The Effect of Light Deflection by Solar System Objects on High-Precision SKA Astrometry

TL;DR

This study quantifies how solar system objects' gravitational light deflection impacts high-precision SKA astrometry, identifying zones and durations of perturbations for 195 objects, and classifying their influence levels.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed calculation of light deflection zones and durations caused by solar system objects for SKA astrometry, including a classification of their impact levels.

Findings

Several satellites and asteroids can deflect light by more than 0.1 μas.

Perturbed zones vary from a few degrees to dozens of degrees.

Objects are categorized into four impact levels on SKA astrometry.

Abstract

We have computed the deflection angles caused by 195 objects in the solar system, including 177 satellites and eight asteroids. Twenty-one satellites and six asteroids can bend light from distant compact extragalactic sources by more than 0.1 $\mu$as, and fourteen satellites and the asteroid Ceres can deflect light by more than 1.0 $\mu$as. We calculated the zones and durations of perturbations posed by the gravitational fields of five planets (excluding Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn), Pluto, and Ceres, where the perturbations would affect astrometry measured with the Squared Kilometre Array (SKA). Perturbed zones with deflection angles larger than 0.1 and 1.0 $\mu$as appear as ribbons. Their widths range from dozens of degrees for Uranus, Neptune, and Venus to several degrees or less for other objects at 0.1 $\mu$as, and from $\sim$ 16$^{\circ}$ for Venus to several degrees or less for other objects at 1.0 $\mu$as. From the calculated perturbation durations, the influence of the gravitational fields of selected objects can be divided into four levels: hardly affect SKA astrometry (I), may have little effect (II), may have a great effect (III) on single-epoch astrometry, and may greatly affect both single- and multi-epoch astrometry (IV). The objects corresponding to these levels are Ceres (I), Pluto (II), Mercury and Mars (III), and other objects (IV).