Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory Research Articles

USING OF UKRVO DATA AND SOFTWARE FOR NEW REDUCTIONS OF PHOTOGRAPHIC OBSERVATIONS OF SELECTED MINOR PLANETS

The new reductions of available photographic plates of UkrVO digital archive containing images of selected minor planets were conducted. Data processing of these plates were carried out to check the possibility of obtaining the new positions with high accuracy in the system of Tycho2/UCAC4 reference catalogues. Archives of the Research Institute “Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory” (NAO) and Main Astronomical Observatory ofNationalAcademyof Science (MAO) were used. We have chosen near 60 plates from these archives. Observational epochs of the plates were in the range from 1974 to 1991. Usually, there were 3 exposures in each plate and each plate was scanned 6 times with 1600 dpi resolution. The full identification was conducted and coordinates of all objects were obtained with usage of different options of astrometric reductions. The inner accuracy of obtained positions is within of 0.03″-0.40″. The comparison of the new topocentric positions of minor planets with Horizons ephemeris was made for calculation (O – C) residuals and their RMS. The matching with MPC data is present.

Results of astrometric observations of stars with large proper motions using telescopes of the Research Institute of Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory

Astrometric CCD observations of stars with large proper motions were carried out during 2008–2014 using telescopes of the Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory. A catalog of positions and proper motion of 1596 fast stars with proper motions exceeding 150 mas/yr has been compiled based on observation results. The catalog covers the declination zone from 0° to 65°. The standard error of derived proper motion is 1…10 mas/yr for both coordinates depending on the observational history of the star. Data from eight different star catalogs and surveys have been used to derive proper motion. The comparison results of proper motion with data from modern catalogs and results of the statistical test for the detection of possible invisible components are given.

DATA PROCESSING OF PLATES CONTAINING IMAGES OF URANUS AND NEPTUNE FROM UKRVO DIGITAL ARCHIVE: STRUCTURE, QUALITY ANALYSIS

To use accumulated resources of UkrVO digital archive, analysis of the available photographic plates containing images of Uranus and Neptune was conducted. Data processing of selected plates was also caried out to provide an estimate of positional precision and accuracy. Archives of the Research Institute: Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory (NAO), Main Astronomical Observatory of National Academy of Science (MAO), Astronomical Observatory of Odessa National University (AO ONU), Astronomical Observatory of Kyiv National University (AO KNU) were used. Numbers of plates containing images of Uranus and Neptune are, respectively, the following: 220 and 218 plates in NAO, 64 and 35 plates in MAO, 54 and 44 plates in AO ONU, 3 and 1 in AO KNU. Plates of NAO and MAO have 2 or 3 exposures per plate, and other plates have only one exposure per plate. The epoch of observation for most plates is 1960 to 1998, and for only one plate is 1908. All plates were scanned with the resolution not less than 1200 dpi. Each plate of NAO was scanned 5 to 6 times. Plates containing images of Uranus and Neptune were, respectively, scanned 618 and 952 times in NAO. All plates of other observatories were scanned only once. Raw image processing for scans containing images of Uranus and Neptune was conducted for all scans obtained in observatories. (X, Y) coordinates, (I) intensities and FWHM values were obtained for images of all objects. Star identification for scans containing images of Uranus and Neptune was, respectively, conducted for 600 and 936 scans in NAO and for 71 scans in MAO. Coordinates of all objects were obtained. Positional accuracy of reference stars was estimated for 244 plates of NAO and 66 plates of MAO, and has value of 0.08″-0.26″.

Observations of near-Earth asteroids of small sizes and at a low solar elongation

Results of observations of small (less than 140 m in diameter) near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) and observations of NEAs at a low solar elongation are presented. All of the results were obtained in the Research Institute Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory with the combined method of observations and the “time delay and integration” operation mode of the CCD camera.

Compiling catalogs of stellar coordinates and proper motions via coprocessing of archival photographic and modern CCD observations

A catalog of positions and proper motions of stars in the fields around open clusters was compiled at the Research Institute—Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory (NAO) with the use of the results of photographic observations conducted in the 20th century (at the NAO zonal astrograph with D = 11.6 cm and F = 2.04 m) and modern CCD observations performed with the Mobitel NAO telescope (D = 50 cm and F = 3 m) with a Alta U9000 3056 × 3056 CCD camera. The difference in epochs is approximately 30 years. The initial processing of photographic images was carried out with the use of the MIDAS/ROMAFOT software package, and the CCD data were processed using the Astrometrica software. The data reduction and integration was performed with the use of proprietary software. A photographic catalog of approximately 900000 stars (8–16 m , J1981.6) and a CCD catalog of 780000 stars (9–17 m , J2012.2) were obtained, and the integrated catalog of positions, proper motions, and stellar magnitudes of approximately 700000 stars up to 17 m was then compiled. The errors in catalog positions along both coordinates varied from 20 mas (for 8–13 m stars) to 40 mas (for 14–17 m stars). The standard deviation of proper motions was approximately 5 mas/year along both coordinates. The stellar magnitudes were estimated. The estimated standard deviation of stellar magnitudes in the Tycho-2 system was 0.04 m . The catalogs may be accessed from the NAO site.

Astrometric binaries with invisible components in fields of the axial meridian circle of the Nikolaev Observatory

As a result of observations in 2008–2011 with the axial meridian circle of the Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory, we compiled two catalogs with a total of 284557 objects. We conducted a search for probable candidates for binary and multiple systems using the method checking differences between quasi-instantaneous and long-term proper motions for statistical significance. The resulting list of probable candidates for double and multiple systems with invisible companions contains 9379 objects.

The results of positional observations of near earth asteroids using the combined observation method

The high velocity of the apparent motion of near Earth asteroids (NEAs) is the main problem in their observation. This problem is solved at the Research Institute Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory (RI NAO) with a combined observation method using the time delay and integration mode of a CCD array and a camera rotator. A total of 1317 positions of 74 NEAs were obtained at RI NAO in 2008–2012. All the observations were made using the combined-observation method. The error in observations made at RI NAO is compared with the results that were obtained at other observatories in this work.

Meteor television observations in Research Institute “Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory”

Meteor television observations in Research Institute “Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory”

Astroinformation resource of the Ukrainian virtual observatory: Joint observational data archive, scientific tasks, and software

This paper reviews the most important components of the national project of the Ukrainian Virtual Observatory (UkrVO). Among them, there is the establishment of a Joint Digital Archive (JDA) of observational data, which has been obtained at Ukrainian observatories since the 1890s, including an astronegative JDA (more than 200 thousand plates). Since this task requires VO-oriented software, such issues as content verification software, integrity and administration of the JDA, compliance of image formats with the IVOA standards, and photometric and astrometric calibration of images are considered as the most important directions of software development, which carried out by members of the UkrVO. The scientific projects using local data archives of the UkrVO are discussed, namely: an analysis of a long observational series of active galactic nuclei, the study of solar flares and solar active regions based on spectral observational archives, research and discovery of variable stars, and the study of stellar fields in the vicinity of gamma-ray bursts. Particular attention is devoted to the CoLiTec Program that permits us to increase a number of observed solar system bodies and allows us to discover new bodies; for example, the C/2010 (Elenin) and P/2011 N01 comets were discovered using this program at the ISON-NM Observatory. The paper notes the creation of the UkrVO JDA prototype that provides access to the databases of the Main Astronomical Observatory, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (MAO NAS of Ukraine); Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory (NAO); and Lvov Astronomical Observatory.

NAO catalog of geocentric state vectors of geosynchronous space objects

Results of observations of geosynchronous space objects for the period of 2008–2010 are presented. The estimation of observation data errors is given. The process of calculating the state vectors is briefly described. The results of comparison of the Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory catalog with the NORAD orbit catalog are presented.

Current state and development of the minor planets research in Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory

Regular positional observations of minor planets in Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory have been begun with installation of photographic Zone Astrograph in 1961. The observations of 19 selected minor planets up to 12 magnitude were obtained for 36 years. Accuracy of the photographic positions of minor planets is rather high, 0 . 15 ′ ′ – 0 . 19 ′ ′ . These positions were used for improvement of the system of fundamental catalogue and determination of its orientation to the dynamical reference frame. CCD observations of asteroids have been begun at the Zone Astrograph in 2000. There was obtained about the same accuracy, as in photographic observations. During 2004–2006 NAO participated in international collaboration with TUBITAK National Observatory (Turkey) and Kazan State University (Russia) in positional and photometric observations of small Solar system bodies. About four thousands of CCD images for 58 asteroids of 11–18 mag were obtained with internal and external errors of 30–80 mas of a single determination. Some of these observations, as well as the observations of the Minor Planet Center, are being used for the current asteroid mass determinations in Nikolaev observatory. Available results allow us to consider the Russian–Turkish telescope RTT150 as a good candidate for ground-based astrometry support of the future space mission GAIA, moreover in the period before GAIA.

Some results from the National Observatory of Turkey, Kazan State University, and Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory on small bodies of the solar system

A scientific collaboration between TÜBİTAK National Observatory (Turkey), Kazan State University (Russia) and Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory (Ukraine) involves observations of minor planets and near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) with the 1.5 m Russian–Turkish telescope (RTT150). Regular observations of selected asteroids in the range of 11–18 magnitudes began in 2004 with the view of determining masses of selected asteroids, improving the orbits of the NEAs, and studying physical characteristics of selected asteroids from photometric observations. More than 3000 positions of 53 selected asteroids and 11 NEAs have been obtained with an internal error in the range of 30–300 mas for a single determination. Photometric reductions of more than 4000 CCD frames are in progress. Masses of 21 asteroids were estimated through dynamical method using the ground-based optical observations, mainly from the RTT150 and Minor Planet Center. A comparison of the observational results from the RTT150 in 2004–2005 with observations of the same objects at other observatories allows us to conclude that RTT150 can be used for ground-based support in astrometry for the space mission GAIA.

Determination of Optical Positions for Extragalactic Radio Sources under the Collaboration Between SHAO and NAO

AbstractThe optical positions of 9 compact extragalactic radio sources have been determined by using the 1.56m, 1m and 60/90cm telescopes with CCDs in China and the Axial Meridian Circle at Nikolaev Astronomical Observatory since Jan. 1996 in a cooperative project between the two observatories. The instrumentation, observations and reduction are briefly described, and the preliminary results are presented. The comparison between the optical and radio positions for 9 sources are also given. More optical positions of radio sources are being processed.