A survey of orbits of co-orbitals of Mars

Many asteroids with a semimajor axis close to that of Mars have been discovered in the last several years. Potentially some of these could be in 1:1 resonance with Mars, much as are the classic Trojan asteroids with Jupiter, and its lesser-known horseshoe companions with Earth. In the 1990s, two Trojan companions of Mars, 5261 Eureka and 1998 VF₃₁, were discovered, librating about the L₅ Lagrange point, 60° behind Mars in its orbit. Although several other potential Mars Trojans have been identified, our orbital calculations show only one other known asteroid, 1999 UJ₇, to be a Trojan, associated with the L₄ Lagrange point, 60° ahead of Mars in its orbit. We further find that asteroid 36017 (1999 ND₄₃) is a horseshoe librator, alternating with periods of Trojan motion. This asteroid makes repeated close approaches to Earth and has a chaotic orbit whose behavior can be confidently predicted for less than 3000 years. We identify two objects, 2001 HW₁₅ and 2000 TG₂, within the resonant region capable of undergoing what we designate “circulation transition”, in which objects can pass between circulation outside the orbit of Mars and circulation inside it, or vice versa. The eccentricity of the orbit of Mars appears to play an important role in circulation transition and in horseshoe motion. Based on the orbits and on spectroscopic data, the Trojan asteroids of Mars may be primordial bodies, while some co-orbital bodies may be in a temporary state of motion.     

Flattening of galaxies of different morphological types in subclusters of Coma

This paper deals with the observed variation in the flattening of galaxies with the density of galaxies in the subclusters of Coma surrounding NGC 4889, NGC 4874, and NGC 4839 based on data from the Abastumani Combined Catalog of Galaxies. The mean values of the observed ratios of the diameters of the galaxies, as well as histograms of their distributions, indicate that in the central, dense regions of the subclusters within a volume of 0.5h ₇₅ ⁻¹ Mpc³, E and S0 type galaxies are close to spheroidal. A significant reduction in the mean values of the diameters of the galaxies in the subclusters is noted, regardless of their morphology relative to the galaxies in the halo of the Coma cluster. In the subclusters, spiral galaxies are found with a hydrogen deficit that is more than 5 times the hydrogen deficit in spirals within the halo of the cluster. According to their 3-D coordinates, most of the galaxies with a hydrogen deficit are located closer to the south-east edge of the subcluster surrounding NGC 4874 near an extended gas filament in the x-ray region. This may indicate that the subcluster is moving toward a central condensation of faint galaxies in the Coma cluster and a possible merger with it. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 355–368 (August 2007).     

TheHI content of the Eridanus group of galaxies

The HI content of galaxies in the Eridanus group is studied using the GMRT observations and the HIPASS data. A significant HI deficiency up to a factor of 2–3 is observed in galaxies in the high galaxy density regions. The HI deficiency in galaxies is observed to be directly correlated to the local projected galaxy density, and inversely correlated to the line-of-sight radial velocity. Furthermore, galaxies with larger optical diameters are predominantly in the lower galaxy density regions. It is suggested that the HI deficiency in Eridanus is due to tidal interactions. In some galaxies, evidences of tidal interactions are seen. An important implication is that significant evolution of galaxies can take place in the group environment. In the hierarchical way of formation of clusters via mergers of groups, a fraction of the observed HI deficiency in clusters could have originated in groups. The co-existence of S0s and severely HI deficient galaxies in the Eridanus group suggests that tidal interaction is likely to be an effective mechanism for transforming spirals to S0s.     

淮河洪水的可公度性分析

分析了上两个世纪发生在淮河的洪水事件的可公度性，根据其可公度值及其黄金分割点指出1991年与2003年淮河洪水的不可避免，最后讨论了可公度性的局限及淮河洪水可公度值的可能机制。     

IERS综合河外射电源表的检验

本文对ＩＥＲＳ综合河外射电源表进行了检验，指出１９８８至１９９１各年度的ＩＥＲＳ综合河外射电源表中均存在坐标系统不一致问题，部分射电源的位置坐标中带有几个毫角秒的偏差，与公认精度不符。坐标系统不一致问题影响了ＩＥＲＳ综合表的指向维持，使此维持仅限于数学意义上的平均水平，失去了明确的物理意义。     

Mass of Mercury from observations of asteroids

The Sun-to-Mercury mass ratio adopted by the International Astronomical Union (6023600 ± 250) was obtained in 1987 by analyzing Mariner 10 observations (Anderson et al. 1987) and since then has not been improved. The large number of asteroids in Mercury-approaching orbits and the ever-increasing accuracy of their observations allow the mass of Mercury to be estimated by a different method. We have improved the orbital parameters of 43 asteroids and obtained 6023440 ± 530 for the Sun-to-Mercury mass ratio through a simultaneous solution based on their optical and radar observations. A further improvement in this estimate is possible in the immediate future owing to the rapid increase in the number of known asteroids whose observations can be used to solve this problem.     

Evolution of the dusty rings of Uranus

We present high quality images of the uranian ring system, obtained in August 2002, October 2003, and July 2004 at 2.2 μm with the adaptive optics camera NIRC2 on the Keck II telescope. Using these data, we report the first detection in backscattered light of a ring (which we refer to as the ζ ring) interior to Uranus' known rings. This ring consists of a generally uniform sheet of dust between 37,850 and 41,350 km with an equivalent width (in 2004; or ), and extends inward to 32,600 km at a gradually decreasing brightness. This ring might be related to the Voyager ring R/1986 U 2, although both its location and extent differ. This could be attributed to a difference in observing wavelength and/or solar phase angle, or perhaps to temporal variations in the ring. Through careful modeling of the I/F of the individual rings at each ansa, we reveal the presence of narrow (few 100 km wide) sheets of dust between the δ and ε rings, and between rings 4 and α. We derived a typical anisotropy factor g≈0.7 in the scattering behavior of these particles. The spatial distribution and relative intensity of these dust sheets is different than that seen in Voyager images taken in forward scattered light, due either to a difference in observing wavelength, and/or solar phase angle or to changes over time. We may have detected the λ ring in one scan at , but other scans provided upper limits below this value. A single detection, however, would be consistent with azimuthal asymmetries known to exist in this ring. We further demonstrate the presence of azimuthal asymmetries in all rings. We confirm the eccentricity of ∼0.001 in rings 4, 5, 6, which in 2004 are ∼70 km closer to Uranus in the north (near periapse; lower I/F) than in the south. We find a global optical depth of τ∼0.3 in the main rings, and of τ=0.25±0.05 in the ε ring.     

Hydrodynamic simulations of merging clusters of galaxies

We present the results of high-resolution AP³M+SPH simulations of merging clusters of galaxies. We find that the compression and shocking of the core gas during a merger can lead to large increases in bolometric X-ray luminosities and emission-weighted temperatures of clusters. Cooling flows are completely disrupted during equal-mass mergers, with the mass deposition rate dropping to zero as the cores of the clusters collide. The large increase in the cooling time of the core gas strongly suggests that cooling flows will not recover from such a merger within a Hubble time. Mergers with subclumps having one eighth of the mass of the main cluster are also found to disrupt a cooling flow if the merger is head-on. However, in this case the entropy injected into the core gas is rapidly radiated away and the cooling flow restarts within a few Gyr of the merger. Mergers in which the subcluster has an impact parameter of 500 kpc do not disrupt the cooling flow, although the mass deposition rate is reduced by ∼30 per cent. Finally, we find that equal mass, off-centre mergers can effectively mix gas in the cores of clusters, while head on mergers lead to very little mixing. Gas stripped from the outer layers of subclumps results in parts of the outer layers of the main cluster being well mixed, although they have little effect on the gas in the core of the cluster. None of the mergers examined here resulted in the intracluster medium being well mixed globally.     

Modeling of opposition effects with ensembles of clusters: Interplay of various scattering mechanisms

Although the opposition phenomena observed in brightness and polarization for various astronomical objects and laboratory samples have been under intense study for many years, their explanation is still far from being complete. The shadow hiding and coherent backscattering effects are mentioned most frequently in this connection. In the present work we first discuss how other coherent scattering mechanisms, in particular interference and interaction between scatterers in the near field, influence brightness and polarization of complex ensembles of particles at small phase angles. Then we demonstrate the contribution of the different mechanisms to the scattering process in a model regolith described as an ensemble of wavelength-sized clusters as constituents. While the clusters are always densely packed, the porosity of the ensemble itself, i.e., the average distances between the clusters within the ensemble, is allowed to vary. The modeling confirms that the phase dependence of intensity and polarization of light scattered by complex structures in the backscattering domain is mainly caused by the interplay of (1) the constructive interference of waves traveling through the particle ensemble along similar paths but in opposite directions and (2) the near-field effect caused by the inhomogeneity of waves in the immediate vicinity of constituent particles. The first mechanism works more effectively in sparse ensembles, while the second one manifests itself in more compact structures of wavelength-sized scatterers at distances comparable to the wavelength. It is difficult to distinguish quantitatively their contributions in models of simple structures and even more in measurements. A number of observations, especially of moderate and low albedo objects, can, however, be explained only by invoking the near-field effect.     

Tensile strength as an indicator of the degree of primitiveness of undifferentiated bodies

The extremely porous structure and low strength of most comets and their fragments is opposed to the properties observed in relatively pristine chondritic asteroids, even although both are sharing important chemical similitude. Laboratory experiments and observational evidence suggest that the original extremely porous aggregates that were born from the protoplanetary-disk-forming materials were highly retentive of water and organic compounds present in their forming environment. After consolidation, many of them experienced a particular dynamic history. Some bodies, quickly scattered during the formation of the giant planets and later stored in the Kuiper Belt (KB) or the Oort Cloud (OC) regions, would have suffered a lower degree of impact processing than previously thought. In such category would be comet 81P/Wild 2, whose materials have not experienced aqueous alteration. Other bodies originally volatile-rich that were transiting other regions with higher impact rate were experiencing progressively significant compaction processing, together with subsequent aqueous alteration and loss of volatiles. The release of water from hydrated minerals or interior ices, participated in soaking the forming materials, and transforming their initial mineralogy and physical properties. As a consequence of the physico-chemical evolution promoted by impact processing of undifferentiated bodies, most of the bodies present in the inner solar system are not representative of the planetesimals. Thus, highly porous progenitors and their fragments are the preferential sources of water and organics to the early Earth, even in higher amounts than previously thought.     

Secular perturbations of fictitious satellites of uranus

Secular perturbations of fictitious satellites that are initially circular and in the equatorial plane of Uranus are discussed. Satellites located in the region where the solar perturbation is dominant become highly eccentric and inclined with respect to the equator, and have a possibility to collide with Uranus. Satellites located in the region where the oblateness perturbation is dominant keep the original eccentricity and the inclination. A scenario of a possible extinction of outer satellites of Uranus is also discussed.     

An Estimate of the Long-term Tendency of Tidal Evolution of Earth-lunar System

According to the conservation principle of angular momentum, we calculate in this paper the revolution period and the distance between the Earth and the Moon in the equilibrium state of the tidal evolution in the Earth-Moon system. The difference of energy between the current state and the equilibrium state is used to compute the time needed to fulfil the equilibrium state. Then the long-term variations of the Earth-Moon distance and of the Earth rotation rate are further estimated.     

Inverse Problem of the Theory of Relaxation of the Vela Pulsar's Angular Velocity after Glitches

A theory of the relaxation of pulsar angular velocity is compared with observational data for the first eight glitches of the Vela pulsar. The inverse problem of the theory of relaxation is considered and solutions of this problem in the regions of exponential and linear relaxation are found. General features in the distribution of neutron vortices in these regions immediately after a glitch are determined. It is shown that these properties may be related to the size of the glitch in pulsar angular velocity.     

On the periodical structures in populations of galaxies and of clusters of galaxies

Analysing the distribution of the redshift of clusters of galaxies, obtained from the catalogue of SCHMIDT (1986), two already known periodical structures were confirmed and both periods were extended by a number of periods — approximately by two times (We elucidated 5 new periods in the first structure and 4 in the second.). The statistical significance of these structures was estimated to 0.01 in the first case and to 0.02 in the second one. Particularly, the second structure may be the largest known object in the Universe (about 900 Mpc at H = 75 km s^-1 Mpc^-1). These results agree with the predictions of the axion-dominated early Universe. In addition, we discovered periodical structures of an another type — in luminosity functions of galaxies, which are members of rich clusters. Bei der Analyse des Katalogs von SCHMIDT (1986) wurden zwei periodische Strukturen in den Verteilungen der Rotverschiebungen von Galaxienhaufen festgestellt. In den beiden Strukturen wurden 5 bzw. 4 neue Perioden beobachtet, weshalb sich die Periodenzahl in jeder der beiden Strukturen etwa verdoppelt hat. Die statistische Signifikanzen dieser Strukturen wurden zu 0.01 und 0.02 abgeschätzt. Möglicherweise entspricht die zweite Struktur dem größten bekannten Objekt des Weltalls (etwa 900 Mpc bei H = 75 km s^-1 Mpc^-1). Diese Resultate stützen die Theorie eines axiondominierten frühen Universums. Außerdem wurden weitere periodische Strukturen in der Leuchtkraftfunktion von Galaxien aus reichen Galaxien-haufen entdeckt.     

Dynamical objectives of observation of mutual events

Recently the motion of the main satellites of Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus have been modelled in order to get accurate ephemerides. These models have been fitted over a large amount of observations. Among these ones, the positions issued from the observations of mutual events are the most accurate. We can then expect to obtain a new kind of dynamical informations directly linked to planetological questions. We have to determine what information is used in these observations to get the still unknown dynamical parameters. We look after these questions especially in the Jovian and Saturnian systems.     

Measurement of Aureole and Suppression of Internal Stray Light of Aureole Photometer

A modern aureole photometer (AP) was developed for the site survey inWest China, in preparation for the installation of future large solar equipments. The performance of this new AP was tested in preliminary observations, and a lot of sky brightness data were accumulated at a few sites in Yunnan Province. The result of data analysis shows that the aureole near the noon time on Jiaozi Snow Mountain is as low as a few millionths of the intensity at the solar disk center, indicating the low internal stray light level of our instrument. The internal stray light of the AP comes mainly from two parts: the edge diffraction of the ferrule for fixing the ND4 filter in the front end of the telescope tube, causing the stray light distributed in the inner region of the field of view, and the edge diffractions of the diaphragms placed inside the telescope tube, causing the stray light distributed in the outer region of the field of view. In order to suppress the stray light of the latter part, the experiment to change the aperture size of an additional diaphragm was performed. The result shows that the stray light in the outer region of the field of view can be effectively suppressed by reducing properly the aperture size of the diaphragm.     

Role of the form of an angular velocity inflection in the stability of the gas-dust component of plane galaxies

The stability of a rotating gas-dust gravitating disk in the zone of a possible inflection in the angular velocity is examined theoretically. The stability limits are found for a rather wide range of curves in a special model of a dusty, pressure-free medium with the general gravitational field of the galaxy taken into account. Applications to real galaxies are discussed. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 51, No. 4, pp. 523–533 (November 2008).     

卫星跟踪技术的发展

本文介绍了卫星跟踪技术发展的历史、现状、卫星轨道分类方法、几种观测方法和它们的精度、卫星轨道测定和运动微分方程积分方法、几个著名的应用卫星系统、卫星技术对世界科技发展产生的巨大贡献、以及中国卫星跟踪技术发展的历史和现状。     

Existence of formal integrals of symplectic integrators

A recurrent method of solving the formal integrals of symplectic integrators is given. The special examples show that there are no long-term variations in all integrals of the Hamiltonian system in addition to the energy one when symplectic integrators are used in the numerical studies of the system. As an application of the formal integrals, the relation between them and the linear stability of symplectic integrators is discussed.     

Determination of origin of NASA stratospheric particles

Paper presents a reanalysis of four stratospheric particles registered in the Cosmic Dust Catalogs (CDC). Two particles have been classifed in the NASA Johnson Space Centre (JSC) in Houston as natural, terrestrial contaminants and the origin of the other two particles was found questionable, probably cosmic. Present study has confirmed these conclusions; however some new additional features in the chemical analysis have been found which can finally determine the classification of the particles with unclear origin.