for an NEO whose Jacobian constant is slightly lower than C1 but higher than C3 to be temporarily captured by Earth.When such an NEO approaches Earth,it is possible to change its orbital energy to nearly the zero velocity surface of the three-body system at point L1 and make the NEO become a small satellite of the Earth.Some such NEOs were found;the best example only required a 410 m s-1 increase in velocity.     

New V-type asteroids in near-Earth space

We present new visible and near-infrared spectroscopic observations of 4 small, previously unclassified, near-Earth objects (NEOs). They appear to have basaltic surfaces, and hence they can be classified as V-types. Their visible spectra exhibit a closer spectral match with the Main-Belt (MB) Asteroid (4) Vesta than the other, presently known, V-type NEOs and MB asteroids. The near-infrared spectrum of Asteroid 2003 FT3 shows—for the first time among NEOs—a peculiar shape of the 1 μm band, maybe suggesting an overabundance of olivine compared to the other V-types and to (4) Vesta. The presence of V-type objects among NEOs may be a consequence of the delivery processes connecting the inner MB to the near-Earth region. On the basis of the orbital parameters of the NEOs presented here, both the resonances (3:1 and ν₆), usually considered as the most relevant gateways for the production of near-Earth asteroids, should have been active to transfer the bodies from the MB region.     

Evolution of NEO rotation rates due to close encounters with Earth and Venus

In this paper we study the statistical effect of planetary flybys on the rotation rates and states of Near Earth Objects (NEOs). Our approach combines numerical and analytical methods within a Monte Carlo model that simulates the evolution of the NEO spin rates. We take as input for the simulation a source distribution of spin states and evolve it to find their steady state distribution. In performing this evolution we track the changes in the spin rate and state distribution for the different components of the NEO population. We show that the cumulative effect of planetary encounters is to spin up the overall population of NEOs. This spin up effect holds on average only, and particular members of the population may experience an overall decrease in rotation rate. This effect is clearly seen across all components of the NEO population and is significant both statistically and physically. For initially slow rotators the spin up effect is strong, lowering the mean rotation period by 32%. For faster rotating populations the effect is less, lowering the spin period by 15% for the intermediate case, 6% for fast rotating rubble piles, and 8% for fast rotating monoliths. Physically, the spin up effect pushes 1% of the fast rotating rubble-pile NEOs over the disruption limit, while 6% of these bodies experience a sub-disruption event that could modify their physical structure. For monolithic NEOs, the spin up effect is self-limiting, reaching a minimum spin period of 1.1 hr, with a strong cut-off between 2-3 hr. This has two implications. First, it may not be necessary to invoke the rubble-pile hypothesis to recover a cut-off in spin period. Second, it shows that planetary flybys cannot account for the extremely rapid rotation rates of some small NEOs. We also tested a different balance between the effects of Earth and Venus by treating the Aten sub-class of asteroids separately. Due to increased interactions with the planets, the spin up effect is more pronounced (10%) and disruptions increase by a factor of three. The slow rotation tails of the spin distributions are increased to longer periods, in general, with rotation periods of over 100 hr occurring for a few tenths of a percent for some component populations. Thus, this mechanism may account for some of the noted excess in slow rotators among the NEOs. Planetary flybys also cause NEOs to enter a tumbling state, with approximately 0.5% of the population being placed into a long-axis rotation mode. Finally, based on the evolution of spin states of different components of the NEO population, we compared the evolved states with the measured distribution of NEOs to estimate the relative populations of these components that comprise the NEOs.     

Deflecting NEOs in Route of Collision with the Earth

We consider a small sample of known near Earth objects (NEOs), both asteroids and comets, with low minimum orbital intersection distance (MOID). Through a simple numerical procedure we generate slightly different orbits from this sample in such a way that these bodies will collide with the Earth at a specific epoch. Then we study the required change in orbital velocity (along track Δv) in order to deflect these NEOs at different epochs before the impact event. The orbital evolution of these NEOs is performed through a full N-body numerical integrator. A comparison with analytical estimates is also performed in selected cases. Interesting features in the Δv/time before impact plots are found; as a prominent result, we find that close approaches to the Earth before the epoch of the impact can make the overall deflection easier.     

Identifying meteorite source regions through near-Earth object spectroscopy

By virtue of their landing on Earth, meteorites reside in near-Earth object (NEO) orbits prior to their arrival. Thus the population of observable NEOs, in principle, gives important representation of meteorite source bodies. By linking meteorites to NEOs, and linking NEOs to their most likely main-belt source locations, we seek to gain insight into the original Solar System formation locations for different meteorite classes. To forge possible links between meteorites and NEOs, we have developed a three dimensional method for quantitative comparisons between laboratory measurements of meteorites and telescopic measurements of near-Earth objects. We utilize meteorite spectra from the Reflectance Experiment Laboratory (RELAB) database and NEO data from the SpeX instrument on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF). Using the Modified Gaussian Model (MGM) as a mathematical tool, we treat asteroid and meteorite spectra identically in the calculation of 1-μm and 2-μm Geometric Band Centers and their Band Area Ratios (BARs). Using these identical numerical parameters we quantitatively compare the spectral properties of S-, Sq-, Q- and V-type NEOs with the spectral properties of the meteorites in four classes: H, L, LL and HED. For each NEO spectrum, we assign a set of probabilities for it being related to each of these four meteorite classes. Our NEO-meteorite correlation probabilities are then convolved with NEO-source region probabilities to yield a final set of meteorite-source region correlations. While the ν6 resonance dominates the delivery for all four meteorite classes, an excess (significant at the 2.1-sigma level) source region signature is found for the H chondrites through the 3:1 mean motion resonance. This results suggest an H chondrite source with a higher than average delivery preference through the 3:1 resonance. A 3:1 resonance H chondrite source region is consistent with the short cosmic ray exposure ages known for H chondrites.     

Workshop summary on physical and chemical properties of potential Earth impactors

Abstract— From 2001 June 17 to 25, we held the first international workshop in Erice, Italy, dedicated to the determination of geological and geophysical properties of near‐Earth objects (NEOs). The goal was to develop a roadmap for determining the physical and chemical properties of NEOs in the coming decades to meet the scientific requirements for development of Earth collision avoidance technology. We identified many properties that are desired, but four measurements are needed most critically for any potentially hazardous NEO: (1) its mass, (2) its mass distribution, (3) its material strengths, and (4) its internal structure. Global (whole‐body) properties, such as material strengths and internal structure, can be determined best from the analyses of permeating waves: artificially initiated seismology and multifrequency reflection and transmission radio tomography. Seismology provides the best geophysical (material strengths) data of NEOs composed of consolidated materials while radio tomography provides the best geological data (e.g., the state of fracture) of electrically nonconducting media. Thus, the two methods are complementary: seismology is most suitable for stony and metallic asteroids, while radio tomography is most appropriate for comet nuclei and carbonaceous asteroids. The three main conclusions are (1) remote sensing for physical characterization should be increased, (2) several dedicated NEO missions should be prepared for geophysical and geological investigations, and (3) that it is prudent to develop and prove the technology to make geophysical measurements on NEOs now.     

Constraining near-Earth object albedos using near-infrared spectroscopy

Low-albedo near-Earth objects (NEOs) are warm enough to emit detectable thermal flux at 2.5 μm when near perihelion. Thermal radiation can account for 33% or more of the total flux for an object with an albedo ?0.04 at 1.0 AU. This is measurable using near-infrared spectroscopic instruments enabling albedos to be constrained for a larger sample of NEOs.