天文底片保存和我国天文底片数字化的建议

阐述了国际上天文照相底片数字化工作的进展:底片的保存、底片数字化的意义和相关技术。扼要地介绍了国际虚拟天文台的情况及其与底片数字化的关系。分析了我国天文底片资料的保存现状,并提出了底片数字化建议:成立由各天文台专家组成的全国底片数字化协调小组,建立各单位保存底片的信息库、改进底片的保存条件、有步骤地对有价值底片上的全部目标进行扫描,以便将其与现代高精度的观测资料相结合,开展有意义的课题研究。     

High speed photon-counting imager using a position sensitive diode

A new use for a 2-dimensional position sensitive diode (PSD) is described. A duolateral PSD was used with a microchannel plate image intensifier as a proof-of-concept photon counting (event driven) imager for astronomical imaging and photometry. This produced an imager capable of counting 25–30 kcps over the astronomical bands B, V & R, with an overall efficiency of ∼19%.     

Astronomical Plate Archives and Binary Blazars Studies

There are about 3 million astronomical photographic plates around the globe, representing an important data source for various aspects of astrophysics. The main advantage is the large time coverage of 100 years or even more. Recent digitization efforts, together with the development of dedicated software, enables for the first time, effective data mining and data analyses by powerful computers with these archives. Examples of blazars proposed and/or investigated on the astronomical plates are presented and discussed.     

Wide‐Field Plate Archive of the University Observatory Jena

We present the archive of the wide‐field plate observations obtained at the University Observatory Jena, which is stored at the Astrophysical Institute of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena. The archive contains plates taken in the period February 1963 to December 1982 with the 60/90/180‐cm Schmidt telescope of the university observatory. A computer‐readable version of the plate metadata catalogue (for 1257 plates), the logbooks, as well as the digitized Schmidt plates in low and high resolution are now accessible to the astronomical community.This paper describes the properties of the archive, as well as the processing procedure of all plates in detail. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

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。     

FTIR 2–16 micron spectroscopy of micron‐sized olivines from primitive meteorites

Abstract— Infrared spectra of mineral grains from primitive meteorites could be useful for comparison with astronomical infrared spectra since some of their grains might be similar to those formed in the planet‐forming disks around young stars or in the envelopes surrounding late‐type stars. To assess the usefulness of meteorite spectra, olivine grains separated from primitive meteorites have been analyzed using FTIR microscope techniques in the 2–16 μm wavelength range. The sub‐micron sizes of the grains made a complex preparation process necessary. Five characteristic bands were measured near 11.9, 11.2, 10.4, 10.1, and 10.0 μm. The results of 59 analyses allow the calculation of band positions for meteoritic olivines as a function of their iron and magnesium contents. Comparison of the meteoritic results with astronomical data for comets and dust around young and old stars, which exhibit bands similar to the strongest infrared bands observed in the grains (at 11.2 μm), show that the spectral resolution of the astronomical observations is too low to ascertain the exact iron and magnesium (Mg: Fe) ratio of the dust in the 8–13 μm wavelength range.     

Astronomical spectroscopy in the last four decades: survival of the fittest

Spectroscopic astronomical instrumentation has much evolved in the last 40 years. Long-slit grating spectrographs with a photographic plate as the detector working in the 0.3–1 μm range were prevalent up to the early 1970s. The replacement of photographic plates by two-dimensional digital detectors provided gains in sensitivity of two orders of magnitude and much better photometric and radial velocity precision, and opened the 1 to 25 μm infrared domain. Another gain in speed by up to two orders of magnitude was then obtained through the development of various spectroscopic systems, each optimized for a subset of astronomical objects. This development was underpinned by a number of technological advances, in particular the development of automatic data reduction pipelines using sophisticated algorithms. With ever larger and more complex instrument systems for the present 8–10 m diameter telescopes—and soon even more for the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes, the development of an instrument is now a big enterprise, ranging all the way from long-term enabling technology efforts to management of large teams for construction and deployment over typically 7–8 years.     

天文文献情报工程概述

本文主要介绍中国科学院天文系统文献情报自动化建设、文献工程建设、数据工程建设、资源共享与计算机共享网建设。由于其牵涉到1984年以来的一系列工程建设呐容繁多,所以仅从文献情报现代化建设、资源共享建设出发,从整体上对各有关内容作一概述。     

DO WE NEED TO MODEL PLATES AT ALL?

The historical method of obtaining equatorial coordinates for stars observed via astronomical photography has been to convert the measured coordinates to equatorial coordinates with the aid of a plate model which corrects for a variety of effects. However, we now have at our disposal novel smoothing techniques, of considerable generality, which in conjunction with modern star catalogues can reproduce the essence of the plate model while dramatically minimizing both the fortuitous and systematic errors of observation. In this paper we demonstrate that, with this technique and extant catalogues, one can obtain, with at least the same precision and better accuracy, the information necessary to transform the measured coordinates successfully into standard coordinates by a process that involves no sophisticated model for the plate. Using external checks we estimate the increase in accuracy to be of the order of 25 per cent.     

观测天体光谱的纤维光学方法及2.16m望远镜实用系统

本文描述了近年来广泛发展起来的天体物理实测技术中的一项重要进展——纤维光学分光技术方法在天体光谱观测中的应用及2.16m望远镜实用系统的特点和初步应用结果     

Light’s Orbital Angular Momentum and Optical Vortices for Astronomical Coronagraphy from Ground and Space Telescopes

The properties of optical vortices produced with spiral phase plates have recently found interesting applications in astronomical coronagraphy. Here we review the characteristics of the optical vortex coronagraph. Our simulations show that the intensity of an on-axis star can be fainted by 10 orders of magnitude, thus allowing the detection of close faint sources like extrasolar planets. We also discuss the expected coronagraphic performances achievable with a stepped spiral phase plate.     

昆明高空大气活动与天文视宁度关系初探

本文初步对比分析了昆明大气探空资料与大气视宁度观测资料之间的相关关系。结果表明，它们之间有着明显的关系和规律，但关系式的确立还需更多的资料分析才能确定。     

二维CCD图象数据压缩

本文着重指出了在今后处理大面积CCD图象数据过程中,所将面临的数据存贮困难问题.本文提出了一种有效的不丢失天文信息的压缩CCD图象数据的方法,对银纬b=-60°的一个天区的试验表明,压缩后的图象数据仅为原图象数据的1/30左右,并且可以十分方便地进行图象再现及再处理。在压缩数据过程中,我们在剑桥APM底片扫描机参数化施密特照相底片的基础上,重新安排了CCD图象上天体的对应参数,并视天体的大小及形状,有效地提取保存了天体周围矩阵信息.     

Smart focal plane masks: rewritable photochromic films for astronomical multi‐object spectroscopy

Modern astronomical spectroscopy makes use of multi‐aperture slits placed in the focal plane of telescopes before light enters the spectrograph. Multiple object spectroscopy (MOS) allows several spectra to be obtained simultaneously with a multiplexing gain from the order of dozens of objects in 4m class telescopes to few hundreds in larger 8 m telescopes. Many of these devices make use of metal plates which are punched, milled or laser cut and can be used only for observation of a given astronomical target. A typical observing night requires from 4 to 20 MOS masks, which have to be prepared during an off‐line procedure, usually days before. Here we report an innovative technique to carry out multi object spectroscopy based on changes of properties of photochromic materials. Photochromic MOS masks consist of polymer thin films which can be made opaque or transparent in a restricted wavelength range using alternatively UV and visible light. Slit patterns can thus be easily written by means of a red diode laser on a UV preflashed plate. Writing time for a 10 × 10 arcmin plate is a few minutes and the whole procedure can be performed promptly after the acquisition of the field image and without mechanical debris as in milling or laser cutting. A computer controlled writing device suited for the AFOSC camera of the Asiago 1.8m telescope was built. The same focal plane mask can be UV erased and used more than 450 times. High contrasts have been reached by means of an appropriate passband filter in the light beam of the spectrograph. Our first successful observation run took place in January 2003. Spectra of selected stars in the crowded M67 cluster field and emission lines from the gaseous planetary nebula M97 were obtained. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

A high-resolution Fabry-Pérot spectrometer for emission line studies in planetary nebulae and other extended astronomical objects

We describe here a scanning piezo-electric Fabry-Pérot spectrometer operating in the photoncounting mode whose plate spacing and parallelism are maintained by a servo-controlled system, ensuring high accuracy, for the study of emission lines from extended astronomical objects in the spectral range 4500–7000 Å. Details of the optical set-up and the Data Acquisition System (DAS) are described. Its performance at the Cassegrain focus of the 1 m telescope at Kavalur is discussed. Some line profiles on planetary nebulae studied with the above spectrometer are also presented.     

天文常数研究的进展——IAU 2009天文常数系统

回顾了1900年以来LAU采用天文常数系统的简况,以及一些天文常数之间的数学关系,并描述了以前每次改变天文常数系统的主要因为.介绍了1991年以来IAU在天文常数方面的工作:包括IAU天文常数工作组和天文常数最佳估计值的情况.叙述了IAU 2009年天文常数系统替代IAU 1976天文常数系统的因为:随着人类对太阳系的探测,获得新的天文常数测定值;1991年以来在相对论框架下BCRS和GCRS的使用;P03岁差模型和MHB2000章动模型的采用.比较了IAU2009和1976天文常数系统的差异.最后介绍中国在天文常数方面工作的情况和今后工作的建议.     

漂移扫描CCD用于地球同步轨道卫星观测的初步结果

对于地球同步轨道卫星,目前国内主要采用两种观测手段,即小光电望远镜短曝光观测和天文望远镜跟踪恒星(或卫星)观测.事实上,这两种手段都各自存在不足,尤其对于暗弱目标问题更加显著.利用CCD漂移扫描模式和凝视模式相结合观测地球同步轨道卫星具有明显的优势,小口径望远镜(口径约25cm)就能够获得高质量的目标和恒星圆星像与高精度的定位结果.本文重点阐述了获得高精度地球同步轨道卫星光学位置与星等的原理、方法及步骤;最后,利用实测资料的数据处理结果,分析了所获得的地球同步轨道卫星的内部精度及其误差源.     

A possible warning sign of major earthquake through observations of astronomical time and latitude

On July 28, 1976, a major earthquake (M=7.9) occurred in the Tangshan region of China. After the earthquake, it was found that astronomical time-latitude anomalies were observed preceeding the occurrence of the earthquake. These observations had been obtained on the Astrolabe of the Beijing Astronomical Observatory and the VZT of Tianjin Latitide Station, which are just located around the epicentre. The anomalies were in the analyses of the time and latitude residuals, and there are more examples verifying these phenomena. However, all those examples were found in post-earthquake analyses. In this paper we discuss the possibility of earthquake prediction and forecast from the rediduals of astronomical time-latitude. For example, series of the five-day means are analyzed. The observations were supposed to be terminated two weeks before the earthquake, and the data are then analyzed a year backward. After removing their averages, the standard deviations are calculated of these series are calculation. Eight earthquakes were chosen as the events to be examined, (see Table). Most of the related instruments obtained excellent observations. The results are shown in the Figure. It is evident that abnormal peaks of RT and RF appeared before each earthquake. Thus we may conclude the followings:

1. Under the normal observation conditions, one high predision instruments could inform about a major earthquake a few weeks or a few days before it occurrs.
2. The astronomical observations are seriously affected by the weather and observers and so they are some what uncertain.

     

应用自适应光学望远镜所取得的天文观测成果

自适应光学技术已经成为现代地基天文光学望远镜的重要部分。在世界各地的天文台中 ,许多大型光学望远镜的自适应光学系统正在建造 ,不少的系统已经投入使用。自适应光学技术经过二十多年的发展 ,取得了越来越多的令人激动的天文观测成果 ,自适应光学正在接近成熟并正向天文实际应用的阶段转化。本文根据近几年来自适应光学望远镜在天文中的应用 ,对其所取得的天文成果给予介绍 ,并讨论了自适应光学系统所能开展的天文研究课题。     

Development of the Automatic Seeing Monitor for the Site Testing of Dome A

The Antarctic site-testing campaigns have shown that Dome C is an excellent astronomical site on the earth, it is better than any of existing mid-latitude astronomical sites in the world, because of its cold and dry weather, low infrared background radiation, continuously observable time as long as 3–4 months, clear and highly transparent atmosphere, low wind speed, and the absence of dust and light pollution. And in the international astronomical community it is generally believed that Dome A with a higher altitude may be better than Dome C as a potential excellent astronomical site. In the past 3 years, although held by the Center for Antarctic Astronomy of Chinese Academy of Sciences, the site testing at Dome A has preliminarily con?rmed the many advantages of Dome A as an excellent astronomical site, but the data about the atmospheric seeing, which is an important parameter for assessing the site quality for optical observations, have not been obtained until now. Hence, on the basis of a commercial telescope with the diameter of 35 cm, we have made the hardware reformation and software development to have it operate as a DIMM (Differential Image Motion Monitor), which can simultaneously monitor both the seeing and isoplanatic angle at Dome A automatically. At present this instrument has been shipped to Antarctica by the “Xuelong” exploration ship, and will be installed at Dome A, and begin to work in early 2011. Before the shipment, by through the comparative measurements together with an existing seeing monitor at the Xinglong astronomical station, the software, hardware, as well as the installation and adjustment of the instrument, are further veri?ed by testing.