Updates to the MSFC Meteoroid Stream Model

The Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Meteoroid Stream Model simulates particle ejection and subsequent evolution from comets in order to provide meteor shower forecasts to spacecraft operators for hazard mitigation and planning purposes. The model, previously detailed in Moser and Cooke (Earth Moon Planets 95, 141 (2004)), has recently been updated; the changes include the implementation of the RADAU integrator, an improved planetary treatment, and the inclusion of general relativistic effects in the force function. The results of these updates are investigated with respect to various meteoroid streams and the outcome presented.     

A Deep Extragalactic Survey with the ART-XC Telescope of the Spectrum-RG Observatory: Simulations and Expected Results

To choose the best strategy for conducting a deep extragalactic survey with the ART-XC X-ray telescope onboard the Spectrum–Röntgen–Gamma (SRG) observatory and to estimate the expected results, we have simulated the observations of a 1.1° × 1.1° field in the 5–11 and 8–24 keV energy bands. For this purpose, we have constructed a model of the active galactic nuclei (AGN) population that reflects the properties of the X-ray emission from such objects. The photons that “arrived” from these sources were passed through a numerical model of the telescope, while the resulting data were processed with the standard ART-XC data processing pipeline. We show that several hundred AGNs at redshifts up to z ≈ 3 will be detected in such a survey over 1.2 Ms of observations with the expected charged particle background levels. Among them there will be heavily obscured AGNs, which will allow a more accurate estimate of the fraction of such objects in the total population to be made. Source confusion is expected at fluxes below 2 × 10^?14 erg s^?1 cm^?2 (5–11 keV). Since this value can exceed the source detection threshold in a deep survey at low particle background levels, it may turn out to be more interesting to conduct a survey of larger area (several square degrees) but smaller depth, obtaining a sample of approximately four hundred bright AGNs as a result.     

Calibration of X-ray telescope prototypes at PANTER

We report on a ground X-ray calibration of two X-ray telescope prototypes at the PANTER X-ray Test Facility, operated by the Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, in Neuried, Germany.The X-ray telescope prototypes were developed by the Institute of Precision Optical Engineering(IPOE)of Tongji University, in a conical Wolter-I configuration, using thermal glass slumping technology.Prototype #1 with three layers and Prototype #2 with 21 layers were tested to assess the prototypes' onaxis imaging performance. The measurement of Prototype #1 indicates a Half Power Diameter(HPD) of 82′′ at 1.49 keV. As for Prototype #2, we performed more comprehensive measurements of on-axis angular resolution and effective area at several energies ranging from 0.5–10 keV. The HPD and effective area are111′′ and 39 cm~2 at 1.49 keV, respectively, at which energy the on-axis performance of the prototypes is our greatest concern.     

射电天线口面温度定标

介绍一种天线口面温度定标的方法．当用这个方法对目标源进行温度定标时,由于定标源讯号和目标源讯号均由天线口面同路输入,因此波导和微波器件的传输损耗在定标的过程中被自动消除,因而这种温度定标方法能大大地提高观测资料的精度．目前无线口面温度定标方法除了在射电天文和微波天线测量中应用外,还广泛应用于雷达和无线电技术测量及微波遥感控制等．     

从MPIfR的校准数据看活动星系核的变化

从过去6年里MPIfR的VLBI校准数据中挑出有20次以上记录的15个样本源进行了初步分析，结果表明在研究活动星系核（AGN）的变化中，这些以及由其它射电望远镜或系统所积累的类似校准数据是很有用的．     

1983年日全食光谱的强度和高度定标

本文详细介绍了1983年日食光谱资料的强度和高度定标方法和结果,并讨论了其精度.对同一波段,用两种不同的绝对定标方法得出的结果基本一致,说明定标是可靠的.文中还给出了二切无缝谱色球底的位置,并计算了该区的温度.     

Telescopes in the mirror of scientometrics

Counting papers and citations is one way to estimate the significance of particular astronomical telescopes and other facilities in the long time gap between the verdict of history and the referee’s report on your most recent proposal. This has been done for 2,184 observational astronomy papers published between 1960 and 1964 (with 14,237 citations in 1965–1969) and the numbers looked at in various ways. The extreme dominance of California in optical astronomy and of the UK and Australia in radio astronomy provides the background against which ESO, NOAO, NRAO, and A&A were founded, with equality of access to facilities having increased enormously in the intervening 40 years, but inequality of results having increased slightly. A number of other factoids about astronomical publications, the community, and their environments surfaced during the counting process, and a subset reported here, including a few pertaining to the more distant past.     

Flare research with the NASA/MSFC vector magnetograph: Observed characteristics of sheared magnetic fields that produce flares

The present MSFC Vector Magnetograph has sufficient spatial resolution (2.7 arcsec pixels) and sensitivity to the transverse field (the noise level is about 100 gauss) to map the transverse field in active regions accurately enough to reveal key aspects of the sheared magnetic fields commonly found at flare sites. From the measured shear angle along the polarity inversion line in sites that flared and in other shear sites that didn't flare, we find evidence that a sufficient condition for a flare to occur in 1000 gauss fields in and near sunspots is that both (1) the maximum shear angle exceed 85 degrees and (2) the extent of strong shear (shear angle > 80 degrees) exceed 10,000 km.     

Flare research with the NASA/MSFC vector magnetograph: Observed characteristics of sheared magnetic fields that produce flares

Solar Physics - The present MSFC Vector Magnetograph has sufficient spatial resolution (2.7 arcsec pixels) and sensitivity to the transverse field (the noise level is about 100 gauss) to map the...     

Optical Identification of Candidates for Active Galactic Nuclei Detected by the Mikhail Pavlinsky ART-XC Telescope Onboard the SRG Observatory during an All-Sky X-ray Survey

Astronomy Letters - We present the results of our identification of eight objects from the preliminary catalogue of X-ray sources detected in the 4–12 keV energy band by the Mikhail Pavlinsky...     

Calibration of the Big Bear videomagnetograph

The Big Bear videomagnetograph is calibrated using three methods. Longitudinal magnetograms are calibrated by using the differences in radial velocity of the Sun caused by solar rotation, or by measuring the line profile in the Zeeman-sensitive 6103 line used by the magnetograph system. Transverse magnetograms can be calibrated by obtaining spectra in the more magnetically sensitive 5250 line which measure the total magnetic field and then subtracting the longitudinal component. The calibration of the transverse magnetograms is in agreement with that obtained by line profile measurements. Observations of an active region on 1993 March 8 with both the magnetograph system and with the BBSO spectrograph showed that good agreement was found between all three methods, provided the effect of seeing on the magnetograms is allowed for. Magnetograph saturation does not occur for magnetic fields below about 2100 G.     

Titan's surface at 2.2-cm wavelength imaged by the Cassini RADAR radiometer: Calibration and first results

The first comprehensive calibration and mapping of the thermal microwave emission from Titan's surface is reported based on radiometric data obtained at 2.2-cm wavelength by the passive radiometer included in the Cassini Radar instrument. The data reported were accumulated from 69 separate observational segments in Titan passes from Ta (October 2004) through T30 (May 2007) and include emission from 94% of Titan's surface. They are diverse in the key observing parameters of emission angle, polarization, and spatial resolution, and their reduction into calibrated global mosaic maps involved several steps. Analysis of the polarimetry obtained at low to moderate resolution (50+ km) enabled integration of the radiometry into a single mosaic of the equivalent brightness temperature at normal incidence with a relative precision of about 1 K. The Huygens probe measurement of Titan's surface temperature and radiometry obtained on Titan's dune fields allowed us to infer an absolute calibration estimated to be accurate to a level approaching 1 K. The results provide evidence for a surface that is complex and varied on large scales. The radiometry primarily constrains physical properties of the surface, where we see strong evidence for subsurface (volume) scattering as a dominant mechanism that determines the emissivity, with the possibility of a fluffy or graded-density surface layer in many regions. The results are consistent with, but not necessarily definitive of a surface composition resulting from the slow deposition and processing of organic compounds from the atmosphere.     

云南天文台1m望远镜Coude摄谱仪-CCD分光系统的参数测定与Fe-Ar定标光谱的证认

本文包含天体的分光观测和处理资料中所涉及到的Coude摄谱仪和1024CCD系统的相关参数,以及CCD响应区Fe-Ar发射光谱的证认结果.(1)Coude系统的色散曲线几乎呈水平分布,1～3级光谱(m)的倒色散分别为8.391     

Calibration observations of Fomalhaut with the VLTI

An investigation of the stability of the transfer function of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer has been carried out through observations of Fomalhaut, which was observed over a range in hour angle from 21:50–05:24 on 20 October 2002. No significant variation in the transfer function was found for the zenith angle range 5°–70°. The projected baseline varied between 139.7 m and 49.8 m during the observations and, as an integral part of the determination of the transfer function, a new accurate limb‐darkened angular diameter for Fomalhaut of 2.109 ± 0.013 mas has been established. This has led to improved values for the emergent flux = (3.43 ± 0.10)×10⁸ Wm⁻², effective temperature = 8819 ± 67 K and radius = (1.213 ± 0.011)×10⁹ m (R/R_⊙ = 1.744 ± 0.016). The luminosity has been found to be (6.34 ± 0.20)×10²⁷ W (L/L_⊙ = 16.5 ± 0.5). (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A Kinematical Calibration of the Galactocentric Distance

1 INTRODUCTION The distance to the Galactic center R0 is a fundamental constant for astronomy and astrophysics. Most determinations of astronomical quantities are directly connected with the Galactic distance scale, e.g., the rotational speed of our Galax…     

On the existence of transverse relativistic aberrations in moving mirror

Relativistic aberration and Doppler effects on rotating mirrors have been claimed (Ragazzoni & Claudi, 1995) and later refuted (Hickson, Bhatia & Iovino, 1995). While an experimental confirmation of the absence of the Doppler effect has been carried out in 1974, a measurement of the absence of the aberration effect is missing. It is shown that analyzing published data on the LAGEOS pulse-return signature an experimental confirmation of the absence of the effect is obtained.     

Large mirror fabrication of low expansion glasses

Low expansion glasses offer many advantages as mirror blank materials due to their thermal and mechanical properties as well as the flewibility they offer in design and fabrication. Fused silica, Corning Code 7940, and ULE (trademark) titanium silicate, Code 7971, produced by the flame hydrolysis process, are high purity and homogeneous glasses. Determination of the average and the variation pattern of the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) within ULE mirror blanks is readily accomplished by ultrasonic measurements.The ability to fusion-seal of the glasses offers mirror manifacturing design freedom of shape and size. The hex-seal process has successfully produced solid monolithic mirror blank up to 4 m diameter and large thin plates up to an 801 diameter:thickness ratio. The fabrication of a large mirror blank such as the JNLT 7.5 m blank would utilize the proven fusion techniques.The hex-seal technique consists of fusing preselected boules of glass into a monolith to achieve the required thickness and diameter of a mirror blank. Subsequently, a meniscus blank can be accomplished by heating the plato blank and sagging it over a spherical refractory mold. This ability to fusion seal the glass offers the advantage of blank repair should fracture occur during manufacturing. Following the slumping, the blank is annealed. Further processing of the blank, such as grinding and coating, will not change the material properties or induce permanent stresses requiring additional annealing.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

Finite element analysis of a meniscus mirror

Finite element analyses were carried out for a 7.5 m meniscus mirror of 20 cm thickness. Calculations were made for deformations of the mirror surface due to the gravity and the effect of a hole through which a lateral supporting mechanism would be installed. Vibrational eigenmodes were also calculated when the mirror is fixed by three axial and three lateral hard points.Paper presented at the symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.