Confirmation of the 25.5-day fundamental period of the Sun using the north-south asymmetry of the flare index

Short-term periodicities of solar activity were studied. To perform the study, a north-south asymmetry time series was constructed by using the northern and the southern hemisphere flare index values for solar cycle 22. The statistical significance of this time series was calculated. It indicates that in most of cases the asymmetry is highly significant during cycle 22. Power spectral analysis of this time series reveals a periodicity around 25.5 days, which was announced before as a fundamental period of solar activity (Bai and Sturrock, 1991). To investigate the time agreement between the two hemispheres, the phase distribution was studied and a phase shift of about 0.5 was found. An activity trend from the north to the south was found.     

Tracking a major interplanetary disturbance

The severe geomagnetic storm which occurred during 27–29 August 1978 was remarkable because it arrived unexpectedly and was not related to a solar flare or long-lived coronal hole. Observations on 900 celestial radio sources show that the storm was associated with a large-scale region causing enhanced interplanetary scintillation which enveloped the Earth at the same time. The disturbance was first detected on 26 August, when the outer boundary had reached a distance of about 0.8 a.u. from the Sun and it was tracked until 30 August. The enhancement was followed by a fast solar wind stream and its shape suggests that it was a compression zone caused by the birth of the stream.     

Observation of the absolute intensity of the Sun in the vacuum ultraviolet region

The absolute intensity of the solar spectrum between 1550 Å and 1950 Å was measured photoelectrically by a rocketborne spectrometer flown from the Kagoshima Space Centre on 19 February 1973. The spectrometer was a single dispersive type with uniaxial Sun-pointer, and the absolute intensity from the whole disk with a 78 Å spectral resolution was measured. The result was consistent with our previous observation.     

A fully 3-dimensional thermal model of a comet nucleus

A 3-D numerical model of comet nuclei is presented. An implicit numerical scheme was developed for the thermal evolution of a spherical nucleus composed of a mixture of ice and dust. The model was tested against analytical solutions, simplified numerical solutions, and 1-D thermal evolution codes. The 3-D code was applied to comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko; surface temperature maps and the internal thermal structure was obtained as function of depth, longitude and hour angle. The effect of the spin axis tilt on the surface temperature distribution was studied in detail. It was found that for small tilt angles, relatively low temperatures may prevail on near-pole areas, despite lateral heat conduction. A high-resolution run for a comet model of 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko with low tilt angle, allowing for crystallization of amorphous ice, showed that the amorphous/crystalline ice boundary varies significantly with depth as a function of cometary latitude.     

The Bunburra Rockhole meteorite fall in SW Australia: fireball trajectory,luminosity, dynamics,orbit, and impact position from photographic and photoelectric records

Abstract– We report an analysis of the first instrumentally observed meteorite fall in Australia, which was recorded photographically and photoelectrically by two eastern stations of the Desert Fireball Network (DFN) on July 20, 2007. The meteoroid with an initial mass of 22 kg entered the atmosphere with a low speed of 13.36 km s^?1 and began a luminous trajectory at an altitude of 62.83 km. In maximum, it reached ?9.6 absolute magnitude and terminated after a 5.7 s and 64.7 km long flight at an altitude of 29.59 km with a speed of 5.8 km s^?1. The angle of the atmospheric trajectory to the Earth’s surface was 30.9°. The first organized search took place in October 2008 and the first meteorite (150 g) was found 97 m southward from the predicted central line at the end of the first day of searching (October 3, 2008). The second stone (174 g) was recovered 39 m northward from the central line, both exactly in the predicted mass limits. During the second expedition in February 2009, a third fragment of 14.9 g was found again very close (～100 m) from the predicted position. Total recovered mass is 339 g. The meteorite was designated Bunburra Rockhole (BR) after a nearby landscape structure. This first DFN sample is an igneous achondrite. Initial petrography indicated that BR was a brecciated eucrite but detailed analyses proved that BR is not a typical eucrite, but an anomalous basaltic meteorite ( Bland et al. 2009 ). BR was delivered from an unusual, Aten type orbit (a < 1 AU) where virtually the entire orbit was contained within Earth’s orbit. BR is the first achondrite fall with a known orbit and it is one of the most precise orbits ever calculated for a meteorite dropping fireball.     

Central uplift collapse in acoustically fluidized granular targets: Insights from analog modeling

Depending on their sizes, impact craters have either simple or complex geometries. Peak‐ring craters such as the Chicxulub impact structure possess a single interior ring of peaks and hills and a flat interior floor. The exact mechanisms leading to the formation of a morphological peak‐ring are still a matter of debate. In this study, analog modeling was used to study the flow field of a collapsing central uplift. A 3‐D‐printed cast was used to bring the analog material in the shape of an overheightened central uplift that was based on numerical modeling. The cast was then quickly removed and the central peak collapsed, forming a flattened broad mound that spread out onto the annular moat of the crater cavity. A subwoofer was used to fluidize the granular target material. The kinematics of the collapse were analyzed with the aid of particle image velocimetry, revealing a downward and outward collapse of the central uplift. This mode of collapse is partly in agreement with numerical models, in particular for the initial and middle phases. The overthrusting of the collapsing central peak onto the inward moving crater floor predicted by numerical modeling was observed, though to a lesser degree. A peak‐ring, however, could not be reproduced since the collapse came to a halt before the central peak was completely leveled. Nevertheless, the method provides qualitative insights into the kinematics of collapse phenomena. This experimental study provides independent support of the theory of acoustic fluidization, in addition to numerical simulations.     

A Filament—Associated Halo Coronal Mass Ejection

1 INTRODUCTIONCoronal majss ejections (CMEs) are often seen as spectacular eruptions of matter fromthe Sun which propagate outward through the heliosphere and often interact with the Earth'smagnetosphere (Hundhausen, 1997; Gosling, 1997; and references herein). It is well known thatthese interactions can have substalltial consequences on the geomagnetic environment of theEarth, sometimes resulting in damage to satellites (e.g., McAllister et al., 1996; Berdichevskyet al., 1998). CMEs…     

Solar wind interaction with Comet Bennett (1969i)

This paper examines the relations between the solar-wind and Comet Bennett during the period March 23 to April 5, 1970. A large kink was observed in the ion tail of the comet on April 4, but no solar-wind stream was observed in the ecliptic plane which could have caused the kink. Thus, either there was no correlation between the solar wind at the Earth and that at Comet Bennett (which was 40° above the ecliptic) or the kink was caused by something other than a high-speed stream. The fine structure visible in photographs of the kink favors the second of these alternatives. It is shown that a shock probably passed through Comet Bennett on March 31, but no effect was seen in photographs of the comet. A stream preceded by another shock and a large abrupt change in momentum flux might have intercepted the comet between March 24 and March 28, but again no effect was seen in photographs of the Comet. In view of these results, one must seriously consider the possibility that a large, abrupt change in momentum flux of the solar-wind (such as that at a shock wave or ahead of a stream) is neither necessary nor sufficient to cause a large kink in a comet tail.On leave from Institute für Astrophysik Technische Universität Berlin West Germany.     

Long-term variability of the Be/X-ray binary A 0535+26 – I. Optical and UV spectroscopy

The results of a 7-yr optical and UV spectroscopic study of the high-mass X-ray binary A 0535+26 are presented. It was found that throughout the period of the observations the line profile of Hα showed considerable variability. A correlation between the equivalent width of Hα and both V -band magnitude and ( B − V ) colour excess was observed, albeit with considerable scatter present in the data set. A giant X-ray flare in early 1994 was accompanied by a fading in optical and infrared photometric bands, and a reduction in the equivalent width of Hα. When the star was observed in 1994 September, it was found to have developed a double-peaked Hα profile, and further observations saw the V/R peak ratio vary cyclically, with a period of ∼1 yr. If this is identified as a global one-armed oscillation, it becomes the shortest period ever observed in a Be star. The accompanying photometric and spectroscopic observations provide a test of any theory seeking to describe the onset and behaviour of such a density wave.     

The Composition of the Y2K Meteor

During the Leonid meteor shower of November 1999 a very bright meteor train, subsequently called the Y2K meteor, was observed. Analysis of the trajectory of the meteor suggests that it was composed of two distinct materials. The bulk of the meteor was composed of a comet-like material, while a much smaller fraction was of a denser carbonaceous material. A simple model is used to analytically determine the mass of the meteor fragments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A model for the millisecond pulsar PSR 1937+214

We suggest a model for the millisecond pulsar 1937+214, according to which the immediate progenitor of the pulsar was a binary consisting of two neutron stars of unequal mass. The heavier neutron star was spun up by the transfer of angular momentum from the orbit, and the lighter neutron star was tidally disrupted, leaving behind a millisecond pulsar.     

史记<甲子篇>历谱及其与<太初历>的比较

作者曾在“<史记历术甲子篇>探讨”一文中分析了<甲子篇>的数学逻辑，提出完算完整的<甲子篇>历谱的方法。按照这种方法，现用计算机排算出一个76年周期的<甲子篇>四分法历谱以及同一时期的<太初历>八十一分法历谱，并与江曰桢、陈垣的历谱进行比较。     

The Morávka meteorite fall: 1. Description of the events and determination of the fireball trajectory and orbit from video records

Abstract— The Morávka (Czech Republic) meteorite fall occurred on May 6, 2000, 11:52 UT, during the daytime. Six H5–6 ordinary chondrites with a total mass of 1.4 kg were recovered. The corresponding fireball was witnessed by thousands of people and also videotaped by 3 casual witnesses. Sonic booms were recorded by 16 seismic stations in the Czech Republic and Poland and by one infrasonic station in Germany. A total of 2.5% of the fireball eyewitnesses reported electrophonic sounds. Satellites in Earth orbit detected part of the fireball light curve. In this first paper from a series of 4 papers devoted to the Morávka meteorite fall, we describe the circumstances of the fall and determine the fireball trajectory and orbit from calibrated video records. Morávka becomes one of only 6 meteorites with a known orbit. The slope of the trajectory was 20.4° to the horizontal, the initial velocity was 22.5 km/s, and the terminal height of the fireball was 21 km. The semimajor axis of the orbit was 1.85 AU, the perihelion distance was 0.982 AU, and the inclination was 32.2°. The fireball reached an absolute visual magnitude of ?20 at a height of 33 km.     

Air density at heights near 200 km from the orbit of 1969-20B

The rocket of Cosmos 268, 1969-20B, entered orbit on 5 March 1969, with an initial perigee height of 230 km and inclination of 48.40°. Accurate orbits were computed at RAE from all available observations. Using the values of perigee height from the RAE orbit and decay rates from Spacetrack bulletins, 103 values of density have been calculated between July 1969 and February 1970. On three occasions when geomagnetic activity was strong there were sudden increases in density. When the density was corrected to a fixed height, the semi-annual variation was apparent. There was a strong minimum in July 1969, a maximum in October–November 1969 and a weak minimum in January 1970.     

Was there ever a Terminal Lunar Cataclysm?: With lunar viscosity arguments

About 30 years ago there was a suggestion by several able scientists at the California Institute of Technology that the Moon had undergone a Terminal Lunar Cataclysm. This meant that most of the early impact cratering had been concentrated strongly at about the time of formation of the Imbrium basin. This solution was discussed in many papers and the idea of a cataclysm gradually faded away. In about 1990 it was again revived by several scientists. The idea of a Terminal Lunar Cataclysm at about the time the Imbrium basin was formed was advanced albeit in a somewhat different manner. The present paper has been written to analyze the various observations and interpretations that have been advanced to permit a cataclysm. It is concluded that the three main proposals, which, if correct, would have permitted a cataclysm to have occurred, are each faulty and not consistent with such a cataclysm. To demonstrate this conclusion it was necessary to determine absolute ages of various lunar features. This meant, in part, determinations of the existence and nature of lunar crustal viscosity consistent with times of formation of six lunar basins. The results of such studies yielded an internally consistent model which requires a long period from the original formation of the Moon at about 4.5 byr to a time slightly earlier than that of the formation of the Imbrium basin at about 3.84 byr. On this model there is no indication of a clustering of events and it is concluded that a Terminal Lunar Cataclysm never occurred.     

Planetary isophotes as a clue to aerosol characteristics

A study was made to see how much information could be extracted from the Mariner 9 Mars isophotes taken at a phase angle of ～60°. We found that the Minneart functions and both isotropic and Rayleigh scattering could easily be ruled out, and that it was essential to use forward-peaked phase functions, which were computed from Mie theory. We could achieve isophotes similar to those observed assuming a semi-infinite dust cloud with a considerable variation in particle properties and size distribution, so long as the ratio of the multiply to singly scattered light was held within certain limits. These conditions are met by micron-sized, moderately absorbing mineral grains whose mean size should not be much larger than a micron. It was also found that a dust cloud of finite optical thickness bounded from below by a Lambert ground would fit the isophote data.     

The generation of MHD shock waves during the impulsive phase of the February 27, 1992 flare

In this paper a unique 2.3–4.2 GHz radio spectrum of the flare impulsive phase, showing fast positively drifting bursts superimposed on a slowly negatively drifting burst, is presented. Analyzing this radio spectrum it was found that the flare started somewhere near the transition region, where upward propagating MHD waves were generated during the whole impulsive phase. Moreover, it was found that behind a front of these ascending MHD waves the downward propagating electron beams, which bombarded dense layers of the solar atmosphere, were accelerated. It seems that, simultaneously with the increase of beam bombardment intensity, the intensity of MHD waves was increasing and thus the MHD shock wave generation and the electron beam acceleration and bombardment formed a self-consistently amplifying flare process. At higher coronal heights this process was followed by a type II radio burst, i.e. by the MHD flare shock. To verify this concept, the numerical modeling of the shock-wave generation and propagation in space from a flare site near the transition region up to 3 solar radii was made. Comparing the thermal and magnetic field disturbances, it was found that those of magnetic origin are more relevant in this case. Combining the results of interpretation and numerical simulation, a model of the February 27, 1992 flare is suggested and new aspects of this model are discussed.     

Modeling the rail surface unevenness of a high-precision radio telescope

This study proposed a coarse-fine mixed model for describing the rail surface unevenness of an ultra-large fully steerable radio telescope(Qi Tai Telescope) with a diameter of 110 meters. The rail surface unevenness includes information on error arising from two different scales, i.e., the long-periodshort-change and the short-period-long-change. Consequently, in this study an idea of a mixed model was proposed, in which trigonometric and fractal functions were, respectively, used to describe information on error from two scales. Key parameters were determined by using the least squares method and the wavelet transform method, and finally, a specific mathematical expression of the model was obtained by optimization. To validate the effectiveness of the new modeling method, the mixed model was then used to describe the rails of the Green Bank Telescope, the Large Millimeter Telescope, and a radio telescope in Miyun, Beijing. A comparative study revealed that the maximum error was less than15%, thus the result was superior to those of existing modeling methods.     

Frederick C. Leonard: A history and personal recollections

As a child Frederick C. Leonard displayed such a precocious aptitude for astronomy that he became known as “Chicago's Boy Astronomer.” But within a decade after receiving his Ph.D., his interests had turned to meteorites. He persuaded Harvey Nininger to help him found the Society for Research on Meteorites, later renamed The Meteoritical Society, in 1933—a time when the study of meteorites was not considered a worthy pursuit of serious scientists. He nurtured the Society and held it together through the Great Depression, World War II, a destructive feud, and a significant personal and family crisis. He obtained legitimacy and affiliation for the Society with mainstream scientific organizations. He was its first President, and he was Editor of its publications from the Society's founding until a year before his death in 1960. Through it all he was a persistent advocate for the importance of the study of meteorites and the legitimacy of meteoritics as a valuable field of science.     

Observation of the occultation of star SAO 138868A by Asteroid (444) Gyptis

According to a supplementary forecast received from Dr. David W. Dunham, a photoelectric observation of a stellar occultation by Asteroid (444) Gyptis was made at our observatory on 1982 June 24. The star occulted was SAO 138868A (visual magnitude 8.9 mag, spectral class K2).The instrument used was the 60-cm reflecting telescope of our observatory, equipped with a single-channel photoelectric photometer and the photomultipler was EMI 19502B. A two-pen automatic recorder made it possible to record the star and time signals simultaneously. The accuracy of the time signals is estimted at 0.1 s. The observation was made in yellow light. The observed times are:Time of immersion: 12h 36m 58.8s U.T.Time of emersion: 12h 37m 11.2s U.T.Duration of occultation: 12.4sThese are close to the predicted values. During the observing period lasting some 25 minutes, there were no secondary occultations detected. In the occultation by the planet itself, both the immersion and the emersion were observed visually and the weather was fine at the time.