方位指向检测系统的参数测定

针对低纬子午环的观测方式和方位定向系统的精度，叙述了配备方位指向检测系统的必要性，介绍了方位指向检测的原理和系统参数的测定方法，分析了在仪器的三个支承螺杆有晃动的情况下，系统参数测定的不可靠性，提出了克服参数测定不可靠性影响的方法。     

YTI-A视频时码插入器的研制

在人造卫星观测的ＣＣＤ图象记录中，为方便图象保存，查阅及图象处理，将图象记录中的相关信息插入记录的图象中是十分重要的。ＹＴＩ－Ａ视频时码插入器正是为此应用而设计。本仪器内有一个可自动与后面板输入秒同步到１μｓ的数字钟。记录日期包括年月日，时刻记录精度为１０μｓ，望远镜指向（Ａ，ｈ）的记录精度为１″。这些信息全部以二种格式被插入记录的图象中可供图象处理时查阅和快速读出。文中叙述了仪器原理及应用     

佘山25米天线导轨问题对指向误差影响的研究

本根据25米射电望远镜方位导轨水平度的检测数据，分析了天线在不同位置时指向误差的情况及其原因，为进一步提高天线指向精度提供了理论依据和实测数据。     

YTI—A视频时码插入器的研制

在人造卫星观测的ＣＣＤ，图象记录中，为方便图象保存，查阅及图象处理，将图象记录中的相关信息插入记录的图象中是十分重要的，ＹＴＩ－Ａ视频时码插入器正是为此应用而设计，本仪器内有一个可自动与后面板输入秒同步到１μｓ的数字钟。记录日期包括年月日，时刻记录精度为１０μｓ，望远镜指向（Ａ，ｈ）的记录精度为１″，这些信息全部以二种格式被插入记录的图象中可供图象处理查阅和快速读出，文中叙述了原理及应用。     

平均风作用对天马望远镜面形精度和指指向精度的影响

天马望远镜的最高工作频段为43 GHz。为保证高质量的观测结果,需要研究风载荷对天线精度的影响。首先对观测站实测的风速风向数据做了统计分析,结果显示:10 m高度处10min时距平均风速小于4 m·s^-1的占比超过80%,主导风向为北-西北方向。然后,通过将倾斜仪实测结果与有限元模拟结果进行对比,验证了模拟的有效性,并进一步分析了在不同迎风姿态、不同风速下天线结构的平均风荷载响应,以及天线面形精度和指向精度的变化。结果表明,平均风荷载对天线指向精度,尤其是俯仰角指向精度的影响较大,对面形精度的影响较小;在弹性范围内,天线面形精度和指向精度与风速间均为二次关系。研究结果可为天线面形精度和指向精度的评估提供参考。     

平均风作用对天马望远镜面形精度和指向精度的影响

天马望远镜的最高工作频段为43 GHz。为保证高质量的观测结果,需要研究风载荷对天线精度的影响。首先对观测站实测的风速风向数据做了统计分析,结果显示:10 m高度处10min时距平均风速小于4 m·s~(-1)的占比超过80%,主导风向为北-西北方向。然后,通过将倾斜仪实测结果与有限元模拟结果进行对比,验证了模拟的有效性,并进一步分析了在不同迎风姿态、不同风速下天线结构的平均风荷载响应,以及天线面形精度和指向精度的变化。结果表明,平均风荷载对天线指向精度,尤其是俯仰角指向精度的影响较大,对面形精度的影响较小;在弹性范围内,天线面形精度和指向精度与风速间均为二次关系。研究结果可为天线面形精度和指向精度的评估提供参考。     

ASO-S/HXI太阳指向镜算法研究

硬X射线成像是研究太阳耀斑等爆发现象的重要手段.由于采用调制成像而非直接成像的原因, X射线图像在日面上的位置需要借助太阳指向镜提供的仪器指向的日面坐标来确定.因此,指向信息对于耀斑定位实现多波段研究,理解太阳耀斑的物理过程具有重要的科学意义.在此对两种太阳指向镜指向信息的获取算法进行了测试.结合太阳指向镜的设计方案,首先利用SDO (Solar Dynamics Observatory)/AIA (Atmospheric Imaging Assembly) 4500?的数据产生测试图像,其次对其进行二值化处理,分别提取日面轮廓和4个边角指定区域面积;最后分别利用最小二乘法和四象限法对太阳中心坐标进行反演.初步结果显示最小二乘法受随机噪声影响小,定位精度相对稳定约为0.25′′,并可提供四象限法解算的初值;后者的精度可以优于0.14′′,但受随机噪声影响较大.两种算法的精度都显著优于硬X射线成像仪(Hard X-ray Imager, HXI)太阳指向镜的设计要求,可为指向数据在将来科学分析中的实际应用提供参考.     

德令哈13.7m望远镜热变形研究

热变形是影响大型毫米波天线性能的关键因素之一.这种变形会改变天线反射面的轴线和焦距、恶化反射面面形,导致天线效率和指向精度恶化,同时也使天线效率和指向的长时间稳定性降低.由于太阳的周日运动,造成望远镜4个主支撑腿(简称支腿)之间存在温差,且该温差是变化的,从而引起方位轴的倾斜周期性变化.采用数字摄影测量、倾斜仪测量及天文实测等多种仪器和方法,研究了德令哈13.7m望远镜天线的热变形规律,并根据实时测量的主面温度分布,实现了副面自适应调焦补偿,使得天线效率提高近1倍.测量发现常规指向模型修正后的残差与天线主反射面(包括反射面板和背架,简称主面)直径方向温差存在线性相关性,故在指向解析模型中加入了温差修正项,并通过采用隔热材料包裹支腿的办法显著减小了支腿之间的温差,从而改善了望远镜的指向精度.     

主反射面变形引起的天线指向误差修正方法

射电天线指向精度通常要求小于主波束宽度的1/10, 对于短厘米波段或毫米波段的大口径反射面天线, 指向精度要求高达几个角秒, 对于天线性能目标的实现是个巨大的挑战, 因此对于大口径高频段的反射面天线来说指向问题成为天线性能实现的重要关注焦点. 在众多影响天线指向精度的结构子系统因素中, 对主反射面变形因素的研究很少. 文章结合天线的结构特点建立了反射面空间坐标系统, 并基于变形后主面点的空间坐标值, 提出了3自由度下的非线性最小二乘吻合的方法去精准预测天线指向. 最后利用空间几何关系严格推导出了服务于天线指向误差修正的俯仰和方位的精确调整量, 从而构建了主面变形同指向误差之间的间接关系, 这对大型射电天线指向精度的提升具有一定的指导意义.     

全球光学时纬仪器1992—1994年观测初步分析

概述了1992－1994年全球光学时纬仪器获得的测量资料，其中包括每架仪器的观测组数和测时、测纬精度，并且给出了按仪器类型统计的观测组数及测时、测纬精度。     

低纬子午环的仪器误差

对低纬子午环的仪器误差作了分类，包括制造误差、安装误差、仪器重力变形和热变形的影响，还分别列出了各种误差测量设备的制造误差、安装误差、读数零点偏差及其漂移的影响。文中强调了在该仪器误差修正中，不建立和使用任何误差模型，而是采用实时测定值，并且特别注意消除系统误差的影响，在这基础上，才能通过重复采数来压缩随机误差的影响。     

A Mercury orientation model including non-zero obliquity and librations

Planetary orientation models describe the orientation of the spin axis and prime meridian of planets in inertial space as a function of time. The models are required for the planning and execution of Earth-based or space-based observational work, e.g. to compute viewing geometries and to tie observations to planetary coordinate systems. The current orientation model for Mercury is inadequate because it uses an obsolete spin orientation, neglects oscillations in the spin rate called longitude librations, and relies on a prime meridian that no longer reflects its intended dynamical significance. These effects result in positional errors on the surface of ~1.5 km in latitude and up to several km in longitude, about two orders of magnitude larger than the finest image resolution currently attainable. Here we present an updated orientation model which incorporates modern values of the spin orientation, includes a formulation for longitude librations, and restores the dynamical significance to the prime meridian. We also use modern values of the orbit normal, spin axis orientation, and precession rates to quantify an important relationship between the obliquity and moment of inertia differences.     

Implications of Non-cylindrical Flux Ropes for Magnetic Cloud Reconstruction Techniques and the Interpretation of Double Flux Rope Events

Magnetic clouds (MCs) are a subset of interplanetary coronal mass ejections (ICMEs) which exhibit signatures consistent with a magnetic flux rope structure. Techniques for reconstructing flux rope orientation from single-point in situ observations typically assume the flux rope is locally cylindrical, e.g., minimum variance analysis (MVA) and force-free flux rope (FFFR) fitting. In this study, we outline a non-cylindrical magnetic flux rope model, in which the flux rope radius and axial curvature can both vary along the length of the axis. This model is not necessarily intended to represent the global structure of MCs, but it can be used to quantify the error in MC reconstruction resulting from the cylindrical approximation. When the local flux rope axis is approximately perpendicular to the heliocentric radial direction, which is also the effective spacecraft trajectory through a magnetic cloud, the error in using cylindrical reconstruction methods is relatively small (≈ 10^∘). However, as the local axis orientation becomes increasingly aligned with the radial direction, the spacecraft trajectory may pass close to the axis at two separate locations. This results in a magnetic field time series which deviates significantly from encounters with a force-free flux rope, and consequently the error in the axis orientation derived from cylindrical reconstructions can be as much as 90^∘. Such two-axis encounters can result in an apparent ‘double flux rope’ signature in the magnetic field time series, sometimes observed in spacecraft data. Analysing each axis encounter independently produces reasonably accurate axis orientations with MVA, but larger errors with FFFR fitting.     

Statistical assessment of shapes and magnetic field orientations in molecular clouds through polarization observations

We present a novel statistical analysis aimed at deriving the intrinsic shapes and magnetic field orientations of molecular clouds using dust emission and polarization observations by the Hertz polarimeter. Our observables are the aspect ratio of the projected plane-of-the-sky cloud image and the angle between the mean direction of the plane-of-the-sky component of the magnetic field and the short axis of the cloud image. To overcome projection effects due to the unknown orientation of the line-of-sight, we combine observations from 24 clouds, assuming that line-of-sight orientations are random and all are equally probable. Through a weighted least-squares analysis, we find that the best-fitting intrinsic cloud shape describing our sample is an oblate disc with only small degrees of triaxiality. The best-fitting intrinsic magnetic field orientation is close to the direction of the shortest cloud axis, with small  (∼24°)  deviations towards the long/middle cloud axes. However, due to the small number of observed clouds, the power of our analysis to reject alternative configurations is limited.     

On the accuracy of the orbit of asteroid (99942) APOPHIS at the time of its encounter with the Earth in 2029

We estimate the effect of trajectory measurement errors on the orbital parameters of asteroid Apophis determined from improvements. For this purpose, based on all of the optical and radar observations available to date, we have computed a nominal orbit of the asteroid. The scatter ellipsoid of the initial conditions of motion has been obtained by two methods. In the first, universally accepted method, the scatter ellipsoid is calculated by assuming a linear dependence of the errors in the parameters being determined on observational errors. In the second method, the scatter region of the orbital parameters around the nominal-orbit parameters is determined by the Monte Carlo method. We show that the region determined by the latter method at the initial epoch differs only slightly from the scatter ellipsoid for the linear approximation. We estimate the sizes of the projections of the corresponding regions onto the target plane at the time of the closest encounter of the asteroid with the Earth in 2029. The projections are approximated by ellipses. Our computations have shown that the ellipse has the following sizes: 389.6 km for the semimajor axis and 16.4 km for the semiminor axis in the linear case and 330.0 and 11.1 km, respectively, in the nonlinear case.     

Improvement in the method of data processing

When the errors in the initial orbit are comparatively great, the usual truncated least square L estimation can not effectively delete the outliers in the set of optical observations. This method has been modified in both the threshold and the approximation model: the threshold is now determined by the statistics on the rms, and the linear model of fitting the residuals is replaced with a quadratic model. With these modifications, the results show that when the initial orbit has an error of 10[su−4] (the error in the semi-major axis is about 5%), the proportion of outliers is reduced to below 10% for all the simulated satellite passes.     

Measuring fiber position errors from spectral data

Precise fiber positioning is crucial to a wide field,multi-fiber spectroscopic survey such as the Guoshoujing Telescope(the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope,LAMOST).Nowadays,most position error measurements are based on CCD photographic and image processing techniques.These methods only work for measuring errors orthogonal to the telescope optical axis,but there are also errors that lie parallel to the optical axis of the telescope,such as defocusing,and errors caused by the existing deviation angle between the optical axes of a fiber and the telescope.Directly measuring the two latter types of position errors is difficult for an individual fiber,especially during observations.Possible sources of fiber position errors are discussed in brief for LAMOST.By constructing a model of magnitude loss due to the fiber position error for a point source,we propose an indirect method to calculate both the total and systematic position errors for each individual fiber from spectral data.Restrictions and applications of this method are also discussed.     

Ephemeris of a highly eccentric orbit: Explorer 28

An ephemeris has been obtained for Explorer 28 (IMP 3) which agrees well with 2 years of radio observations and with SAO observations a year later. This ephemeris is generated over the 3 year lifetime by a numerical integration method utilizing a set of initial conditions, at launch and without requiring further differential correction. Because highly eccentric orbits are difficult to compute with acceptable accuracy and because a long continuous arc has been obtained which compares with actual data to a known precision, this ephemeris may be used as a standard for computing highly eccentric orbits in the Earth-Moon system.Orbit improvement was used to obtain the initial conditions which generated the ephemeris. This improvement was based on correcting the energy by adjusting the semimajor axis to match computed times of perigee passage with the observed. This procedure may generate errors in semimajor axis to compensate for model errors in the energy; however this compensation error is also implicit in orbit determination itself.     

Rotational Properties of Cometary Nuclei

We review several techniques used to retrieve rotational parameters from observations. The spin period of a dozen of comets retrieved with these techniques are summarized. We describe how the spin period of comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 O1) has been calculated with a high accuracy (11.30–11.34 h). Although several authors converged to a spin axis orientation at (α,δ) = (275 ± 15°, -55 ± 5°), detailed studies indicate that the dust jets morphology in 1996–1997 may be incompatible with this orientation. Comet 19P/Borrelly has been recently observed by the Deep Space 1 spacecraft. At the same time, its spin axis orientation and period have been determined by several authors to be respectively (α,δ) = (225 ± 15°, -10 ± 10°)and 26h. These two comets are likely to be in (or close to) a principal axis spin state. We discuss new modeling of the spin state of comet 46P/Wirtanen, the target of the Rosetta mission. The model involves a three-dimensional shape and thermal model, from which the torque of the non gravitational force is calculated at each time step. The moments of inertia are computed for each irregular shape. The results from numerical integrations show that this comet can remain in a principal axis spin state during more than 10 orbits if the spin period does not get above～6 h. If the spin period increases, its nucleus gets rapidly into excited spin states. It shows that even small and very active short-period comets are not necessarily in non principal axis spin states. In the last section, the consequences of recent observations and modeling of the rotational parameters of comet nuclei are discussed, and unsolved problems are presented.     

Mode constraints on nonradial pulsations from polarization data

The distortion of the surface of a hot variable star undergoing nonradial pulsation produces a variable polarization. Resultant changes in the Stokes parameters are here calculated analytically in the linear regime as a function of both the pulsation mode (l, m) and the orientation of the stellar rotation axis. It is shown that all of the necessary stellar atmosphere information may be condensed into one simple integral. The analytic form permits a systematic appraisal of the mode-discriminating ability of polarization observations. A suitable systematic approach is outlined and illustrated with reference to the data for BW Vul.