Impact of astronomical research from different countries

The impact of astronomical research carried out by different countries has been compared by analysing the 1000 most‐cited astronomy papers published 1991‐8 (125 from each year). 61% of the citations are to papers with first authors at institutions in the USA, 11% in the UK, 5% in Germany, 4% in Canada, 3% in Italy and 3% in France. 17% are to papers with first authors in ESO countries. The number of citations is approximately proportional to the number of IAU members in a given country. The number of citations per IAU astronomer is highest in the USA, Switzerland and the UK. Within continental Europe, the number of citations per IAU astronomer varies little from country to country, but is slightly higher in the north than in the south. The sample of 1000 papers maps regional subject preferences. 62% of the extragalactic papers in the sample were published from the USA, 15% from the UK, 23% from other countries (mainly in continental Europe). 62% of the papers on stars were also published from the USA, but the fractions from the UK and from other countries are 2% and 36% respectively. (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Productivity and impact of astronomical facilities: A recent sample

The papers published in 11 key astronomical journals in 2008, and a year of citations to those from the first half of the year, have been associated with the telescopes, satellites, and so forth where the data were gathered using a form of fractional counting. Some numbers are also given by journal, by subfield, and by wavelength band. The largest numbers of papers, and generally also quite highly cited ones, in their respective wavelength bands come from the Very Large Array, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, the Spitzer Space Telescope, and the Chandra X‐ray Telescope. Optical astronomy is still the largest sector; and papers about cosmology and exoplanets are cited more often than papers about binary stars and planetary nebulae. The authors conclude that it is of equal importance to recognize (a) that a very large number of papers also come from less famous facilities, (b) that a very large fraction of papers (and their authors) are concerned with the less highly‐cited topics, (c) that many facilities are quite slow in achieving their eventual level of influence, and (d) that one really needs at least three years of citation data, not just one or two, to provide a fair picture of what is going on (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

南极洲高原介绍

南极洲高原的天文开发在过去的10年中有了显著的进展．大的天文设施已在南极(South Pole)的Amundsen-Scott站运行,更具威力的望远镜已在计划或正在那儿建设,然而由于一些重要的原因,高原站址冰穹A(Dome A)和冰穹C(Dome C)对多种天文学科似乎比南极更具有利条件．2005年1月中国对冰穹A的成功考察,加上2005年以整年运行为目的的法/意Concordia站在冰穹C的开启,已为南极洲天文学创造了激动人心的新机遇．     

深度学习在天文学中的应用与改进

近年来,深度学习和人工智能技术迅猛发展,在多个学科领域得到了广泛关注和应用。天文学研究也不甘落后,涌现出一大批应用深度学习进行数据分析的工作。总结了深度学习在天文中的应用情况和趋势、天文数据类型和机器学习任务、天文中常用的深度学习网络模型和方法,以及深度学习在天文研究中的代表性应用和进展,并探讨和提出了其未来在天文学领域中的应用和改进建议。     

An anomalous journal impact factor

The impact factor (average number of citations per paper) for the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series jumped between 2003 and 2004 from 6.247 to 15.231, giving it the world's second highest impact factor for an astronomical journal in 2004. Was this change due to a computing error or to an unusual occurrence? It is shown that it was due to the extremely high citation rates (average of 160 citations per year) for 13 papers in the special issue devoted to the WilkinsonMicrowave Anisotropy Probe. (© 2006 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

天文光子学研究现状及其应用展望

天文学是一门观测学科, 其发展受观测技术及仪器进步所推动, 而天文科学发展同样不断对观测仪器提出新的要求. 天文学发展至今, 对观测仪器的要求逐渐走向极致和极端, 这在实现成本及难度两方面均带来极大挑战. 为应对上述挑战, 基于新原理、新技术的下一代天文光学技术及观测仪器已成为天文学发展的内在需要. 近年来, 集成光子学的发展为天文光学技术带来了新的变革性机遇, 在此基础上产生的新兴交叉学科天文光子学(Astrophotonics)可为天文观测提供低成本、高度集成化(芯片化)的新一代高性能光学终端仪器, 这类仪器将在空间天文观测、大规模光谱巡天、高分辨高精度光谱成像等应用中起到关键作用. 主要从仪器/器件功能出发介绍天文光子学主要研究内容及现状, 并简要讨论其发展所面临的主要问题, 最后对其发展趋势做出展望.     

Research Status and Application Prospects of Astrophotonics

Astronomy is an observational discipline, and its improvement is driven by the progress of observation technology and instruments. The advancement of astronomy also constantly puts forward new requirements for observation instruments. Since the development of astronomy, the requirements for observing instruments have gradually become extreme, which brings great challenges in both cost and difficulty. In order to tackle the challenges, a future generation of astronomical optical technology and observation instruments based on new principles and technologies has become an inherent need to promote the advancement of astronomy. In recent years, the growth of integrated photonics has presented revolutionary opportunities for that of astronomical optical technology. On the basis, astrophotonics, an emerging interdisciplinary subject, can provide a new generation of high-performance optical terminal instruments with low cost and high integration (chip-based) for astronomical observation. Such instruments will play a vital role in space astronomical observation, large-scale spectral survey, high-resolution and high-precision spectral imaging, and other applications. This paper mainly introduces the main research contents and status quo of astronomical photonics starting from the instruments/device functions, briefly discusses the major problems in its development, and eventually forecasts its development prospect.     

Productivity and impact of astronomical facilities: A statistical study ofpublications and citations

In calendar years 2001 and 2002, 20 journals of astronomy and astrophysics published 7768 papers that reported or analyzed observations at wavelengths from meter radio to ultrahigh energy gamma rays. In the three calendar years after publication, these papers were cited more than 97 000 times, according to the Science Citation Index/Web of Science data base (the most complete, we believe, available), for an average rate of 4.19 citations per paper per year.We slice these data up several ways, by subject matter, wavelength band, and the telescopes (etc.) used. Most of the results will not surprise: There are hot topics (cosmology, exoplanets) and not so hot topics (binary stars, planetary nebulae). Papers reporting spacebased data are cited a bit more often and radio papers a bit less often than optical papers, but multi‐wavelength studies do the best. The total number of telescopes involved is surprisingly large, about 330 optical and infrared (mostly ground based but including HST), 109 radio (including COBE and VSOP satellites), and 90 space based (including satellites, interplanetary probes, things carried on rockets, balloons, the Shuttle, and so forth). The superstar telescopes are (mostly) the ones you would expect, though having the most papers does not always go with largest ratios of citations per paper. HST produces the largest number of optical papers, but SDSS the most highly‐cited ones, while the VLA is responsible for the largest number of radio papers and the most highly cited (apart from balloon‐borne CMB observatories), and among things that fly, the most recent tend to dominate both paper and citation numbers. If you have to choose, it is probably better to opt for a small telescope on a well‐supported site than a larger one with less support, and service to the community, in the form of catalogues and mission definitions, is rewarded, at least in citation counts, if not always in other ways. A few comparisons are made with other studies. The main difference is that we have included all the papers and all the telescopes for the years chosen, rather than focussing on one or a few observatories or skimming the cream of most‐cited papers or ones from the highest‐profile journals. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Suggestions for some single dish radio astronomy standards

In this paper we examine the possibility of adopting standards within the context of radio astronomy and the benefits to be derived thereby. In particular we consider the application of standards within the three areas of the receiver hardware, the control and communication between different parts of the observing system, and the interface with the astronomer. The adoption of such standards will increase flexibility of observing systems, allow the easy interchange of equipment between observatories and greatly simplify guest observing. In this paper we will only consider the application of standards within the field of millimetre-wave and sub-millimetre-wave single dish astronomy. However, the principle can be easily extended to other astronomical wavebands. We describe some current developments at the Onsala Space Observatory which illustrate the proposed philosophy and show how such standards may be implemented. Naturally, the detailed definition of such standards would have to be agreed in conjunction with other interested astronomical institutions.     

Antenna design and implementation for the future space Ultra-Long wavelength radio telescope

In radio astronomy, the Ultra-Long Wavelengths (ULW) regime of longer than 10 m (frequencies below 30 MHz), remains the last virtually unexplored window of the celestial electromagnetic spectrum. The strength of the science case for extending radio astronomy into the ULW window is growing. However, the opaqueness of the Earth’s ionosphere makes ULW observations by ground-based facilities practically impossible. Furthermore, the ULW spectrum is full of anthropogenic radio frequency interference (RFI). The only radical solution for both problems is in placing an ULW astronomy facility in space. We present a concept of a key element of a space-borne ULW array facility, an antenna that addresses radio astronomical specifications. A tripole–type antenna and amplifier are analysed as a solution for ULW implementation. A receiver system with a low power dissipation is discussed as well. The active antenna is optimized to operate at the noise level defined by the celestial emission in the frequency band 1 ? 30 MHz. Field experiments with a prototype tripole antenna enabled estimates of the system noise temperature. They indicated that the proposed concept meets the requirements of a space-borne ULW array facility.     

Gnat — A global network of astronomical telescopes

New generation small telescopes can and should be very complementary facilities for the new large telescopes and for space astronomy. With CCD imaging detectors as part of their instrumentation package, they are most efficient research tools for many research programs. In addition, linking a number of them together into a "global network of astronomical telescopes" appears to make a good deal of sense. A new non-profit organization, GNAT, Inc., has been established to be the catalyst for such a network.Operated by AURA, Inc. under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, Washington D.C.     

The struve dynasty in the history of astronomy in Ukraine

The impact of the Struve astronomical dynasty on the development of astronomy in Ukraine in the 19th–20th centuries is studied. First of all, the role of F.G.W. Struve and O.V. Struve in the formation of astronomical research programs at the observatories at the Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, and Mykolayiv, in equipping the observatories with instruments, in practical training of astronomers as well as in the organization of astronomy-geodetic expeditions (19th century). Particular attention is paid to the activity of L.O. Struve as a director of the Astronomical observatory of Kharkiv University and his works conducted together with G.A. Shajn and B.P. Gerasimovich (20th century) as well as to the impact of his scientific and public activity, including one he made as a President of IAC, on the development of astronomy in the Soviet Union and Ukraine. A range of important documents from the archives of Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of astronomy and State Archive of Ukraine are cited. The article was translated by the authors.     

Preface:Planning the scientific applications of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope(FAST) is by far the largest telescope of any kind ever built. FAST produced its first light in September 2016 and it is now under commissioning, with normal operation to commence in late 2019. During testing and early science operation, FAST has started making astronomical discoveries, particularly pulsars of various kinds, including millisecond pulsars, binaries, gamma-ray pulsars, etc. The papers in this mini-volume propose ambitious observational projects to advance our knowledge of astronomy, astrophysics and fundamental physics in many ways.Although it may take FAST many years to achieve all the goals explained in these papers, taken together they define a powerful strategic vision for the next decade.     

适用于古天文研究的计算机软件

天文软件是进行古天文研究非常有用的辅助工具。对一些常见的商业软件与专业软件的计算结果进行了分析比较,发现它们在两三百年的短期内都是足够可靠的,但是若干商业软件并不适用于涉及几千年跨度的古天文研究。分析表明:无论从数据精确度和长期稳定性,还是从功能的强大程度来说,SkyMap都是值得推广的天文计算软件。     

Thread safe astronomy

Observational astronomy is the beneficiary of an ancient chain of apprenticeship. Kepler's laws required Tycho's data. As the pace of discoveries has increased over the centuries, so has the cadence of tutelage (literally, “watching over”). Naked eye astronomy is thousands of years old, the telescope hundreds, digital imaging a few decades, but today's undergraduates will use instrumentation yet unbuilt – and thus, unfamiliar to their professors – to complete their doctoral dissertations. Not only has the quickening cadence of astronomical data‐taking overrun the apprehension of the science within, but the contingent pace of experimental design threatens our capacity to learn new techniques and apply them productively. Virtual technologies are necessary to accelerate our human processes of perception and comprehension to keep up with astronomical instrumentation and pipelined dataflows. Necessary, but not sufficient. Computers can confuse us as efficiently as they illuminate. Rather, as with neural pathways evolved to meet competitive ecological challenges, astronomical software and data must become organized into ever more coherent ‘threads’ of execution. These are the same threaded constructs as understood by computer science. No datum is an island. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Astronomy in Japan

The research activity in Japanese astronomy is described, taking into account the social and historical background. A trend in the last two decades is shown by the numbers of papers in 13 branches of astronomy. Major research facilities and international collaboration programs are summerized. Future programs under consideration are briefly discussed.Paper presented at the Lembang-Bamberg IAU Colloquium No. 80 on Double Stars: Physical Properties and Generic Relations, held at Bandung, Indonesia, 3–7 June, 1983.     

离群数据的探测

综述了离群数据(outliers)探测是数据挖掘和知识发现的一项重要任务及其在天学中兴起的必然性。简要介绍了离群数据的定义、特点、产生原因及影响，着重阐述了探测一维离群数据和多维离群数据的方法，并且与一些聚类算法作了对比。每一种算法各有优劣，天学家应根据天数据的特点，探讨出适合天数据特点的离群数据探测方法，以发现一些不同寻常的、稀有的，甚至新类型的天体和天现象。     

IAU 1976天文常数系统中的基础常数

对ＩＡＵ１９７６天文常数系统中的基础常数的测定方法进行了评述,指出十个基础常数已发生了许多变化,光速已成为常数,地球赤道半径可用于大地水准面的重力势代替,黄经总岁差需进行修改,章动常数已不能称为基础常数,其它常数也都有了新的测定结果,ＩＡＵ１９７６天文常数系统已跟上不天文学的发展,并存在很大的缺陷,必须进行修订和改进,天文常数的测定方法和理论研究都在迅速发展之中,我们应当关心这个领域的研究。     

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.