Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “interferometry astrometry”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 73 records · Page 4

The Celestial Reference Frame at X/Ka-band (8.4/32 GHz)

A celestial reference frame at X/Ka-band (8.4/32 GHz) has been constructed using fifty-one 24-hour sessions with the Deep Space Network. We report on observations which have detected 436 sources covering the full 24 hours of right ascension and declinations down to -45 deg. Comparison of this X/Ka-band frame to the S/X-band (2.3/8.4 GHz) ICRF2 shows wRMS agreement of 200 micro-arcsec in a cos delta and 290 micro-arcsec in delta. There is evidence for zonal errors at the 100 micro-arcsec level. Known errors include limited SNR, lack of phase calibration, troposphere mismodelling, and limited southern geometry. The motivations for extending the ICRF to frequencies above 8 GHz are to access more compact source morphology for improved frame stability, to provide calibrators for phase referencing, and to support spacecraft navigation at Ka-band.

reference systems catalog↗

Astrometeric Science with SIM PlanetQuest

This viewgraph presentation reviews Astrometry with the Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) PlanetQuest. The topics include: 1) SIM PlanetQuest - the World's First Long- Baseline Optical Interferometer in Space; 2) National Academy of Sciences / NRC endorses SIM PlanetQuest; 3) SIM Planet Search; 4) Planetary System Architectures & Diversity; 5) SIM Search for 1~10 M(sub Earth) Planets Around Nearby Stars; 6) Deep Search of 120 nearby stars; 7) Planets around Young Stars; 8) SIM PlanetQuest Science Team; 9) Dark Halo of our Galaxy; 10) Dynamics of Galaxy Groups within 5 Mpc; 11) Probing Active Galactic Nuclei with Astrometry; 12) Snapshot Observing Mode: Astrometry for the masses; 13) SIM Technology Development is Complete; and 14) SIM Hardware, Tested for Flight.

space interferometry mission (SIM)↗

The potential for astrometry in the infrared

Infrared interferometry promises to be a useful astrometric technique. Preliminary measurements of the star alpha Orionis made with a heterodyne interferometer exhibit phase coherence over a period of at least 1000 seconds. The measurements were equivalent to a positional determination of 60 milliarcsecond accuracy every 5 seconds of integration.

Storey, J. W. V.↗

NEAT: A Microarcsec Astrometric Telescope

NEAT, Nearby Exo-Earth Astrometric Telescope is a medium-small telescope ~ 1m in diameter that is designed to make ultra precise < 1 uas (microarcsec) astrometric measurements of nearby stars in a ~ 1hr observation. Four major error sources prevent normal space telescopes from obtaining accuracies close to 1 uas. Even with a small 1m telescope, photon noise is usually not a problem for the bright nearby target stars. But in general, the reference stars are much fainter. Typically a field of view of ~0.5 deg dia is needed to obtain enough bright reference stars. The NEAT concept uses a very simple but unusual design to avoid optically induced astrometric errors. The third source of error is the accuracy and stability of the focal plane. A 1uas error over a ~2000 arcsec field of view implies the focal plane is accurate or at least stable to 5 parts in 1010 over the lifetime of the mission (~5yrs). The 4th class of error has to do with our knowledge of the PSF and how that PSF is sampled by an imperfect detector. A Nyquist sampled focal plane would have > 2 pixels per ?/D, and centroiding to 1uas means centroiding to 10-5 pixels. This paper describes the mission concept, and an overview of the technology needed to perform 1uas astrometry with a small telescope, and how we overcome problems 1 and 2. A companion paper will describe the technical progress we've made in solving problems 3 and 4.

interferometry↗

Multiple telescope infrared interferometry

The advantages of multiple telescope infrared interferometry are discussed in detail, using the 10 micron region as a specific example. Scale and seeing considerations are addressed, taking into account analytically the distorting effect of turbulent air and discussing the effect of water vapor on seeing. The usefulness of fringe phase determination to determine the intensities in the radiation field, and the effect of atmospheric fluctuations on their use, are considered. Astrometry by means of interferometry is extensively covered, with examples such as a plot of the fringe phase of o Ceti as a function of time compared with a theoretical fringe phase of the star with a fixed best-fit baseline. The sensitivity of an interferometer involving two receiving telescopes is considered. Finally, an example of a telescope design for 10-micron interferometry is described and depicted.

Townes, C. H.↗

SIM Configuration Trades

The Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will perform astrometry to a resolution of a few micro arc seconds (after post-processing on the ground of the acquired data).

Classic↗

Space Interferometry Mission Science Overview

Conclusions: SIM is on track for a launch in 2010. Project 'Phase C' start in October 2005. SIM is a flexibly-pointed instrument Astrometric capability (wide angle) a) 4 pas parallax precision on targets down to V = 20 = Stellar and Galactic astrophysics; and b) 1 pas single measurement accuracy. Sensitive to terrestrial-mass planets around the nearest stars New proposal opportunities are: a) AO-2 for new (large) Key projects - 2005; and b) General Observer program, for smaller proposals - 2006.

planet searching↗

International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry

This volume of reports is the 2000 Annual Report of the International Very Long Base Interferometry (VLBI) Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS). The individual reports were contributed by VLBI groups in the international geodetic and astrometric community who constitute the components of IVS. The 2000 Annual Report documents the work of these IVS components over the period March 1, 1999, through December 31, 2000. The reports document changes, activities, and progress of the IVS. The entire contents of this Annual Report also appear on the IVS web site at http://ivscc.gsfc.nasa.gov/publications/ar2000.

Vandenberg, Nancy R.↗

Astrometric Techniques

An exoplanet, while perhaps not visible from its direct radiation, can still make its presence known indirectly through its gravitational interaction with its parent star.

interferometry exoplanet astrometry↗

Boot strapping star position and baseline knowledge with uncalibrated SIM observations

An external calibration technique for SIM involves measurement of calibration stars whose positions must already be known to an accuracy of 2 milliarcseconds. We demonstrate a procedure that effectively 'bootstraps' calibration star positions from an ab initio catalog to the required accuracy by observing them with the uncalibrated SIM instrument.

astrometry↗

SIM PlanetQuest: Progress Report

SIM PlanetQuest, a micro-arcsecond astrometry space mission, has been impacted by significant changes in NASA priorities over the last two years, resulting in the mission being indefinitely delayed. The SIM team has responded by investigating alternative mission concepts based upon completed SIM technology. Several alternative mission concepts have been identified, ranging from a planets-only concept, to versions of SIM, called SIM-Lite, that still address the full breadth of SIM science envisioned by two previous National Academy Astrophysics Decadal Surveys but with lower precision and reduced throughput. These mission concepts, Planet Hunter and SIM-Lite, are significantly more affordable and may fit into a nearer-term future scenario than the full SIM PlanetQuest would. This paper describes the current state of the SIM project, including its design and technology, and the alternative mission concepts for the use of these designs and technology.

SIM-Lite↗