章动研究简评

对各种章动理论所采用方法（天体力学的方法，地球物理方法和实测的经验方法）和章动序列进行了简要介绍，对近年来有关的理论和观测的进展，特别是自由核章动，进行了评述，并指出其中存在的一些问题。     

有关非刚体地球章动研究的进展

对目前国际上有关非刚体地球章动研究的时展作了简要回顾，重点介绍了包含海洋和大气的非刚体地球章动模型和有关研究工作，并对将来的发展方向作了讨论。     

非刚体地球的受迫章动奥波策项和倾斜模

讨论了非刚体地球受迫章动奥波策项与简正模表达式中倾斜模的关系。结果表明天球历书极章动中倾斜振项对应于角动量极的章动,在球历书极章动与角动量极的章动奥波策项之和。同时还给出了岁差速率与自转极的章动奥波策项间的数学关系。     

用Hamilton方法计算弹性地球的章动序列

本文利用Hamilton方法研究弹性地球自转运动，采用地球模型PREM参数，给出了形状轴的章动序列．结果表明我们的方法是可行的，计算是可靠的．弹性地幔对地球章动的影响仅在毫角秒量级上，它相对液核对地球竟动的影响要小得多．     

相对论岁差章动的理论推导

本文从爱因斯坦场方程的解开始,严格而细致地论证了相对论岁差和章动的起源,推导了测地、Lense-Thirring、Thomas岁差章动和黄极的相对论进动的理论表达式。     

地球动力学扁率及其与岁差章动的关系

由岁差常数求得的日月岁差是天文学的重要参数之一,它和地球动力学扁率相联系。地球动力学扁率在章动理论的计算中也是一个重要的物理量。介绍了由不同的观测方法和模型给出的地球动力扁率值,并讨论了它也岁差的关系和对章动计算的影响。在刚体地球章动振幅的计算中,地球动力学扁率值起着尺度因子的作用,要改善刚体地球章动振幅的计算,需要修改目前的黄经总岁差值。非刚体地球章动的转换函数中所采用的简正模和常数都直接或间接地依赖地球动力学扁率值。在IAU1980章动理论中,计算刚体地球章动振幅所使用的地球动力学扁率值计算转换函数中简正模频率和常数所使用的地球动力学扁率值并不一致。随着观测和计算精度的提高,地球动力学扁率值的不一致将影响章动振幅的计算。在建立刚体地球章地动理论中,如何解释地球动力学扁率值的差异,如何选取地球动力学扁率值,还有待进一步的研究。     

主章动常数和对它的天文实测

本文列举了最近以来,光学天文、VLBI和LLR等技术对主章动常数的测量结果,结果表明对国际天文学联合会(IAU)在1982年通过的1980 IAU章动理论应予以修正。文中强调了现代天文实测工作应该在地球模型和章动理论的研究中起到更大的作用;还讨论了在实际进行主章动常数测量工作时应该注意的一些问题。     

自由液核章动的光学和新技术检测

本文应用当今最高精度的经典仪器光学观测资料，新技术的综合观测资料和单一的ＶＬＢＩ观测资料检测了自由液核章动，到了其周期为４１５－４１８天，分析了其运动形态为逆向的圆周运动，并计算了其振幅为亚毫秒级。     

RDAN97: An Analytical Development of Rigid Earth Nutation Series Using the Torque Approach

New series of rigid Earth nutations for the angular momemtum axis, the rotation axis and the figure axis, named RDAN97, are computed using the torque approach. Besides the classical J2 terms coming from the Moon and the Sun, we also consider several additional effects: terms coming from J3 and J4 in the case of the Moon, direct and indirect planetary effects, lunar inequality, J2 tilt, planetary‐tilt, effects of the precession and nutations on the nutations, secular variations of the amplitudes, effects due to the triaxiality of the Earth, new additional out‐of‐phase terms coming from second order effect and relativistic effects. Finally, we obtain rigid Earth nutation series of 1529 terms in longitude and 984 terms in obliquity with a truncation level of 0.1 μ (microarcsecond) and 8 significant digits. The value of the dynamical flattening used in this theory is HD=(C-A)/C=0.0032737674 computed from the initial value pa=50′.2877/yr for the precession rate. These new rigid Earth nutation series are then compared with the most recent models (Hartmann et al., 1998; Souchay and Kinoshita, 1996, 1997; Bretagnon et al., 1997, 1998. We also compute a benchmark series (RDNN97) from the numerical ephemerides DE403/LE403 (Standish et al., 1995) in order to test our model. The comparison between our model (RDAN97) and the benchmark series (RDNN97) shows a maximum difference, in the time domain, of 69 μas in longitude and 29 μas in obliquity. In the frequency domain, the maximum differences are 6 μas in longitude and 4 μ as in obliquity which is below the level of precision of the most recent observations (0.2 mas in time domain (temporal resolution of 1 day) and 0.02 mas in frequency domain). This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Analytical Development of Rigid Mercury Nutation Series

In this paper, series of a rigid model of Mercury nutations are computed. The method used is based on the calculation of the forces produced by the Sun on Mercury as considered as a rigid body. In order to take into account the indirect effects coming from the orbit perturbations of Mercury, we used the ephemerides VSOP87 (Bretagnon and Francou, 1988). Due to non-negligible difference between the principal moment of inertia A and B in the case of Mercury, we compute also terms due to the triaxiality in addition to the general terms coming from J ₂. With a truncation level of 10 ^–3 mas (milliarcsecond), related to the present-day precision of the Mercury precession constant, 173 terms in longitude ( sin ) and 166 terms in obliquity () are computed. The value of the dynamical flattening used is H _D = (C – A)/C = 2.3 × 10^–4 (Anderson, 1987).     

1980 IAU Theory of Nutation: The final report of the IAU Working Group on Nutation

In 1979 the Seventeenth General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Montreal, Canada, adopted the 1979 IAU Theory of Nutation upon the recommendation of this Working Group. Subsequently the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) passed a resolution requesting that this action be reconsidered in favor of a theory based on a different Earth model. As a consequence of that reconsideration the 1980 IAU Theory of Nutation was adopted. The details of that theory and the history of its adoption are described here in the Final Report of the IAU Working Group on Nutation. A summary of these events and the essence of our recommendations is provided first while the body of the report discusses these matters in greater detail. The theory itself is contained in Table I.     

Forced nutations of a two-layer Earth model

In this paper we present a theory of the Earth rotation for a model composed of an inelastic mantle and a liquid core, including the dissipation in the core–mantle boundary (CMB). The main features of the theory are: (i) to be Hamiltonian, therefore the computation of some complex inner torques can be avoided; (ii) to be self-consistent and non-dependent on a previous rigid Earth theory, so there is no need to use transfer functions; (iii) to be analytical, the solution being derived by perturbation methods. Numerical nutation series deduced from the theory are compared with the IERS 96 empirical series, an accuracy better than 0.8 mas in providing celestial ephemeris pole (CEP) offsets .     

Orbital and mission planning constraints for the deflection of NEOs impacting on Earth

This paper is the third in a series. Paper 1 presented the results of numerical modeling of deflections of NEOs in route of collision with the Earth. The model was applied to a variety of dynamical cases including both asteroidal and cometary NEOs. Paper 2 introduced the concept of “distributed deflection,” i.e., the possibility to provide the ΔV necessary to deflect an object with a succession of maneuvers each of which would have been insufficient per se to obtain the desired result. In both papers no assumptions were made on the physical composition and structure of the NEO, nor on the details of the possible deflection maneuvers from the point of view of mission analysis. Moreover, ΔV-plots were computed assuming only along-track impulses (both in the positive and negative directions), because it is easy to demonstrate that in general this is energetically the most favorable configuration. Also in the present paper no assumptions were made on the physical composition and structure of the NEO, even if order of magnitude considerations are made on the physical feasibility of a deflection, in terms of the internal strength of the NEO. We present here the results of an investigation on the mission requirements necessary to deflect an object (or contribute to a succession of deflecting maneuvers) in terms of accessibility of the spacecraft terminal orbit from Earth with the current launchers.     

Theory of the motion of an artificial Earth satellite

An improved analytical solution is obtained for the motion of an artificial Earth satellite under the combined influences of gravity and atmospheric drag. The gravitational model includes zonal harmonics throughJ ₄, and the atmospheric model assumes a nonrotating spherical power density function. The differential equations are developed through second order under the assumption that the second zonal harmonic and the drag coefficient are both first-order terms, while the remaining zonal harmonics are of second order.Canonical transformations and the method of averaging are used to obtain transformations of variables which significantly simplify the transformed differential equations. A solution for these transformed equations is found; and this solution, in conjunction with the transformations cited above, gives equations for computing the six osculating orbital elements which describe the orbital motion of the satellite. The solution is valid for all eccentricities greater than 0 and less than 0.1 and all inclinations not near 0^o or the critical inclination. Approximately ninety percent of the satellites currently in orbit satisfy all these restrictions.     

A New Protocol for the Astrometric Follow-up of Near Earth Asteroids

A new protocol was devised to improve the efficiency of astrometric follow-up observations of Near Earth Asteroids for the accurate determination of their orbits. It was implemented in the activities of the Spaceguard Central Node (SCN, a facility of the Spaceguard Foundation, established with the support of the European Space Agency) in the form of a Priority List. Here we describe this protocol and results obtained during five years of activity (2000–2004).