A Mariner 9 atlas of the moons of Mars

This paper contains a complete set of the best enhancements of Mariner 9 high resolution television pictures of Phobos and Deimos, consisting of 27 different views of Phobos, and 9 of Deimos. Pertinent data about the pictures are arranged in convenient tabular and graphical form.     

Mercury: Internal structure and thermal evolution

Astronomical observations and cosmochemical calculations suggest that the planet Mercury may be composed of materials which condensed at relatively high temperatures in the primitive solar nebula and may have a basaltic crust similar to parts of the moon. These findings, plus the long standing inference that Mercury is much richer in metallic iron than the other terrestrial planets, provide important constraints which we apply to models of the thermal evolution and density structure of the planet. The thermal history calculations include explicitly the differing thermal properties of iron and silicates and account for core segregation, melting and differentiation of heat sources, and simulated convection during melting. If the U and Th abundances of Mercury are taken from the cosmochemical model of Lewis, then the planet would have fully differentiated a metal core from the silicate mantle for all likely initial temperature distributions and heat transfer properties. Density distributions for the planet are calculated from the mean density and estimates of the present-day temperature. For the fully differentiated model, the moment of inertia C/MR² is 0.325 (J₂=0.302×10^?6). For models with lower heat source abundances, the planet may not yet have differentiated. The density profiles for such models give C/MR²=0.394 (J₂=0.487×10^?6). These results should be useful for preliminary interpretation of the Mariner 10 measurements of Mercury's gravitational field.     

Theory of decametric radio emissions from Jupiter

It is suggested that the Jovian decametric emissions (DAM) originate in a cyclotron instability of weakly relativistic electrons trapped in the Jovian magnetic field. The resulting radiation has a group velocity in the magnetosphheric plasma which may be of order 10²km/sec, and thus takes much more time to escape the magnetosphere than if the group velocity were at or near the speed of light. Therefore, the asymmetry of the Io phase with respect to sources east and west of the Earth-Jupiter line does not imply an asymmetric beaming of DAM; it is caused by the delay the waves experience in traversing the magnetosphere. The frequency drifts of milli- and decasecond bursts are also explained. It is found that the rotation of the magnetosphere can play an important role, since the observer views the propagation velocity of the waves as the sum of their group velocity and the velocity of the medium itself. The rotation velocity is in opposite directions, relative to the observer, for sources east and west of the Earth-Jupiter line; the resultant vector addition gives positive frequency drifts for decasecond bursts from the early and fourth sources, and negative drifts for bursts from the main and third sources. The negative drifts of millisecond bursts may be the result of large density gradients of plasma in a temporarily compressed magnetosphere.     

GIS diffusion in Uganda

Despite myriad studies having been carried out on the diffusion of geographical information systems (GIS) technology, only a limited number have been done within the context of developing countries. This paper addresses the research question, how did the diffusion of GIS technology occur in Uganda? Mixed methods were used for data collection, and analysis was performed using a theoretical framework called the diffusion of innovations (DOI). The results of the study showed that the adoption of GIS by institutions in Uganda occurred in a classic diffusion pattern consistent with diffusion theory. Adoption of GIS was promoted by its relative advantage over, and compatibility with, existing technologies. It was characterized by both heterophilous and homophilous communication channels, and influenced by change agents and champions. Its rate of adoption followed an S-shaped diffusion curve, and was hampered by bureaucracy, and patronage-based societal norms. This study makes a contribution to literature on GIS diffusion in developing countries.     

Measurement of Kodaikanal White-Light Images – II. Rotation Comparison and Merging with Mount Wilson Data

Sunspot umbral positions and areas were measured for 82 years (1906–1987) of daily, full-disk photoheliogram observations at the Kodaikanal station of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics. The measurement technique and reduction procedures used were nearly identical to those used earlier for the reduction of Mount Wilson daily full-disk photoheliograms, covering an overlapping interval of 69 years. In this paper we compare the differential rotation of the Sun from the analysis of the Kodaikanal data with the Mount Wilson results. In addition, we analyze the data set formed by combining the data from the two sites for differential rotation. While doing this, it has become apparent to us that small, subtle optical effects at both sites produce systematic errors that have an influence on rotation (and other) results from these data. These optical effects are analyzed here, and corrections are made to the positional data of the sunspots from both sites. A data set containing the combined positional data of sunspots from both sites, corrected for these optical aberrations, has been constructed. Results for both sunspot groups and individual sunspots are presented. It is pointed out that optical aberrations similar to those found in the Kodaikanal data may also exist in the Greenwich photoheliograph data, because these two sets of solar images were made with similar telescopes.     

High-resolution optical and infrared spectroscopic observations of Cir X-1

We present new optical and infrared (IR) observations of Cir X-1 taken near apastron. Both sets of spectra show asymmetric emission lines. Archival optical observations show that an asymmetric H α emission line has been in evidence for the past 20 years, although the shape of the line has changed significantly. We present an eccentric ( e ∼0.7–0.9) low-mass binary model, where the system consists of a neutron star orbiting around a (sub)giant companion star of 3–5 M_⊙. We suggest that the broad components of the emission lines arise in a high-velocity, optically thick flow near the neutron star, while the narrow components of the optical and the IR lines arise near the companion star and a heated ejecta shell surrounding the binary respectively. In this model, the velocity of the narrow component reflects the space velocity of the binary; the implied radial velocity (+430 km s⁻¹ after correcting for Galactic rotation) is the highest velocity known for an X-ray binary.