S xi Emission Lines in Active Region Spectra Obtained with the Solar euv Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (Serts)

Theoretical electron density sensitive emission line ratios involving a total of eleven 2s ²2p ²–2s2p ³ transitions in Sxi between 187 and 292 Å are presented. A comparison of these with solar active region observations obtained during rocket flights by the Solar EUV Rocket Telescope and Spectrograph (SERTS) reveals generally good agreement between theory and experiment. However, the 186.87 Å line is masked by fairly strong Fexii emission at the same wavelength, while 239.83 Å is blended with an unknown feature, and 285.58 Å is blended with possibly Niv 285.56 Å. In addition, the 191.23 Å line appears to be more seriously blended with an Fexiii feature than previously believed. The presence of several new Sxi lines is confirmed in the SERTS spectra, at wavelengths of 188.66, 247.14 and 291.59 Å, in excellent agreement with laboratory measurements. In particular, the detection of the 2s ²2p ^{2 3} P ₁ –2s2p ^{3 3} P _0,1 transitions at 242.91 Å is the first time (to our knowledge) that this feature has been identified in the solar spectrum. The potential usefulness of the Sxi line ratios as electron density diagnostics for the solar transition region and corona is briefly discussed.     

The SOHO–Stellar Connection

The solar–stellar connection bridges the daytime and nighttime communities; an essential link between the singular, but detailed, views of our Sun, and the broad, but coarse, glimpses of the distant stars. One area in particular – magnetic activity – has profited greatly from the two way traffic in ideas. In that spirit, I present an evolutionary context for coronal activity, focusing on the very different circumstances of low-mass main-sequence stars like the Sun, compared with more massive stars. The former are active mainly very early in their lives, whereas the latter become coronal only near the end of theirs, during the brief incursion into the cool half of the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram as yellow, then red, giants. I describe tools at the disposal of the stellar astronomer; especially spectroscopy in the ultraviolet and X-ray bands where coronae leave their most obvious imprints. I compare HST STIS spectra of solar-type dwarfs – Dor (F7 V), an active coronal source, and Cen A (G2 V), near twin of the Sun – to the SOHO SUMER UV solar atlas. I also compare the STIS line profiles of the active coronal dwarf to the corresponding features in the mixed activity hybrid chromosphere bright giant TrA (K2 II) and the archetype non-coronal red giant Arcturus ( Boo; K2 III). The latter shows dramatic evidence for a cool absorber in its outer atmosphere that is extinguishing the hot lines (like Siiv 1393 and Nv 1238) below about 1500 Å; the corona of the red giant seems to lie beneath its extended chromosphere, rather than outside as in the Sun. I present an early taste of the moderate resolution spectra we can expect from the recently launched Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO), and contemporaneous STIS high resolution UV measurements of the CXO calibration star Capella ( Aur; G8 III + G1 III). Last, I describe preliminary results from a May 1999 observing campaign involving SOHO SUMER, TRACE, and the Kitt Peak Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (IRIS). The purpose was to explore the dynamics of the quiet solar atmosphere through the key magnetic transition zone that separates the kinetically dominated deep photosphere from the magnetically dominated coronal regime. Linking spatially and temporally resolved solar phenomena to properties of the average line shapes (widths, asymmetries, intensity ratios, and Doppler shifts) is a crucial step in carrying physical insights from the solar setting to the realm of the distant stars.     

Simulation of adaptive optics for the Vacuum Tower Telescope

A simulation model of the adaptive optics of the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT), Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife, is presented. The model uses modules from the integrated model of the Euro50 extremely large telescope, and includes submodels of a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor, a de-formable mirror, a tip-tilt mirror, high-voltage amplifier low-pass filters, a reconstructor and a controller. We investigate the impact on the closed loop bandwidth of changes in controller configuration and certain system parameters, such as low pass filter bandwidth and camera integration and readout time. Control strategies were tested on simple models before implementation on the full VTT model. Using the models, different control strategies are compared.     

Report of the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements: 2009

Every three years the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements revises tables giving the directions of the poles of rotation and the prime meridians of the planets, satellites, minor planets, and comets. This report takes into account the IAU Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) and the IAU Committee on Small Body Nomenclature (CSBN) definition of dwarf planets, introduces improved values for the pole and rotation rate of Mercury, returns the rotation rate of Jupiter to a previous value, introduces improved values for the rotation of five satellites of Saturn, and adds the equatorial radius of the Sun for comparison. It also adds or updates size and shape information for the Earth, Mars?? satellites Deimos and Phobos, the four Galilean satellites of Jupiter, and 22 satellites of Saturn. Pole, rotation, and size information has been added for the asteroids (21) Lutetia, (511) Davida, and (2867) ?teins. Pole and rotation information has been added for (2) Pallas and (21) Lutetia. Pole and rotation and mean radius information has been added for (1) Ceres. Pole information has been updated for (4) Vesta. The high precision realization for the pole and rotation rate of the Moon is updated. Alternative orientation models for Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn are noted. The Working Group also reaffirms that once an observable feature at a defined longitude is chosen, a longitude definition origin should not change except under unusual circumstances. It is also noted that alternative coordinate systems may exist for various (e.g. dynamical) purposes, but specific cartographic coordinate system information continues to be recommended for each body. The Working Group elaborates on its purpose, and also announces its plans to occasionally provide limited updates to its recommendations via its website, in order to address community needs for some updates more often than every 3 years. Brief recommendations are also made to the general planetary community regarding the need for controlled products, and improved or consensus rotation models for Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.     

Erratum to: Reports of the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements: 2006 & 2009

The primary poles for (243) Ida and (134340) Pluto and its satellite (134340) Pluto : I Charon were redefined in the IAU Working Group on Cartographic Coordinates and Rotational Elements (WGCCRE) 2006 report (Seidelmann et al. in Celest Mech Dyn Astr 98:155, 2007), and 2009 report (Archinal et al. in Celest Mech Dyn Astr 109:101, 2011), respectively, to be consistent with the primary poles of similar Solar System bodies. However, the WGCCRE failed to take into account the effect of the redefinition of the poles on the values of the rotation angle W at J2000.0. The revised relationships in Table 3 of Archinal et al. 2011) are $$\begin{array}{llll} W & = & 274^{\circ}.05 +1864^{\circ}.6280070\, d\;{\rm for\; (243)\,Ida} \\ W & = & 302^{\circ} .695 + 56^{\circ} .3625225\, d\;{\rm for\; (134340)\,Pluto,\; and}\\ W & = & 122^{\circ} .695 + 56^{\circ} .3625225\, d\;{\rm for\; (134340)\,Pluto : I \,Charon}\end{array}$$ where d is the time in TDB days from J2000.0 (JD2451545.0).     

An instrument for commissioning the active and adaptive optics of modern telescopes: the Infrared Test Camera for the Large Binocular Telescope

We describe the design, integration, and operation of the infrared test cameras for the commissioning of the Large Binocular Telescope. The design and construction phase lasted slightly more than one year from February 2007 to April 2008 and was the result of a joint collaboration among INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Bologna, Università di Bologna Dipartimento di Astronomia (Italy) and the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie (Heidelberg, Germany). Thereafter, the camera was delivered to the LBT Observatory (USA) for commissioning of the telescope active optics and, more recently, for commissioning of the first light adaptive optics.     

Space weathering of small Koronis family members

The space weathering process and its implications for the relationships between S- and Q-type asteroids and ordinary chondrite meteorites is an often debated topic in asteroid science. Q-type asteroids have been shown to display the best spectral match to ordinary chondrites (McFadden, L.A., Gaffey, M.J., McCord, T.B. [1985]. Science 229, 160–163). While the Q-types and ordinary chondrites share some spectral features with S-type asteroids, the S-types have significantly redder spectral slopes than the Q-types in visible and near-infrared wavelengths. This reddening of spectral slope is attributed to the effects of space weathering on the observed surface composition. The analysis by Binzel et al. (Binzel, R.P., Rivkin, A.S., Stuart, J.S., Harris, A.W., Bus, S.J., Burbine, T.H. [2004]. Icarus 170, 259–294) provided a missing link between the Q- and S-type bodies in near-Earth space by showing a reddening of spectral slope in objects from 0.1 to 5 km that corresponded to a transition from Q-type to S-type asteroid spectra, implying that size, and therefore surface age, is related to the relationship between S- and Q-types. The existence of Q-type asteroids in the main-belt was not confirmed until Mothé-Diniz and Nesvorny (Mothé-Diniz, T., Nesvorny, D. [2008]. Astron. Astrophys. 486, L9–L12) found them in young S-type clusters. The young age of these families suggest that the unweathered surface could date to the formation of the family. This leads to the question of whether older S-type main-belt families can contain Q-type objects and display evidence of a transition from Q- to S-type. To answer this question we have carried out a photometric survey of the Koronis family using the Kitt Peak 2.1 m telescope. This provides a unique opportunity to compare the effects of the space weathering process on potentially ordinary chondrite-like bodies within a population of identical initial conditions. We find a trend in spectral slope for objects 1–5 km that shows the transition from Q- to S-type in the main-belt. This data set will prove crucial to our understanding of the space weathering process and its relevant timescales.     

Global photometric properties of Asteroid (4) Vesta observed with Dawn Framing Camera

Dawn spacecraft orbited Vesta for more than one year and collected a huge volume of multispectral, high-resolution data in the visible wavelengths with the Framing Camera. We present a detailed disk-integrated and disk-resolved photometric analysis using the Framing Camera images with the Minnaert model and the Hapke model, and report our results about the global photometric properties of Vesta. The photometric properties of Vesta show weak or no dependence on wavelengths, except for the albedo. At 554 nm, the global average geometric albedo of Vesta is 0.38 ± 0.04, and the Bond albedo range is 0.20 ± 0.02. The bolometric Bond albedo is 0.18 ± 0.01. The phase function of Vesta is similar to those of S-type asteroids. Vesta’s surface shows a single-peaked albedo distribution with a full-width-half-max ∼17% relative to the global average. This width is much smaller than the full range of albedos (from ∼0.55× to >2× global average) in localized bright and dark areas of a few tens of km in sizes, and is probably a consequence of significant regolith mixing on the global scale. Rheasilvia basin is ∼10% brighter than the global average. The phase reddening of Vesta measured from Dawn Framing Camera images is comparable or slightly stronger than that of Eros as measured by the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous mission, but weaker than previous measurements based on ground-based observations of Vesta and laboratory measurements of HED meteorites. The photometric behaviors of Vesta are best described by the Hapke model and the Akimov disk-function, when compared with the Minnaert model, Lommel–Seeliger model, and Lommel–Seeliger–Lambertian model. The traditional approach for photometric correction is validated for Vesta for >99% of its surface where reflectance is within ±30% of global average.     

Dawn; the Vesta–HED connection; and the geologic context for eucrites,diogenites, and howardites

The Dawn mission has provided new evidence strengthening the identification of asteroid Vesta as the parent body of the howardite, eucrite, and diogenite (HED) meteorites. The evidence includes Vesta's petrologic complexity, detailed spectroscopic characteristics, unique space weathering, diagnostic geochemical abundances and neutron absorption characteristics, chronology of surface units and impact history, occurrence of exogenous carbonaceous chondritic materials in the regolith, and dimensions of the core, all of which are consistent with HED observations and constraints. Global mapping of the distributions of HED lithologies by Dawn cameras and spectrometers provides the missing geologic context for these meteorites, thereby allowing tests of petrogenetic models and increasing their scientific value.     

Upper limits to trace constituents in Jupiter's atmosphere from an analysis of its 5-μm spectrum

A high-resolution (0.6 cm^?1) spectrum of Jupiter at 5 μm recorded at the Kuiper Airborne Observatory is used to determine upper limits to the column density of 19 molecules. The upper limits to the mixing ratios of SiH₄, H₂S, HCN, and simple hydrocarbons are discussed with respect to current models of Jupiter's atmosphere. These upper limits are compared to expectations based upon the solar abundance of the elements. This analysis permits upper limit measurements (SiH₄), or actual detections (GeH₄), of molecules with mixing ratios with hydrogen as low as 10^?9. In future observations at 5 μm the sensitivity of remote spectroscopic analyses should permit the study of constituents with mixing ratios as low as 10^?10, which would include the hydrides of such elements as Sn and As as well as numerous organic molecules.