System astronomical

The Sun formed some 4.5 Gyr ago (Gyr is a Gigayear or 109 years) from its own gas cloud called the solar nebula, which consisted of mainly hydrogen but also all of the heavier elements that are observed in the spectrum of the Sun. Similarly, the elemental abundance on the Earth and all of the planets was defined by the composition of the solar nebula and so was ultimately responsible for the molecular inventory necessary for life. The solar system formed from a slowly rotating nebula that contracted around the proto-sun, forming the system of planets called the solar system. Astronomers have recently discovered solar systems around... 

Over the past decade these exciting advances have transformed our understanding of the origins of planetary systems. Astronomers provide exquisite observations of nascent planetary systems. Cosmochemists reconstruct the detailed history of the first ten million years of the Solar System. Circumstellar disks and, in particular,... 

Based on the micro-electronics fabrication process, Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) have not yet been used in astronomical instrumentation, but this technology will provide the key to small, low-cost, light, and scientifically efficient instruments, and allow impressive breakthroughs in tomorrow s observational astronomy. Two major applications of MOEMS are foreseen ... 

Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MOEMS) will be widely integrated in new astronomical instruments for future Extremely Large Telescopes, as well as for existing lOm-class telescopes. The two major applications are programmable slit masks for Multi-Object Spectroscopy (see Ch. 12) and deformable mirrors for Adaptive Optics systems. Eirst prototypes have shown their capabilities. However, big efforts have stiU to be done in order to reach the requirements and to realize reliable devices. 

Abstract Detectors play a key role in an astronomical observatory. In astronomy, the role of the telescope and instrument is to bring light to a focus - in effect, the telescope-instrument act as spectacles . The detectors, meanwhile, have the critical role of sensing the light - the detectors are the eyes of an observatory. The performance of an astronomical observatory is directly dependent upon the performance of its detector systems. 

The main consequence of isoplanatism is to reduce the sky coverage of AO systems. In addition, the PSF is not constant inside the field of view, a fact which complicates the analysis of images obtained using AO. For example, astronomical photometry is usually performed by comparing objects in the field to a known point spread function which is considered constant over the field. 

Finally a word about efficiency observing time on large telescopes is a valuable asset, both in terms of cost and considering the ratio of observing time available to the time requested by astronomers. Marco et al. (2001) state that the observing efficiency defined as fhe ratio of science shutter time to available dark time is 10-30% for the ADONIS AO system while the corresponding ratio for other instruments is 50-80%. Some of this difference is due to the fact that most AO exposures are of short duration and the readout time is significant. In addition, AO systems use time to close the loop and optimize performance. Observations may also be necessary to characterize the PSF. 

The development of adaptive optic (AO) systems to correct for wavefront distortions introduced by the atmosphere represents one of the major advances in astronomical telescope technology of the 20th century. However, in spite of the great progress in AO, sky coverage is limited to sources located near bright stars that provide a measure of wavefront distortions. 

Studies in chemistry or any realm of science commonly consist of a series of directed examinations of parts of nature s realm called systems. A system is an identifiable fragment of the world that is recognizable and that has attributes that one can identify in terms of form and/or function. We can give examples at any level of size and complexity and in essentially any context. Indeed, a dog is a system at a pet show whereas the human heart is a system to the cardiologist a tumor cell is a system to the cancer specialist a star or planet or galaxy is a system to an astronomer a molecule or a collection of molecules is a system to a chemist and an atom or group of atoms is a system to a physicist. A system is, then, whatever we focus our attention upon for study and examination. 

Outside our own solar system, might there be planetary environments where life flourishes hi recent years, astronomers have discovered planets orbiting stars other than our own. Whether or not these planets support life is still impossible to say. Nevertheless, the more we discover about the variety of the universe, the more likely it becomes that we are not alone. 

The usual whole numbers, integers such as 1,2,3,4..., are usually referred to as Arabic numerals. It seems, however, that the basic decimal counting system was first developed in India, as it was demonstrated in an Indian astronomic calendar which dates from the third century AD. This system, which was composed of nine figures and the zero, was employed by the Arabs in the ninth century. The notation is basically that of the Arabic language and it was the Arabs who introduced the system in Europe at the beginning of the eleventh century. 

Binzel et al. (1991) give an account of the origin and the development of the asteroids, while Gehrels (1996) discusses the possibility that they may pose a threat to the Earth. The giant planets, and in particular Jupiter, caused a great proportion of the asteroids to be catapulted out of the solar system these can be found in a region well outside the solar system, which is named the Oort cloud after its discoverer, Jan Hendrik Oort (1900-1992). Hie diameter of the cloud has been estimated as around 100,000 AU (astronomic units one AU equals the distance between the Earth and the sun, i.e., 150 million kilometres), and it contains up to 1012 comets. Their total mass has been estimated to be around 50 times that of the Earth (Unsold and Baschek, 2001). 

In 1994, a unique incident occurred the impact of the Shoemaker-Levy comet on the Jovian atmosphere. Die strong gravitational field of Jupiter caused the comet to break up before it could enter the atmosphere, and the parts of the comet crashed separately into the atmosphere one after the other. This unique spectacle was observed by many observatories and also by the Galileo spacecraft and the Hubble telescope. It led to the discovery of yet another phenomenon the most intensive aurora effects in the solar system, observed at Jupiter s poles. Astronomers assume that the energy for these comes from the planet s rotation, possibly with a contribution from the solar wind. This process differs from that of the origin of the aurora on Earth, where the phenomenon is caused by interactions between the solar wind and the Earth s magnetic field. 

In August 2006, the International Astronomical Union redefined the term planet and decided that the former ninth planet in the solar system should be referred to as a dwarf planet with the number 134340. The dwarf planet Pluto and its moon, Charon, are the brightest heavenly bodies in the Kuiper belt (Young, 2000). The ratio of the mass of the planet to that of its moon is 11 1, so the two can almost be considered as a double planet system. They are, however, quite disparate in their composition while Pluto consists of about 75% rocky material and 25% ice, Charon probably contains only water ice with a small amount of rocky material. The ice on Pluto is probably made up mainly of N2 ice with some CH4 ice and traces of NH3 ice. The fact that Pluto and Charon are quite similar in some respects may indicate that they have a common origin. Brown and Calvin (2000), as well as others, were able to obtain separate spectra of the dwarf planet and its moon, although the distance between the two is only about 19,000 kilometres. Crystalline water and ammonia ice were identified on Charon it seems likely that ammonia hydrates are present. 

Now today, we have found about a hundred different masers in space and some lasers. The difference between a maser and a laser is of course only in the wavelength. But there are some astronomical systems where infrared is getting amplified. Now as has been pointed out, amplification in interstellar space doesn t involve resonances, but it does involve stimulated emission. You know, somebody could have seen these interstellar masers in the radio regions of the spectrum many years ago. Anybody who used the radio technology of 1936, and looked up into the sky, could have detected this water frequency. They didn t bother to look, but it was there all the time. So now we know, lasers have been there for billions of years. Masers have been there billions of years. So that s another way we might have discovered them, but we didn t. Now I emphasize this to indicate that we need to search, we mustn t be too confined by what we think is going to work, we ve got to explore. 

Finally, and tantalizingly for this book and astrochemistry, there is Titan. The Cassini-Huygens mission is now in orbit in the Saturnian system as the book is published. The Huygens probe has already made the descent to the surface of Titan and the data have been transmitted back successfully. Scientists, astronomers, astrochemists and astribiologists are trying to understand it. I have taken a brief look at Titan as a case study to apply all that has been learnt and to review the possibilities for astrochemistry in what is surely to be a very exciting revelation of the structure and chemistry of Titan. 

However, it is impossible to isolate the matter in the core of a neutron star for detailed study. It is thus necessary to identify observable aspects of neutron stars that can be, in some sense, mapped to the equation of state of high-density material. In this review we discuss various constraints on the equation of state from astronomical observations. We focus on observations of accreting binary systems. 

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