Diurnal photometric conditions at Teide observatory and long-term solar irradiance variations

Monochromatic extinction coefficients at four wavelengths have been obtained over a period of more than two years at the Observatorio del Teide (Izaña Tenerife) using a full disc, direct sunlight, quadruple photometer devoted to the detection of integral luminosity oscillations of the Sun. The mean extinction coefficients (0.13 at 500 nm) show a seasonal variation of about 15%, the best atmospheric conditions being in winter and autumn. Moreover, in anyone day the extinction coefficient in the afternoon is always lower than the one in the morning by 7%. A one-year period fluctuation, with an amplitude of 0.035 mag, has been identified in the instrumental magnitudes outside the atmosphere, and is interpreted as the variation produced by the different Sun-Earth distance from winter to summer. Finally, the study made to detect periodic time fluctuations in both, Sun's magnitude and extinction coefficients, has given null results at levels of 0.04 and 1.8%, respectively.     

The Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer for the solar and heliospheric observatory

The Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer is designed to probe the solar atmosphere through the detection of spectral emission lines in the extreme ultraviolet wavelength range 150 – 800 . By observing the intensities of selected lines and line profiles, we may derive temperature, density, flow and abundance information for the plasmas in the solar atmosphere. Spatial and temporal resolutions of down to a few arcseconds and seconds, respectively, allow such studies to be made within the fine-scale structure of the solar corona. Futhermore, coverage of large wavelength bands provides the capability for simultaneously observing the properties of plasmas across the wide temperature ranges of the solar atmosphere.     

Software for interactively visualizing solar vector magnetograms of udaipur solar observatory

The Solar Vector Magnetograph (SVM) at Udaipur Solar Observatory saw its first light in April 2005. The retrieval of vector fields from the imaging spectro-polarimetric observational data requires a substantial amount of computer post-processing. The GUI-based data reduction and analysis software have been developed to make the data processing pipeline user-friendly and less time-consuming. In this paper we describe these software packages.     

Solar work at Manila observatory

Seventeen comets, having information on sodium D-line emission during their apparition, have been studied. The heliocentric distances corresponding to the sodium emission commencement or termination epoch are found to have a dependence on the phase of the solar cycle. For comets appearing during a solar maximum the sodium emission is detectable out to greater distances than, for the comets appearing during solar minimum. The sodium emission is also found to depend on heliographic latitude of the comet. It is concluded that the spatial properties of the solar wind during a solar maximum and minimum are responsible for the observed dependence.     

The astrolabe catalogue (ACPI) of the Peking astronomical observatory

Using the results of our latitude and time programs obtained with the impersonal astrolabe (OPL No. 30) of the Peking Observatory, we have calculated the corrections to individual star positions and the systematic corrections Δα_δ and Δδ_δ to catalogue positions.     

Photography of comets 1973f (Kohoutek) and 1974b (Bradfield) at Mauna Kea observatory

A catalog and examples of photographs of Comets Kohoutek (1973f) and Bradfield (1974b) made at Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii are given. Some photographs were obtained with an Aero Ektar ?/2.5 lens of 305-mm focal length, but most were made with a Celestron ?/1.5 Schmidt camera, also of 305-mm focal length.     

The NHXM observatory

Exploration of the X-ray sky has established X-ray astronomy as a fundamental astrophysical discipline. While our knowledge of the sky below 10?keV has increased dramatically (??8 orders of magnitude) by use of grazing incidence optics, we still await a similar improvement above 10?keV, where to date only collimated instruments have been used. Also ripe for exploration is the field of X-ray polarimetry, an unused fundamental tool to understand the physics and morphology of X-ray sources. Here we present a novel mission, the New Hard X-ray Mission (NHXM) that brings together for the first time simultaneous high-sensitivity, hard-X-ray imaging, broadband spectroscopy and polarimetry. NHXM will perform groundbreaking science in key scientific areas, including: black hole cosmic evolution, census and accretion physics; acceleration mechanism and non-thermal emission; physics of matter under extreme conditions. NHXM is designed specifically to address these topics via: broad 0.5?C80 (120) keV band for imaging and spectroscopy; 20?arcsec (15 goal) Half Energy Width (HEW) angular resolution at 30?keV; sensitivity limits more than 3 orders of magnitude better than those available in present day instruments; broadband (2?C35?keV) imaging polarimetry. In addition, NHXM has the ability to locate and actively monitor sources in different states of activity and to repoint within 1 to 2?h. This mission has been proposed to ESA in response to the Cosmic Vision M3 call. Its satellite configuration and payload subsystems were studied as part of previous national efforts permitting us to design a mature configuration that is compatible with a VEGA launch already by 2020.     

High-altitude wind velocity at Oukaimeden observatory

This paper aims at studying the wind at 200 mbar over the Moroccan observatory Oukaimeden, as high-altitude winds have been adopted as a useful parameter for site characterization in terms of the suitability of a site for the development of some adaptive optics techniques. The data used come from the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data base, which is widely acknowledged as being reliable. Statistical analyses of 200-mbar wind speed since 1983 are performed. Comparison with some of the main observatory sites worldwide qualifies Oukaimeden as one of the best observatory sites in terms of 200-mbar wind statistics. Our analysis of a record of seeing measurements during the years 2003 and 2004 concludes that while 200-mbar wind speed can be used as a parameter for ranking astronomical sites in term of their suitability for adaptive optics, it cannot be used for the whole atmospheric seeing prediction. A comparison of monthly values of the seeing parameter at Oukaimeden, La Silla and Paranal demonstrates the high seeing quality of Oukaimeden, as the seeing values measured were lower than those of La Silla and Paranal for most of the time during the comparison period. Furthermore, a statistical analysis of atmospheric stratified seeing, wavefront coherence time and isoplanatic angle measured with a Multi-Aperture Scintillation Sensor instrument over Paranal from 2004 to 2007 have been performed. We found good correlations between 200-mbar wind velocity and levels 4, 5 and 6 seeing, wavefront coherence time and isoplanatic angle, with corresponding correlation coefficients of 0.74, 0.79, 0.70, 0.97 and 0.78.     

Investigations of space debris at Terskol observatory

Within the framework of the “Astronomy in the Elbrus Region” international program, investigations of space debris objects using optical measurements are carried out at the observation complex of the Zeiss-2000 telescope (developed by the International Center for Astronomical and Medico-Ecological Research, National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine) at Terskol Observatory. The objectives of this study are to detect, catalog, and determine the physical characteristics of small-sized space debris fragments, maintain orbit catalogs, and investigate the influence of nongravitational perturbations on the orbital motion and the evolution of orbits of these fragments.     

Early latitude observations at the Pulkovo observatory

Pulkovo astrometric observations began in the 1840s using the Repsold transit instrument in the prime vertical and Ertel vertical circle. The first observers on these instruments were W.I. Struve, 1840–1856, and Kh.I. Peters, 1842–1849. In the present work, we collected and analyzed different series of latitude variations from observations made by M.O. Nuren, B. Wanach, A.A. Ivanov, I.N. Bonsdorf, and A.Ya. Orlov. In addition, results are given of investigations of a specific behavior of the Chandler polar motion in this interval, obtained by C. Chandler, Ivanov, Kh. Kimura, Orlov, and N. Sekiguchi. The aim of this paper is to search for and analyze the earliest series of Pulkovo latitudes, in order to evaluate the possibility of their use to study the motion of the pole at the maximum available range of observations. Different methods were used to isolate and analyze the sum of Chandler and annual latitude variations. The annex provides a series of Pulkovo latitude variations for 1840–1848, which may be used to extend latitude variation back to 1840.     

Observations of minor planets at dresden lohrmann observatory

Observed positions of minor planets from 1977 and 1978 at the Zeiss-Sonnefeld astrograph 300/1500 of Lohrmann Observatory at Dresden-Gönnsdorf are given.     

Meridian observations of outer planets at Bordeaux observatory

A systematic bias in right ascensions in the DE200 ephemeris for the outer planets is confirmed.