Solar observations with Rio de Janeiro Danjon astrolabe: diameter variations and its correlations (1998-2000)

TL;DR

This study analyzed solar diameter variations from 1998 to 2000 using a modified Danjon astrolabe, revealing periodicities, latitude dependence, and inferring the solar quadrupole moment with high precision.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of solar diameter measurements over three years, employing advanced image processing and time series algorithms to identify periodicities and physical parameters.

Findings

Mean solar semidiameter: 959.107 arcseconds

Detected a 515-day periodicity in diameter variations

Estimated solar quadrupole moment as |J_2|=(3.61±2.90)×10^(-6)

Abstract

This work has aimed to analyze the 1998 to 2000 campaign of solar diameter surveying. The employed instrument was a Danjon astrolabe, at the Observat\'orio Nacional campus, and specially modified for the solar observations. During the time lapse, 10807 independent measurements of the solar diameter were made, Eastwards and Westwards from the local meridian and evenly distributed. An image treatment has been devised to account for the camera dark current and flat field, using IRAF routines. A study of the observational conditions upon the final outcome was made. The mean temperature at the observation is shown as the most influential parameter upon the final result. Next to it also the temperature variation, the Fried's factor, and the standard deviation of the reflected parabola presented a minor and complex degree of influence. The derived corrections are of the order of hundredths of arc seconds, thus being tenfold smaller than the typical error of one observation. The mean semidiameter for the time lapse (1998-2000) is found as 959".107\pm0".006. Through the use of a CLEAN algorithm the periodic terms of the semi diameter were obtained. The largest amplitude has a period of 515 days. By using a second type of algorithm, namely the DCDFT, the found periods were confirmed. A dependency of the semidiameter on the observed heliolatitude is verified. The difference between the equatorial and polar radii was calculated as \Delta r=0".013\pm0".004, and the solar quadrupole moment was inferred as |J_2|=(3.61\pm2.90)*10^(-6).