V404 CYG/GS 2023+338: Monitoring in the Optical with Robotic Telescopes of the MASTER Global Network during the 2015 Superburst

2070 unique, homogeneous photometric and polarization observations of the microquasar in a binary system with a black hole V404 Cyg/GS2023+338 obtained in 2015 with the MASTER global network of robotic telescopes (16 robotic telescopes located at eight points on the Earth in Russia, Spain, South Africa, and Argentina) are presented. MASTER was the first telescope network to obtain optical observations of the microquasar after its gamma-ray outburst in 2015. Observations were carried out from 18:34:09 UT on June 15, 2015 until December 2015 in four polarizations and in the four standard BV RI filters. The paper presents the results of these observations and a comparative analysis of optical and X-ray data. The observations confirm the previously discovered super-long delays of the optical radiation relative to the X-ray outbursts. Possible mechanisms causing the delay in the optical variations relative to the X-ray variations are discussed. Variability of the optical polarization discovered earlier is confirmed another similar episode reported.

     

The MASTER-II network of robotic optical telescopes. First results

The main stages in the creation of the Russian segment of the MASTER network of robotic telescopes is described. This network is designed for studies of the prompt optical emission of gammaray bursts (GRBs; optical emission synchronous with the gamma-ray radiation) and surveys of the sky aimed at discovering uncataloged objects and photometric studies for various programs. The first results obtained by the network, during its construction and immediately after its completion in December 2010, are presented. Eighty-nine alert pointings at GRBs (in most cases, being the first ground telescopes to point at the GRBs) were made from September 2006 through July 2011. The MASTER network holds first place in the world in terms of the total number of first pointings, and currently more than half of first pointings at GRBs by ground telescopes are made by the MASTER network. Photometric light curves of GRB 091020, GRB 091127, GRB 100901A, GRB 100906A, GRB 10925A, GRB 110106A, GRB 110422A, and GRB 110530A are presented. It is especially important that prompt emission was observed for GRB 100901A and GRB 100906A, and thar GRB 091127, GRB 110422A, and GRB 110106A were observed from the first seconds in two polarizations. Very-wide-field cameras carried out synchronous observations of the prompt emission of GRB 081102, GRB 081130B, GRB 090305B, GRB 090320B, GRB 090328, and GRB 090424. Discoveries of Type Ia supernovae are ongoing (among them the brightest supernova in 2009): 2008gy, 2009nr, 2010V, and others. In all, photometry of 387 supernovae has been carried out, 43 of which were either discovered or first observed with MASTER telescopes; more than half of these are Type Ia supernovae. Photometric studies of the open clusters NGC 7129 and NGC 7142 have been conducted, leading to the discovery of 38 variable stars. Sixty-nine optical transients have been discovered.     

Early Optical Observations of Gamma-Ray Bursts Compared with Their Gamma- and X-Ray Characteristics Using a MASTER Global Network of Robotic Telescopes from Lomonosov Moscow State University

We present the results of early observations for 130 error-boxes of gamma-ray bursts performed with the Mobile Astronomical System of TElescope-Robots (MASTER) global network of robotic telescopes from Moscow State University in fully automatic mode (2011–2017). Among them, GRB 130907A, GRB 120811C, GRB 110801A, GRB 120404A, GRB 140129B, GRB140311B, and GRB 160227A are considered in details. Among these 130 gamma-ray bursts, in the first 60 s after the trigger with the Swift, Fermi, INTEGRAL, MAXI, Lomonosov, and Konus-Wind orbital observatories, the MASTER was pointed on 51 gamma-ray bursts, being the leader in terms of the first pointing. Full observation automation and MASTER own real-time image processing software allowed us to obtain unique data on early optical emission that accompanied 44 gamma-ray bursts (GRB 110801A, GRB120106A, GRB 120404A, GRB 120811C, GRB 120907A, GRB 121011A, GRB 130122A, GRB 130907A, GRB 131030A, GRB 131125A, GRB 140103A, GRB 140108A, GRB 140129B, GRB 140206A, GRB 140304A, GRB 140311B, GRB 140512A, GRB 140629A, GRB 140801A, GRB140907A, GRB 140930B, GRB141028A, GRB 141225A, GRB 150210A, GRB 150211A, GRB 150301B, GRB 150323C, GRB 150404A/Fermi trigger 449861706, GRB 150403A, GRB 150413A, GRB 150518A, GRB 150627A, GRB 151021A, GRB 151215A, GRB 160104A, GRB 160117B, GRB 160131A, GRB 160227A, GRB 160425A, GRB 160611A, GRB 160625B, GRB 160804A, GRB 160910A, GRB 161017A, GRB 161117A, GRB 161119A). We obtain light curves for 13 gamma-ray bursts among the above listed ones and compare the data in the optical (MASTER), X-ray (Swift-XRT), and hard X-ray (Swift-BAT) ranges.     

The MASTER Global Robotic Telescope Network: Observations of Asteroid NEA 2015 TB145

The results of white-light photometry for a uniquely long series of data (13.5 hours of observations, 1124 measurements) for the Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) 2015 TB145 are presented. These data were obtained with the MASTER-Amur and MASTER-Tavrida wide-field robotic telescopes of the Mobile Astronomical System of Telescope-Robots (MASTER) global network of Lomonosov Moscow State University, located in the Crimea and in Blagoveshchensk. The object moved by more than 120° during the observations. The asteroid passed the point of closest approach to the Earth, i.e., observations were carried during both the asteroid's approach and recession. Thus, due to the geometry of the passage, this series of observations contains information about the asteroid viewed at different angles, and is very suitable for precisely determining the shape of the object. Mathematical modeling of the light curve and astrometric positions (with the Asteroids3D code) was carried out, and the probable shape of the asteroid (conical) and the rotation period of 5.9 hours were obtained, as well as the orientation of the rotation axis in ecliptic coordinates: longitude λ = 53°, latitude β = −20°. The derived period coincides with twice the period of 2.9 hours obtained by other observers published earlier, within the uncertainties.

     

Perspectives for Distributed Observations of Near-Earth Space Using a Russian–Cuban Observatory

The creation of a specialized network of large, wide-angle telescopes for distributed observations of near-Earth space using a Russian–Cuban Observatory is considered. An extremely important goal of routine monitoring of near-Earth and near-Sun space is warding off threats with both natural and technogenic origins. Natural threats are associated with asteroids or comets, and technogenic threats with man-made debris in near-Earth space. A modern network of ground-based optical instruments designed to ward off such threats must: (a) have a global and, if possible, uniform geographic distribution, (b) be suitable for wide-angle, high-accuracy precision survey observations, and (c) be created and operated within a single network-oriented framework. Experience at the Institute of Astronomy on the development of one-meter-class wide-angle telescopes and elements of a super-wide-angle telescope cluster is applied to determine preferences for the composition of each node of such a network. The efficiency of distributed observations in attaining maximally accurate predictions of the motions of potentially dangerous celestial bodies as they approach the Earth and in observations of space debris and man-made satellites is estimated. The first estimates of astroclimatic conditions at the proposed site of the future Russian–Cuban Observatory in the mountains of the Sierra del Rosario Biosphere Reserve are obtained. Special attention is given to the possible use of the network to carry out a wide range of astrophysical studies, including optical support for the localization of gravitational waves and other transient events.     

Structure of the Khatanga–Lomonosov Fracture Zone according to Seismic Data

Doklady Earth Sciences - Based on the results of geophysical data interpretation, the structural features of the Khatanga–Lomonosov fracture zone (KhLZ), adapted to the junction zone between...     

The Problem of the Existence of a Strike-Slip Fault in the Arctic Ocean between Lomonosov Submarine Ridge and the Adjacent Shelf

Doklady Earth Sciences - The junction zone between Lomonosov submarine ridge and the shelf of the East Siberian Sea was studied. The aim was to prove the absence of a strike-slip fault in the...     

Optical observations of gamma-ray bursts, the discovery of supernovae 2005bv, 2005ee, and 2006ak, and searches for transients using the “MASTER” robotic telescope

We present the results of observations obtained using the MASTER robotic telescope in 2005–2006, including the earliest observations of the optical emission of the gamma-ray bursts GRB 050824 and GRB 060926. Together with later observations, these data yield the brightness-variation law t ^?0.55±0.05 for GRB 050824. An optical flare was detected in GRB 060926—a brightness enhancement that repeated the behavior observed in the X-ray variations. The spectrum of GRB 060926 is found to be F _E ～ E ^?β , where β = 1.0 ± 0.2. Limits on the optical brightnesses of 26 gamma-ray bursts have been derived, 9 of these for the first time. Data for more than 90% of the accessible sky down to 19 ^m were taken and reduced in real time during the survey. A database has been composed based on these data. Limits have been placed on the rate of optical flares that are not associated with detected gamma-ray bursts, and on the opening angle for the beams of gamma-ray bursts. Three new supernovae have been discovered: SN 2005bv (type Ia)—the first to be discovered on Russian territory, SN 2005ee—one of the most powerful type II supernovae known, and SN 2006ak (type Ia). We have obtained an image of SN 2006X during the growth stage and a light curve that fully describes the brightness maximum and exponential decay. A new method for searching for optical transients of gamma-ray bursts detected using triangulation from various spacecraft is proposed and tested.     

The preventive destruction of a hazardous asteroid

One means of countering a hazardous asteroid is discussed: destruction of the object using a nuclear charge. Explosion of such an asteroid shortly before its predicted collision would have catastrophic consequences, with numerous highly radioactive fragments falling onto the Earth. The possibility of exploding the asteroid several years before its impact is also considered. Such an approach is made feasible because the vast majority of hazardous objects pass by the Earth several times before colliding with it. Computations show that, in the 10 years following the explosion, only a negligible number of fragments fall onto the Earth, whose radioactivity has substantially reduced during this time. In most cases, none of these fragments collides with the Earth. Thus, this proposed method for eliminating a threat from space is reasonable in at least two cases: when it is not possible to undergo a soft removal of the object from the collisional path, and to destroy objects that are continually returning to near-Earth space and require multiple removals from hazardous orbits.     

Structural and Mineralogical Features of Diamonds from the Lomonosov Deposit (Arkhangelsk Province): New Data and Interpretation

Doklady Earth Sciences - Three groups of diamond crystals that differ in morphology, photoluminescence, infrared absorption, and thermal history were discovered in the Lomonosov deposit. The first...     

Tectonic Structure of the Junction Zone between Lomonosov Ridge and the Eurasian Continental Margin

Doklady Earth Sciences - The tectonic structure of the junction zone between Lomonosov Ridge and the Arctic Continental Margin of Eurasia was clarified due to comprehensive analysis of data on the...     

新一代对地观测系统的发展

对地观测系统(EOS，Earth Observation System)是获取空间对地信息、促进地球系统科学和空间信息科学等学科发展的支柱。长期以来，人们就期望着对自己居住的地球有一个全面深刻的了解，研究这种从几十年到几百年时间尺度的全球变化，依赖于观测系统和观测技术的发展。因此有必要建立一个对地球整体的观测系统，利用空间优势，获取有关地球体系及其各个组成部分的详细数据或信息。 近50年来，世界对地观测技术得到了迅猛的发展。NASA针对全球变化研究对建立长期的数据采集系统的实际需求，于20世纪80年代初开始规划地球观测系统（EOS）计划，并于90年代初实施。它包括一系列卫星、自然科学知识组成和一个数据系统，支持一系列极地轨道和低倾角卫星对地球的陆地表面、生物圈、大气和海洋进行长期观测。地球观测卫星系列是EOS计划的最基本和最重要的环节。EOS卫星系列计划在今后的10年内陆续发射一系列的太阳轨道环境遥感卫星，构成连续15年的数据采集系统，其规模在地球观测卫星发展史上是空前的。在EOS计划的基础上NASA规划了ESE战略计划，将继续发展国际新一代对地观测系统。迄今为止，Terra、Aqua和Arua卫星已经发射成功，引起地球遥感科学界的瞩目，为地球科学研究提供重要的数据资源。     

Objects from a cross-identification of the IRAS and low-frequency Texas radio catalogs

A cross-identification of objects in the low-frequency (365 MHz) Texas radio catalog and in IRAS catalogs at four infrared wavelengths has yielded a list of 715 objects for further studies. Objects with steep spectra for which the difference in the centers of gravity of the radio and infrared sources was less than 3″ were selected from this list. Seventeen of the objects have been observed at six wavelengths using the RATAN-600 radio telescope. Spectra of nine objects from the initial list for which there were candidate optical counterparts were obtained using the 2.1-m telescope of the INAOE. The results of these observations are discussed. The presence of steep spectral indices for the radio sources is confirmed. The possible optical counterparts include interacting galaxies, an infrared galaxy, two emission-line galaxies, and a candidate BL Lac object. Optical images of the optical counterparts are presented together with radio and optical spectra.     

Monitoring Flood Extent and Forecasting Excess Runoff Risk with RADARSAT-1 Data

Earth observation from active microwave satellites such as RADARSAT-1 is an excellent tool to monitor and forecast floods. Two complementary approaches are described in this paper: (a) real time or near-real time monitoring of flood extent and (b) mapping of hydrological properties of drainage basins. Since it can penetrate through clouds, which usually occur during precipitation periods, and due to the fact that it can be programmed with different incidence angles, RADARSAT-1 enables frequent coverage over specific areas of interest. It has been used successfully to monitor a major flood of the Red River in Manitoba in 1997, by providing frequent coverage of the flood during its progression and decrease. Resulting data and images have been useful in planning the emergency measures and in assessing flood damage. RADARSAT has also the ability to characterize hydrological properties of watersheds. It has been used in agricultural catchments in Europe for mapping soil surface roughness, which affects runoff coefficients, concentration time and resistance to erosion processes. Used to complement optical data, RADARSAT has provided information on the status of land use and soil protective cover in drainage basins. This information can then be translated into parameters and coefficients that hydrological models can use for runoff and flood forecasting     

A web-based real-time and full-resolution data visualization for Himawari-8 satellite sensed images

It has been almost four decades since the first launch of geostationary meteorological satellite by Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The specifications of the geostationary meteorological satellites have shown tremendous progresses along with the generations, which are now entering their third generation. The third-generation geostationary meteorological satellites not only yield basic data for weather monitoring, but also globally observe the Earth’s environment. The development of multi-band imagers with improved spatial resolution onboard the third-generation geostationary meteorological satellites brings us meteorological data in larger size than those of the second-generation ones. Thus, new techniques for domestic and world-wide dissemination of the observational big data are needed. In this paper, we develop a web-based data visualization for Himawari-8 satellite sensed images in real time and with full resolution. This data visualization is supported by the ecosystems, which uses a tiled pyramid representation and parallel processing technique for terrain on an academic cloud system. We evaluate the performance of our techniques for domestic and international users on laboratory experiments. The results show that our data visualization is suitable for practical use on a temporal preview of observation image data for the domestic users.     

Monitoring desertification by remote sensing using the Tasselled Cap transform for long-term change detection

Sensitive areas like oases are threatened by climatic variations and human activities that can catalyze desertification processes. Remote sensing the Earth surface from satellites is a good tool to monitor such types of change through several techniques. In this paper a remote sensing method that has been widely used for vegetated areas is adapted to study dry regions. The method consists of a combination of the Change Vector Analysis and the Tasselled Cap (TC) transform. To adapt it to dryland conditions a new set of parameters for the TC transform is hereby calculated for the Landsat 8 OLI system. The new TC parameters are tested in the analysis of the surface change in Azraq Oasis, Jordan, over a time span of 30 years (1984–2013) for Landsat satellites images. Azraq is considered a good testing site since in the early 1990s it has been subject to a complete drying up of the superficial springs, mainly due to over-exploitation of the groundwater basin. Results show that the chosen technique is able to detect the expected change on the surface, consistent with photo-interpretation and historical information available.     

On the water and energy cycles in the Tropics

The water and energy cycles are major elements of the Earth climate. These cycles are especially active in the intertropical belt where satellites provide the most suitable observational platform. The history of Earth observations of the water cycle and of the radiation budget viewed from space reveals that the fundamental questions from the early times are still relevant for today's research. The last 2 decades have seen a number of milestones regarding the documentation of rainfall, mesoscale convective systems (MCS), water vapour and radiation at the top of the atmosphere (TOA). Beyond dedicated missions that provided enhanced characterizations of some elements of the atmospheric water cycle and field campaigns that allowed the gathering of validation data, the advent of the long record of meteorological satellites lead to new questioning on the homogenisation of the data time series, etc. The use of this record to document the tropical climate brought new results of the distribution of humidity and reinforced the understanding of some robust features of the African monsoon. Challenges for the immediate future concerns the deepening of the understanding of the role of cloud systems in the monsoon circulation, the downscaling of the documentation of the water and energy cycle at the scale of these cloud systems, the research of better adequation between the users and the satellite estimate of rainfall and finally a much needed methodological effort to build exploitable time series for the estimation of climatic trends in the water and energy cycle in the Tropics. The required observations to address these challenges are rapidly presented with emphasis on the upcoming Megha-Tropiques (MT) mission.     

“地球空间双星探测计划”及其与全球环境变化的关系

本文论述了“地球空间双星探测计划”(简称双星计划)及其与全球环境变化的关系。地球空间双星探测计划包括两颗小卫星,分别运行于目前国际上地球空间探测卫星尚未覆盖的近地赤道区和近地极区。双星计划的主要科学目标是用高分辨率的仪器在近地空间的主要活动区探测场和粒子的时空变化;研究磁层空间暴(磁层亚暴、磁暴和磁层粒子暴)的触发机制及其对太阳活动和行星际扰动的响应过程;建立地球空间环境的动态模式。为了实现科学目标,赤道区卫星和极区卫星上各载有8台探测仪器。近地赤道区卫星的轨道是:近地点550km左右,远地点60000km左右,倾角约28.5°;近地极区卫星的轨道是:近地点700km,远地点40000km,倾角约90°。为了使双星计划与欧洲空间局ClusterII卫星相配合,赤道区卫星计划于2003年6月发射,极区卫星计划于2003年12月发射。双星计划与ClusterII卫星相配合,可形成地球空间6点探测计划,这将成为21世纪初国际上重要的地球空间探测计划。本文概要讨论了双星计划与地球系统各圈层的关系,包括与大气圈、生物圈、地球内部各圈层及全球环境变化的关系。     

General introduction on payloads, ground segment and data application of Fengyun 3A

Fengyun 3 series are the second-generation polar-orbiting meteorological satellites of China. The first satellite of Fengyun 3 series, FY-3A, is a research and development satellite with 11 payloads onboard. FY-3A was launched successfully at 11 a.m. on May 27, 2008. Since the launch, FY-3A data have been applied to the services on the flood season and the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. In this paper, the platform, payloads, and ground segment designs are introduced. Some typical images during the on-orbit commission test are rendered. Improvements of FY-3A on Earth observations are summarized at the end by comparing them with FY-1D, the last satellite of Fengyun 1 series.     

蓬勃发展的空间天气学

日地空间环境是人类生存发展的重要场所,太阳剧烈活动引起日地空间短时间尺度的变化,对人类社会带来严重影响和危害。本文简要介绍了空间天气学产生的背景和迅速发展的社会需求,当今国际合作研究的重大计划和进展,以及空间天气学研究的未来和展望。