Galactic and Solar System Optical Astrometry

Galactic and Solar System Optical Astrometry PDF

Author: L. V. Morrison

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1994-05-26

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 9780521462402

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Astrometry - the study of the positions of astronomical objects and how they move across the sky - is a cornerstone of modern astronomy. Pinning down the distances to and motions of stars in our Galaxy is fundamental - it can lead to an understanding of the origin of these stars and how together they affect the evolution of our Galaxy. Similarly, measuring the motions of planets, their satellites and asteroids is crucial to unravelling the origin and evolution of our solar system (as well as to the planning of space missions to explore them). A workshop held jointly by the Royal Greenwich Observatory and the Institute of Astronomy, in Cambridge, offered an unusual opportunity to bring together astronomers from the fields of Galactic and solar system astrometry. Gathered in this volume are the articles they presented. Together, these provide an auspicious review of optical astrometry and our understanding of the evolution of the Galaxy and solar system for graduate students and researchers.

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics

New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics PDF

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-02-04

Total Pages: 324

ISBN-13: 0309157994

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Driven by discoveries, and enabled by leaps in technology and imagination, our understanding of the universe has changed dramatically during the course of the last few decades. The fields of astronomy and astrophysics are making new connections to physics, chemistry, biology, and computer science. Based on a broad and comprehensive survey of scientific opportunities, infrastructure, and organization in a national and international context, New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics outlines a plan for ground- and space- based astronomy and astrophysics for the decade of the 2010's. Realizing these scientific opportunities is contingent upon maintaining and strengthening the foundations of the research enterprise including technological development, theory, computation and data handling, laboratory experiments, and human resources. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics proposes enhancing innovative but moderate-cost programs in space and on the ground that will enable the community to respond rapidly and flexibly to new scientific discoveries. The book recommends beginning construction on survey telescopes in space and on the ground to investigate the nature of dark energy, as well as the next generation of large ground-based giant optical telescopes and a new class of space-based gravitational observatory to observe the merging of distant black holes and precisely test theories of gravity. New Worlds, New Horizons in Astronomy and Astrophysics recommends a balanced and executable program that will support research surrounding the most profound questions about the cosmos. The discoveries ahead will facilitate the search for habitable planets, shed light on dark energy and dark matter, and aid our understanding of the history of the universe and how the earliest stars and galaxies formed. The book is a useful resource for agencies supporting the field of astronomy and astrophysics, the Congressional committees with jurisdiction over those agencies, the scientific community, and the public.

Galactic Astronomy

Galactic Astronomy PDF

Author: James Binney

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2021-07-13

Total Pages: 818

ISBN-13: 0691233322

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This is the definitive treatment of the phenomenology of galaxies--a clear and comprehensive volume that takes full account of the extraordinary recent advances in the field. The book supersedes the classic text Galactic Astronomy that James Binney wrote with Dimitri Mihalas, and complements Galactic Dynamics by Binney and Scott Tremaine. It will be invaluable to researchers and is accessible to any student who has a background in undergraduate physics. The book draws on observations both of our own galaxy, the Milky Way, and of external galaxies. The two sources are complementary, since the former tends to be highly detailed but difficult to interpret, while the latter is typically poorer in quality but conceptually simpler to understand. Binney and Merrifield introduce all astronomical concepts necessary to understand the properties of galaxies, including coordinate systems, magnitudes and colors, the phenomenology of stars, the theory of stellar and chemical evolution, and the measurement of astronomical distances. The book's core covers the phenomenology of external galaxies, star clusters in the Milky Way, the interstellar media of external galaxies, gas in the Milky Way, the structure and kinematics of the stellar components of the Milky Way, and the kinematics of external galaxies. Throughout, the book emphasizes the observational basis for current understanding of galactic astronomy, with references to the original literature. Offering both new information and a comprehensive view of its subject, it will be an indispensable source for professionals, as well as for graduate students and advanced undergraduates.

Dynamics, Ephemerides and Astrometry of the Solar System

Dynamics, Ephemerides and Astrometry of the Solar System PDF

Author: Sylvio Ferraz-Mello

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 1996-06-30

Total Pages: 530

ISBN-13: 079234085X

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IAU Symposium 172 Dynamics, Ephemerides and Astrometry of the Solar System was held in Paris in July, 1995. 250 scientists from 33 countries attended the symposium; 24 invited lectures and 165 contributed papers were presented (117 of which were posters). The papers covered topics on celestial mechanics (chaos and evolution of the solar system, asteroids, theories of the motion of the planets, the moon and the natural satellites), methods (symplectic mappings and elliptic functions), astrometry (CCD observations, VLBI and radar observations), ephemerides (representation and numerical integration) and on the history of celestial mechanics.

Astrometry of Fundamental Catalogues

Astrometry of Fundamental Catalogues PDF

Author: Hans G. Walter

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 246

ISBN-13: 364257260X

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Celestial fundamental catalogues are a prerequisite for the determination of absolute positions and motions in space. Presently, positional astrometry is at the watershed between classical fundamental catalogues, based on moving reference stars, and modern catalogues, based on extragalactic reference objects with non-measurable motion. This book addresses the concepts and methods of the respective construction techniques leading to the stellar frame of the FK5 (fifth fundamental catalogue) and to the newly adopted extragalactic radio reference frame, ICRF (international celestial reference frame), with its extension to optical wavelengths by the Hipparcos Catalogue. While principal outlines of meridian circle observations are given, emphasis is put in some detail on the VLBI technique as applied to astrometry, and to the observational techniques used in the Hipparcos mission, including the tie of the originally non-anchored rigid Hipparcos sphere into the ICRF.

Modern Astrometry

Modern Astrometry PDF

Author: Jean Kovalevsky

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-03-09

Total Pages: 383

ISBN-13: 3662047306

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An introduction to practical astrometry, dealing with the determination of positions, motions, distances and dimensions of celestial bodies ranging from quasars to artificial satellites. For this 2nd edition, the release of the Hipparcos and Tycho catalogs, the rise in CCD astrometry and the adoption of a new celestial reference frame by the IAU led to a significant modification of the text. And, especially, the outlook for astrometry has been completely rewritten.

Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy

Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy PDF

Author: C.R. Kitchin

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 1995-01-01

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13: 9781420050691

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A concise introduction, Optical Astronomical Spectroscopy appeals to the newcomer of astronomical spectroscopy and assumes no previous specialist knowledge. Beginning from the physical background of spectroscopy with a clear explanation of energy levels and spectroscopic notation, the book proceeds to introduce the main techniques of optical spectroscopy and the range of instrumentation that is available. With clarity and directness, it then describes the applications of spectroscopy in modern astronomy, such as the solar system, stars, nebulae, the interstellar medium, and galaxies, giving an immediate appeal to beginners.

Astrometry for Astrophysics

Astrometry for Astrophysics PDF

Author: William F. van Altena

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 431

ISBN-13: 0521519209

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Unifying work by a broad range of experts in the field, this is the most complete textbook on observational astrometry.

Astronomy from Wide-Field Imaging

Astronomy from Wide-Field Imaging PDF

Author: H.T. MacGillivray

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-12-06

Total Pages: 722

ISBN-13: 9401111464

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H.T. MacGilLIVRAY Royal Observatory Blackford Hill Edinburgh EH9 3HJ Scotland U.K. lAU Symposium No. 161 on 'Astronomy from Wide-Field Imaging', held in Potsdam, Germany, during 23-27th August 1993, was the first conference organised by the recently-formed Working Group of lAU Commission 9 on 'Wide-Field Imaging'. This Working Group was instigated during the XXIst meeting of the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union in Buenos Aires in 1991, and represented a merging of the former formal lAU Working Group on 'Astronomical Photography' and the informal 'Digitised Optical Sky Surveys' Working Group. Dr. Richard West was 'invited' to be Chairperson, and hence was given the daunting task of organising the Group from scratch. The very fact that the first conference after only two years was a major lAU Symposium says much about the determination and enthusiasm of Richard West to fulfilling the aims of the new Working Group. The siting of the conference in Potsdam in formerly East Germany provided an excellent opportunity to advantage from the political changes in Eastern Europe. Good access to the meeting was possible by scientists from Eastern European countries, allowing exchange of information on the very important Wide-Field facilities in both East and West, information on the rich archives of photographic plates that exist in both East and West, and allowing discussions between scientists facing very similar problems in both East and West.