South Celestial Pole Research Articles

SkyMapper Southern Survey: Data release 4

Abstract We present the fourth data release (DR4) of the SkyMapper Southern Survey (SMSS), the last major step in our hemispheric survey with six optical filters: u, v, g, r, i, z. SMSS DR4 covers 26 000 deg $^{2}$ from over 400 000 images acquired by the 1.3 m SkyMapper telescope between 2014-03 and 2021-09. The 6-band sky coverage extends from the South Celestial Pole to $\delta=+16^{\circ}$ , with some images reaching $\delta\sim +28^{\circ}$ . In contrast to previous DRs, we include all good-quality images from the facility taken during that time span, not only those explicitly taken for the public Survey. From the image dataset, we produce a catalogue of over 15 billion detections made from $\sim$ 700 million unique astrophysical objects. The typical 10 $\sigma$ depths for each field range between 18.5 and 20.5 mag, depending on the filter, but certain sky regions include longer exposures that reach as deep as 22 mag in some filters. As with previous SMSS catalogues, we have cross-matched with a host of other imaging and spectroscopic datasets to facilitate additional science outcomes. SMSS DR4 is now available to the worldwide astronomical community.

Many Nights

This essay builds on environmental humanistic scholarship about the night in a study of arts associated with the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, a lighting-regulated locale in Aotearoa / New Zealand, that is part of an international network of places intended to protect the night sky. Chris Murphy’s time lapse, South Celestial Pole from Mt John (2016), shot in Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, hastens time and utilizes a star tracker so that the city and lake of Takapō turn sideways against stars. The film connects relative darkness and highly visible celestial phenomena to startling perceptual change. The film is less evocative of how darkness and other nocturnal processes are interwoven with colonial histories and interconnected socio-environmental injustices. Robert Sullivan, a poet whose ancestral lands include the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve, is attentive to such concerns in the collection Star Waka (1999). Sullivan uses karakia (chants, incantation) to frame how stars and darkness nurture Māori practices like navigation but also to evoke precariousness woven into the night, from colonial astronomy to socially uneven policing and lighting. This essay, then, argues for critical caution regarding arts and narratives that only emphasize night’s wondrous qualities and its endangerment. Rather than framing night simply as a good phase to be protected, we might participate in night by addressing both the injustices and the varied dreams and struggles that it bears.

H i intensity mapping with MeerKAT: 1/f noise analysis

ABSTRACT The nature of the time correlated noise component (the 1/f noise) of single dish radio telescopes is critical to the detectability of the H i signal in intensity mapping experiments. In this paper, we present the 1/f noise properties of the MeerKAT receiver system using South Celestial Pole tracking data. We estimate both the temporal power spectrum density and the 2D power spectrum density for each of the antennas and polarizations. We apply singular value decomposition to the data set and show that, by removing the strongest components, the 1/f noise can be drastically reduced, indicating that it is highly correlated in frequency. With two-mode subtraction, the knee frequency over a $20\,$ MHz averaging is about $3\times 10^{-3}\, {\rm Hz}$, indicating that the system induced 1/f-type variations are well under the thermal noise fluctuations over a few hundred seconds time-scales. We also show that such cleaning on the time ordered data has very little impact on the 21-cm signal itself. The 2D power spectrum shows that the 1/f-type variations are restricted to a small region in the time–frequency space, either with long-wavelength correlations in frequency or in time. This gives a wide range of cosmological scales where the H i signal can be measured without further need to calibrate the gain time fluctuations. Finally, we demonstrate that a simple power spectrum parameterization is sufficient to describe the data and provide fitting parameters for both the 1D and 2D power spectrum.

Cosmicflows-3: The South Pole Wall

Abstract Velocity and density field reconstructions of the volume of the universe within 0.05c derived from the Cosmicflows-3 catalog of galaxy distances has revealed the presence of a filamentary structure extending across ∼0.11c. The structure, at a characteristic redshift of 12,000 km s−1, has a density peak coincident with the celestial South Pole. This structure, the largest contiguous feature in the local volume and comparable to the Sloan Great Wall at half the distance, is given the name the South Pole Wall.

Bright Southern Variable Stars in the bRing Survey

Abstract In addition to monitoring the bright star β Pic during the near-transit event for its giant exoplanet, the β Pictoris b Ring (bRing) observatories at Siding Springs Observatory, Australia and Sutherland, South Africa have monitored the brightnesses of bright stars (V ≃ 4–8 mag) centered on the south celestial pole (δ ≤ −30°) for approximately two years. Here we present a comprehensive study of the bRing time-series photometry for bright southern stars monitored between 2017 June and 2019 January. Of the 16,762 stars monitored by bRing, 353 were found to be variable. Of the variable stars, 80% had previously known variability and 20% were new variables. Each of the new variables was classified, including three new eclipsing binaries (HD 77669, HD 142049, HD 155781), 26 δ Scutis, 4 slowly pulsating B stars, and others. This survey also reclassified four stars based on their period of pulsation, light curve, spectral classification, and color–magnitude information. The survey data were searched for new examples of transiting circumsecondary disk systems, but no candidates were found.

Variables in the Southern Polar Region Evryscope 2016 Data Set

The regions around the celestial poles offer the ability to find and characterize long-term variables from ground-based observatories. We used multi-year Evryscope data to search for high-amplitude (≈5% or greater) variable objects among 160,000 bright stars (mv < 14.5) near the South Celestial Pole. We developed a machine-learning-based spectral classifier to identify eclipse and transit candidates with M-dwarf or K-dwarf host stars, and potential low-mass secondary stars or gas-giant planets. The large amplitude transit signals from low-mass companions of smaller dwarf host stars lessens the photometric precision and systematics removal requirements necessary for detection, and increases the discoveries from long-term observations with modest light-curve precision among the faintest stars in the survey. The Evryscope is a robotic telescope array that observes the Southern sky continuously at 2-minute cadence, searching for stellar variability, transients, transits around exotic stars and other observationally challenging astrophysical variables. The multi-year photometric stability is better than 1% for bright stars in uncrowded regions, with a 3σ limiting magnitude of g = 16 in dark time. In this study, covering all stars 9 < mv < 14.5, in declinations −75° to −90°, and searching for high-amplitude variability, we recover 346 known variables and discover 303 new variables, including 168 eclipsing binaries. We characterize the discoveries and provide the amplitudes, periods, and variability type. A 1.7 RJ planet candidate with a late K-dwarf primary was found and the transit signal was verified with the PROMPT telescope network. Further follow-up revealed this object to be a likely grazing eclipsing binary system with nearly identical primary and secondary K5 stars. Radial-velocity measurements from the Goodman Spectrograph on the 4.1 meter SOAR telescope of the likely lowest-mass targets reveal that six of the eclipsing binary discoveries are low-mass (.06–.37 M⊙) secondaries with K-dwarf primaries, strong candidates for precision mass–radius measurements.

Four winters of photometry with ASTEP South at Dome C, Antarctica

Context. Dome C in Antarctica is a promising site for photometric observations thanks to the continuous night during the Antarctic winter and favorable weather conditions. Aims.We developed instruments to assess the quality of this site for photometry in the visible and to detect and characterize variable objects through the Antarctic Search for Transiting ExoPlanets (ASTEP) project. Methods. Here, we present the full analysis of four winters of data collected with ASTEP South, a 10 cm refractor pointing continuously toward the celestial south pole. We improved the instrument over the years and developed specific data reduction methods. Results. We achieved nearly continuous observations over the winters. We measure an average sky background of 20 mag arcsec−2 in the 579–642 nm bandpass. We built the lightcurves of 6000 stars and developed a model to infer the photometric quality of Dome C from the lightcurves themselves. The weather is photometric 67.1 ± 4.2% of the time and veiled 21.8 ± 2.0% of the time. The remaining time corresponds to poor quality data or winter storms. We analyzed the lightcurves of σ Oct and HD 184465 and find that the amplitude of their main frequency varies by a factor of 3.5 and 6.7 over the four years, respectively. We also identify 34 new variable stars and eight new eclipsing binaries with periods ranging from 0.17 to 81 days. Conclusion. The phase coverage that we achieved with ASTEP South is exceptional for a ground-based instrument and the data quality enables the detection and study of variable objects. These results demonstrate the high quality of Dome C for photometry in the visible and for time series observations in general.

Long-term attitude dynamics of space debris in Sun-synchronous orbits: Cassini cycles and chaotic stabilization

Comprehensive analysis of space debris rotational dynamics is vital for active debris removal missions that require physical capture or de-tumbling of a target. We study the attitude motion of used rocket bodies acknowledgedly belonging to one of the categories of large space debris objects that pose an immediate danger to space operations in low Earth orbits. Particularly, we focus on Sun-synchronous orbits (SSO) with altitudes in the interval 600-800 km, where the density of space debris is maximal. Our mathematical model takes into account the gravity gradient torque and the torque due to eddy currents induced by the interaction of conductive materials with the geomagnetic field. Using perturbation techniques and numerical methods we examine the deceleration of the initial fast rotation and the subsequent transition to a relative equilibrium with respect to the local vertical. A better understanding of the latter phase is achieved owing to a more accurate model of the eddy currents torque than in most prior research. We show that SSO precession is also an important factor influencing the motion properties. One of its effects is manifested at the deceleration stage as the angular momentum vector oscillates about the direction to the south celestial pole.

STELLAR FLARES IN THE CSTAR FIELD: RESULTS FROM THE 2008 DATA SET

ABSTRACT The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) is the first Chinese astronomical instrument placed in Antarctica. It is a group of four identical, fully automatic telescopes, with a field of view (FOV) of centered on the South Celestial Pole. Placed at Antarctic Dome A, CSTAR is designed to provide high-cadence photometry for site monitoring and variable sources detection. During the 2008 observing season, CSTAR took high-precision photometric data of 18,145 stars around the South Celestial Pole. At and 12, the photometric precision reaches ∼8 mmag and ∼30 mmag with a cadence of 20 s or 30 s, respectively. Using a robust detection method, we have found 15 stellar flares on 13 sources, including two classified variables. We have also found a linear relation between the decay times and the total durations of the stellar flares. The details of all the detected flares along with their stellar properties are presented in this work.

STELLAR VARIABILITY AND FLARE RATES FROM DOME A, ANTARCTICA, USING 2009 AND 2010 CSTAR OBSERVATIONS

ABSTRACT The Chinese Small Telescope Array (CSTAR) carried out high-cadence time-series observations of ∼20.1 square degrees centered on the South Celestial Pole during the 2008, 2009, and 2010 winter seasons from Dome A in Antarctica. The nearly continuous six months of dark conditions during each observing season allowed for &gt; 10 6 images to be collected through gri and clear filters, resulting in the detection of &gt; 10 4 sources over the course of three years of operation. The nearly space-like conditions in the Antarctic plateau are an ideal testbed for the suitability of very small-aperture ( &lt; 20 cm) telescopes to detect transient events, variable stars, and stellar flares. We present the results of a robust search for such objects using difference image analysis of the data obtained during the 2009 and 2010 winter seasons. While no transients were found, we detected 29 flaring events and find a normalized flaring rate of 5 ± 4 × 10−7 flare hr−1 for late-K dwarfs, 1 ± 1 × 10−6 flare hr−1 for M dwarfs and 7 ± 1 × 10−7 flare hr−1 for all other stars in our sample. We suggest future small-aperture telescopes planned for deployment at Dome A would benefit from a tracking mechanism, to help alleviate effects from ghosting, and a finer pixel scale, to increase the telescope's sensitivity to faint objects. We find that the light curves of non-transient sources have excellent photometric qualities once corrected for systematics, and are limited only by photon noise and atmospheric scintillation.

PHOTOMETRIC VARIABILITY IN THE CSTAR FIELD: RESULTS FROM THE 2008 DATA SET

The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) is the first telescope facility built at Dome A, Antarctica. During the 2008 observing season, the installation provided long-baseline and high-cadence photometric observations in the i-band for 18,145 targets within 20 deg2 CSTAR field around the South Celestial Pole for the purpose of monitoring the astronomical observing quality of Dome A and detecting various types of photometric variability. Using sensitive and robust detection methods, we discover 274 potential variables from this data set, 83 of which are new discoveries. We characterize most of them, providing the periods, amplitudes and classes of variability. The catalog of all these variables is presented along with the discussion of their statistical properties.

ECLIPSING BINARIES FROM THE CSTAR PROJECT AT DOME A, ANTARCTICA

The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) has observed an area around the Celestial South Pole at Dome A since 2008. About $20,000$ light curves in the i band were obtained lasting from March to July, 2008. The photometric precision achieves about 4 mmag at i = 7.5 and 20 mmag at i = 12 within a 30 s exposure time. These light curves are analyzed using Lomb--Scargle, Phase Dispersion Minimization, and Box Least Squares methods to search for periodic signals. False positives may appear as a variable signature caused by contaminating stars and the observation mode of CSTAR. Therefore the period and position of each variable candidate are checked to eliminate false positives. Eclipsing binaries are removed by visual inspection, frequency spectrum analysis and locally linear embedding technique. We identify 53 eclipsing binaries in the field of view of CSTAR, containing 24 detached binaries, 8 semi-detached binaries, 18 contact binaries, and 3 ellipsoidal variables. To derive the parameters of these binaries, we use the Eclipsing Binaries via Artificial Intelligence (EBAI) method. The primary and the secondary eclipse timing variations (ETVs) for semi-detached and contact systems are analyzed. Correlated primary and secondary ETVs confirmed by false alarm tests may indicate an unseen perturbing companion. Through ETV analysis, we identify two triple systems (CSTAR J084612.64-883342.9 and CSTAR J220502.55-895206.7). The orbital parameters of the third body in CSTAR J220502.55-895206.7 are derived using a simple dynamical model.

DIFFERENCE IMAGE ANALYSIS OF DEFOCUSED OBSERVATIONS WITH CSTAR

The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) carried out high-cadence time-series observations of 27 square degrees centered on the South Celestial Pole during the Antarctic winter seasons of 2008, 2009 and 2010. Aperture photometry of the 2008 and 2010 i-band images resulted in the discovery of over 200 variable stars. Yearly servicing left the array defocused for the 2009 winter season, during which the system also suffered from intermittent frosting and power failures. Despite these technical issues, nearly 800,000 useful images were obtained using g, r & clear filters. We developed a combination of difference imaging and aperture photometry to compensate for the highly crowded, blended and defocused frames. We present details of this approach, which may be useful for the analysis of time-series data from other small-aperture telescopes regardless of their image quality. Using this approach, we were able to recover 68 previously-known variables and detected variability in 37 additional objects. We also have determined the observing statistics for Dome A during the 2009 winter season; we find the extinction due to clouds to be less than 0.1 and 0.4 mag for 40% and 63% of the dark time, respectively.

CHANG’E-3 contingency scheme and trajectory

This paper addresses contingency trajectories of CHANG’E-3 in the case of a failure of the lunar brake, which is crucial to the CHANG’E-3 mission, i.e., the first Chinese lunar soft-landing and rover mission. Considering the flight-time and control-energy requirements placed on the contingency trajectories, the paper proposes a direct return method and a low-energy return method and develops the corresponding contingency trajectories based on the CHANG’E-3 cislunar transfer trajectory. The direct return method was studied on return style, flight time, control energy, and influence of maneuver time on energy. The low-energy return method was investigated using the method of invariant manifold calculations for a Lissajous orbit, the method of direct libration-point orbit transfer and injection, and the control strategy used for a low-energy trajectory. The results demonstrate that the control energy for direct return trajectories can be reduced using a certain flight course. When a flight time of less than half of a month is desired, a trajectory from the north celestial pole should be selected as a lunar approach trajectory for CHANG’E-3. Otherwise, a trajectory from the south celestial pole should be selected. Furthermore, these two trajectories have approximately equal velocity increments if their flight-time difference is close to half of a month. In the case of the low-energy return method, methods using approximate manifold calculations for a Lissajous orbit and the direct transfer and injection to a libration-point orbit are proposed and shown to be useful. CHANG’E-3 would return via the Sun–Earth L2 libration point and would require four maneuvers during its flight. The low-energy return method offers remarkable energy savings of up to 267m/s compared to the direct return method. The methodology not only provides a contingency control technique for CHANG’E-3 and for future lunar missions, but it also serves as a beneficial supplement to the present studies on lunar orbit injection contingencies and invariant manifold applications.

PLANETARY TRANSIT CANDIDATES IN THE CSTAR FIELD: ANALYSIS OF THE 2008 DATA

The Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) is a group of four identical, fully automated, static 14.5 cm telescopes. CSTAR is located at Dome A, Antarctica and covers 20 square degree of sky around the South Celestial Pole. The installation is designed to provide high-cadence photometry for the purpose of monitoring the quality of the astronomical observing conditions at Dome A and detecting transiting exoplanets. CSTAR has been operational since 2008, and has taken a rich and high-precision photometric data set of 10,690 stars. In the first observing season, we obtained 291,911 qualified science frames with 20-second integrations in the i-band. Photometric precision reaches about 4 mmag at 20-second cadence at i=7.5, and is about 20 mmag at i=12. Using robust detection methods, ten promising exoplanet candidates were found. Four of these were found to be giants using spectroscopic follow-up. All of these transit candidates are presented here along with the discussion of their detailed properties as well as the follow-up observations.

The correction of diurnal effects on CSTAR photometry

In January, 2008 the Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) was successfully deployed at Dome A, Antarctica. Because CSTAR consists of four static 14.5 cm telescopes pointing at the same 4.5° × 4.5° field around the south celestial pole, diurnal motion can be seen in its field of view. The stars are centered at different positions in different exposure frames. During four months of continuous observations during the polar night of 2008, about 0.3 million i-band images were obtained. In the latest version of the released photometric catalog, the effects of diurnal motion of the stars on the static CSTAR optical system can be obviously found. In this work, we update the CSTAR catalog by carefully analyzing and correcting the systematic errors caused by diurnal motion of stars on imperfectly flat-fielded frames.

PHOTOMETRY OF VARIABLE STARS FROM DOME A, ANTARCTICA: RESULTS FROM THE 2010 OBSERVING SEASON

We present results from a season of observations with the Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR), obtained over 183 days of the 2010 Antarctic winter. We carried out high-cadence time-series aperture photometry of 20,000 stars with i<15.3 mag located in a 23 square-degree region centered on the south celestial pole. We identified 188 variable stars, including 67 new objects relative to our 2008 observations, thanks to broader synoptic coverage, a deeper magnitude limit and a larger field of view. We used the photometric data set to derive site statistics from Dome A. Based on two years of observations, we find that extinction due to clouds at this site is less than 0.1 and 0.4 mag during 45% and 75% of the dark time, respectively.

The Inhomogeneous Effect of Cloud on CSTAR Photometry and Its Correction

ABSTRACTIn 2008 January, the Chinese Small Telescope ARray (CSTAR) was successfully deployed at Dome A, Antarctica. Four identical 14.5 cm telescopes were locked pointing at the same 4.5° × 4.5° field which contains the south celestial pole. During 4 months of continuous observations in the polar night of 2008, about 0.3 million i-band images were obtained. Based on these data, the first version of the photometric catalog was released without consideration for the unevenness of extinction over so large a field of view (FOV). To improve the photometric quality, we assess and correct the effect of the unevenness of extinction across the CSTAR FOV and then update the CSTAR catalog with higher photometric precision. We also discuss the reason and the statistical results of the unevenness of extinction to offer a further indication of site conditions of Dome A.

ASTEP South: a first photometric analysis

AbstractThe ASTEP project aims at detecting and characterizing transiting planets from Dome C, Antarctica, and qualifying this site for photometry in the visible. The first phase of the project, ASTEP South, is a fixed 10 cm diameter instrument pointing continuously towards the celestial South Pole. Observations were made almost continuously during 4 winters, from 2008 to 2011. The point-to-point RMS of 1-day photometric lightcurves can be explained by a combination of expected statistical noises, dominated by the photon noise up to magnitude 14. This RMS is large, from 2.5 mmag at R = 8 to 6% at R = 14, because of the small size of ASTEP South and the short exposure time (30 s). Statistical noises should be considerably reduced using the large amount of collected data. A 9.9-day period eclipsing binary is detected, with a magnitude R = 9.85. The 2-season lightcurve folded in phase and binned into 1,000 points has a RMS of 1.09 mmag, for an expected photon noise of 0.29 mmag. The use of the 4 seasons of data with a better detrending algorithm should yield a sub-millimagnitude precision for this folded lightcurve. Radial velocity follow-up observations reveal a F-M binary system. The detection of this 9.9-day period system with a small instrument such as ASTEP South and the precision of the folded lightcurve show the quality of Dome C for continuous photometric observations, and its potential for the detection of planets with orbital periods longer than those usually detected from the ground.

PHOTOMETRY OF VARIABLE STARS FROM DOME A, ANTARCTICA

Dome A on the Antarctic plateau is likely one of the best observing sites on Earth thanks to the excellent atmospheric conditions present at the site during the long polar winter night. We present high-cadence time-series aperture photometry of 10,000 stars with i<14.5 mag located in a 23 square-degree region centered on the south celestial pole. The photometry was obtained with one of the CSTAR telescopes during 128 days of the 2008 Antarctic winter. We used this photometric data set to derive site statistics for Dome A and to search for variable stars. Thanks to the nearly-uninterrupted synoptic coverage, we find 6 times as many variables as previous surveys with similar magnitude limits. We detected 157 variable stars, of which 55% are unclassified, 27% are likely binaries and 17% are likely pulsating stars. The latter category includes delta Scuti, gamma Doradus and RR Lyrae variables. One variable may be a transiting exoplanet.