Introduction to Volume 323 (6) – Proceedings of the Special Colloquium “European Astronomy in the 20th Century” at the Joint European and National Astronomical Meeting (JENAM) for 2001

This issue of AN contains the proceedings of the Special Colloquium “European Astronomy in the 20th Century”, which formed part of the JENAM (2001) conference in Munich, Germany. Subjects covered are the history of γ‐ray and radio astronomy, extragalactic research and compact objects, new media, southern observatories and ESO, as well as some archaeoastronomical questions. Some biographic sketches of individual European astronomers are also given.     

Formation Flying for a Fresnel Lens Observatory Mission

The employment of a large area Phase Fresnel Lens (PFL) in a gamma-ray telescope offers the potential to image astrophysical phenomena with micro-arcsecond (μ^′′) angular resolution [1]. In order to assess the feasibility of this concept, two detailed studies have been conducted of formation flying missions in which a Fresnel lens capable of focussing gamma-rays and the associated detector are carried on two spacecraft separated by up to 10⁶ km. These studies were performed at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Integrated Mission Design Center (IMDC) which developed spacecraft, orbital dynamics, and mission profiles. The results of the studies indicated that the missions are challenging but could be accomplished with technologies available currently or in the near term. The findings of the original studies have been updated taking account of recent advances in ion thruster propulsion technology.     

Array Signal Processing for Radio Astronomy

Radio astronomy forms an interesting application area for array signal processing techniques. Current synthesis imaging telescopes consist of a small number of identical dishes, which track a fixed patch in the sky and produce estimates of the time-varying spatial covariance matrix. The observations sometimes are distorted by interference, e.g., from radio, TV, radar or satellite transmissions. We describe some of the tools that array signal processing offers to filter out the interference, based on eigenvalue decompositions and factor analysis, which is a more general technique applicable to partially calibrated arrays. We consider detection of interference, spatial filtering techniques using projections, and discuss how a reference antenna pointed at the interferer can improve the performance. We also consider image formation and its relation to beamforming.     

高速同步数据采集系统性能测试方法研究

在射电天文观测中,天文信号十分微弱,在大部分情况下可以看成是噪声功率的微小增加,需要长的积分时间才能从噪声中显现,因此在进行射电天文数据采集时对采集系统的性能具有较高的要求.针对射电天文数据的特点,从噪声特性、频率特性和同步特性3方面给出了系统性能的衡量指标,围绕这些指标,分别研究了其测试方法,最后以某个实际射电天文数据采集系统为测试平台,进行了指标的测试.测试结果验证了所提指标的有效性和指标测试方法的合理性.     

Minimum-relative-entropy method—solution to missing short-baseline problem

Minimum-relative-entropy method (MREM) has been presented as a solution to the missing short-baseline problem in the synthesis observations. It is shown that a measure of distance between the prior model and the image in the plane of pixel brightness is an adequate measure of relative entropy. The method has been further extended for polarization observations and the potential of the method against the conventional MEM has been demonstrated by simulated examples.     

应用天文学研究进展

对应用天文学涉及的领域以及国际上应用天文学的特点作了介绍，分析了我国应用天文学的研究现状，展示了我国在诮天文所依托的基础科学研究领域和应用天文学领域取得的成绩与进展，其涉及范围比较广泛，但也指出了与国际先进国家相比我国应用天文学的水平尚有差距，最后对我国应用天文发展提出了初步的构想。     

Astronomical imaging with InSb arrays

Ten years ago, Forrest presented the first astronomical images with an SBRC 32×32 InSb array camera at the first NASA-Ames Infrared Detector Technology Workshop. Soon after, SBRC began development of 58×62 InSb arrays, both for ground-based astronomy and for SIRTF. By the time of the 1987 Hilo workshop Ground-based Astronomical Observations with Infrared Array Detectors astronomical results from cameras based on SBRC 32×32 and 58×62 InSb arrays, a CE linear InSb array, and a French 32×32 InSb CID array were presented. And at the Tucson 1990 meeting Astrophysics with Infrared Arrays, it was clear that this new technology was no longer the province of IR pundits, but provided a tool for all astronomers. At this meeting, the first astronomical observations with SBRC's new, gateless passivation 256×256 InSb arrays will be presented: they perform spectacularly!In this review, I can only broadly brush on the interesting science completed with InSb array cameras. Because of the broad wavelength coverage (1–5.5 m) of InSb, and the extremely high performance levels throughout the band, InSb cameras are used not only in the near IR, but also from 3–5.5 m, where unique science is achieved. For example, the point-like central engines of AGNs are delineated at L and M, and Br and 3.29 m dust emission images of galactic and extragalactic objects yield excitation conditions. Examples of imaging spectroscopy, high spatial resolution imaging, as well as deep, broad-band imaging with InSb cameras at this meeting illustrate the power of InSb array cameras.     

The beginnings of decameter radio astronomy: pioneering works of Semen Ya. Braude and his followers in Ukraine

S.Ya. Braude (1911–2003) was the well‐known radio astronomer, one of the founders of low‐frequency astronomical research in the world, in particular in the former Soviet Union. He began to work in this field of science in 1957, in Kharkiv city (Ukraine), from the design and manufacturing small decameter interferometer ID‐1 and ID‐2. Since that time Braude and his team have developed more sophisticated radio decameter telescopes as UTR‐1 and UTR‐2 (the largest in the world till now) as well as the first decameter VLBI network URAN. They have obtained some important pioneering results about low‐frequency radio emission of objects in our Solar system, Galaxy and Metagalaxy by means of these telescopes. In this paper the key events of early history of decameter radio astronomy research in the former USSR are mentioned with emphasizing the role of S. Braude. For the period of 1957–1962, the quotations of Braude's Personal Diary (2003) are first laying open to the public. The most important results obtained by S.Ya. Braude and his followers as well as perspectives of decameter radio astronomy in Ukraine and in the world are highlighted briefly. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

AGB星的ISO观测

概述了ＩＲＡＳ升空以来在ＡＧＢ星研究方面的进展和发现的问题,比较详细地报告了６０ｃｍ空间红外望远镜ＩＳＯ携带的探测器及其性能,以及它的成像和光谱观测对研究ＡＧＢ星的演化的影响,尤其是对ＡＧＢ星星周包层的化学环境的研究的重要作用。     

The Troughton & Simms transit circle of Coimbra Astronomical Observatory from the 1850s: An example of the dissemination of technological developments

Yesterday, as today, technological developments led by large and expensive instrumental projects are later on disseminated to smaller and more affordable devices. In 1847, Airy requested a new transit circle for the Greenwich Observatory. When the first observation was performed, on 4 January 1851, Airy's Greenwich Transit Circle (ATC) was the largest instrument of its class in the world. The construction of the ATC implied solving several technical difficulties, for example, the maintenance of the instrument rigidity and the illumination of the graduated circle and telescope field of view. After the ATC completion Troughton & Simms stand at the 1851 Great London Exhibition included two small transit instruments which were praised for their telescope field of view/eyepiece wires illumination. One of which, was based upon the design implemented beforehand on the ATC. In this paper we will discuss the field and eyepiece wire illumination innovations introduced on the ATC and the Simms transit instruments exhibited in 1851. We will also describe the small Troughton & Simms transit circle currently belonging to Coimbra Astronomical Observatory collection that is, we believe, one of the earliest implementation of this ATC lead development (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)