Astronomical Observations

An Optical Perspective

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Paperback | 20 April 1987

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360 Pages

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This book is an up-to-date and comprehensive account of current observational techniques with particular emphasis on optical astronomy. Dr Walker, a world expert in astronomical instrumentation, has written a complete survey of the basic electromagnetic spectrum. The author discusses the types and sources of stellar electromagnetic radiation and the range of telescopes that are used to observe them. Topics covered include the construction of sensitive low-noise detectors, preservation of image quality, and the limits to measurement precision. The book is particularly timely because astronomers now have access to a wide range of telescopes on the ground and in orbit. With increasing demand for observing time, it is important to understand the principles and limitations of the instruments and techniques. This book is suitable for undergraduate and graduate students studying observational astronomy. It will provide a ready source of reference for professional astronomers. Physicists and electronic engineers will also find this an absorbing account of the techniques of astronomical observation.

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Non-Fiction Science Astronomy, Space & Time Astronomical Observation & Observatories Physics Applied Physics Astrophysics

Preface	p. xi
Astronomical sources	p. 1
The electromagnetic spectrum	p. 1
Several astronomies	p. 4
Thermal radiation from an ideal source	p. 6
Dilute radiation	p. 7
Stars	p. 8
Magnitudes	p. 11
Magnitude systems	p. 13
Inverse square law	p. 13
Interstellar dust	p. 15
Absolute magnitudes and colour excess	p. 16
Bolometric magnitudes and bolometric corrections	p. 19
Surface photometry	p. 19
The estimation of absolute magnitude	p. 20
Nebulae and high temperature plasmas	p. 22
Thermal radiation	p. 22
Emission lines	p. 25
Non-thermal radiation	p. 26
Synchrotron radiation	p. 26
Inverse Compton scattering	p. 27
Cerenkov radiation	p. 28
The Zeeman effect	p. 29
Observational limits	p. 31
Coherence	p. 31
Coherence time and length	p. 34
Photon flux	p. 35
Photon noise	p. 35
Wave noise	p. 37
Detection	p. 40
Incoherent detection	p. 40
Coherent detection	p. 41
Detection limits	p. 42
Optical	p. 42
Infrared and radio	p. 45
Fluxes and limit estimates in janskys	p. 46
Air mass	p. 46
Optical extinction by the atmosphere	p. 47
Atmospheric transparency at radio frequencies	p. 50
Sky brightness	p. 51
Radio sky brightness	p. 52
Celestial coordinates	p. 53
Precession	p. 54
Julian Day	p. 55
Proper motion	p. 56
Aberration of starlight	p. 56
Astrometric precision and astrometric catalogues	p. 57
Doppler shift, radial velocity	p. 60
Autocorrelation techniques	p. 61
Precise differential radial velocities	p. 62
Radio frequency radial velocities	p. 63
Red shift and the K correction	p. 63
Red shift from colour	p. 64
Barycentric and heliocentric corrections	p. 64
Telescopes	p. 66
Single telescopes	p. 66
Gamma-ray telescopes - Cos-B	p. 66
Non-focussing collimators	p. 70
Phased arrays	p. 75
Pencil beam interferometers	p. 78
Reflecting telescopes	p. 79
Telescope exit pupil	p. 82
Reflectivity	p. 83
Grazing incidence optics	p. 85
Oblique aberrations	p. 91
Schmidt telescopes	p. 93
Ritchey--Chretien telescopes	p. 101
Instrument adaptors/offset guiders	p. 105
Infrared telescopes	p. 105
Coude focus	p. 109
Telescope flexure	p. 111
Induced polarisation	p. 114
Optical fibres	p. 115
Refracting telescopes	p. 116
Telescope orientation	p. 117
Atmospheric refraction	p. 118
Optical apodisation and the tapering of radio antenae	p. 120
Optical apodisation	p. 120
Tapering of radio antennae and feed horns	p. 122
Seeing, speckles, and scintillation	p. 125
Modulation (MTF) and optical transfer functions (OTF)	p. 125
Telescope transfer function and atmospheric transfer function	p. 126
Optimum sampling	p. 127
Atmospheric turbulence	p. 130
Speckles	p. 131
Speckle interferometry	p. 132
Amplitude interferometry	p. 136
Seeing	p. 137
Scintillation	p. 139
Optical image profiles (long exposure OTF)	p. 140
Choice of optical telescope sites	p. 141
Seeing compensation techniques	p. 144
Scintillation at radio frequencies	p. 146
Ionospheric birefringence	p. 150
Spectrographs	p. 151
Grating spectrographs	p. 151
Efficiency in the presence of seeing	p. 151
Image slicers	p. 154
Extended sources	p. 155
Spectral resolution and grating characteristics	p. 156
Echelle spectrographs	p. 160
X-ray and infrared	p. 162
Wide field spectroscopy	p. 164
Objective prism, grism, and grens	p. 164
Aperture plates	p. 165
Fabry--Perot interferometers	p. 169
Michelson interferometer	p. 172
The Fellgett and multiplex advantages	p. 175
The Jaquinot advantage	p. 176
Autocorrelation spectroscopy at radio frequencies	p. 177
Dilute apertures	p. 179
The interplanetary gamma-ray burst network	p. 179
Two-beam interferometry	p. 180
Intensity interferometry	p. 180
The Michelson stellar interferometer	p. 186
Optical	p. 186
Infrared incoherent detection	p. 189
Infrared coherent detection	p. 191
Radio interferometers	p. 193
Long baseline interferometry	p. 195
Aperture synthesis	p. 198
The very large array	p. 204
Occultations	p. 207
Lunar occultations	p. 207
X-ray	p. 209
Optical and infrared	p. 210
Radio	p. 212
Single channelled detectors	p. 216
Incoherent detection	p. 216
Responsive quantum efficiency (RQE)	p. 216
RQE enhancement	p. 218
Detective quantum efficiency (DQE)	p. 218
Analogue integration	p. 219
Photon counting	p. 220
Pile-up errors	p. 220
The silicon diode: an analogue detector	p. 220
Reset (KTC) noise	p. 221
Dark noise	p. 222
The photomultiplier: a photon counting detector	p. 223
Dark noise	p. 226
DQE of a photon counting photomultiplier system	p. 228
A photoelectric photometer	p. 230
Photometric observations	p. 231
Monochromators	p. 231
Absorption filters	p. 232
Interference filters	p. 233
Photometric errors from out-of-band radiation	p. 235
Polarimetry	p. 239
Gamma-ray and X-ray detectors	p. 242
Infrared detectors	p. 244
Noise in semiconductors	p. 245
Noise equivalent power (NEP)	p. 246
Thermal detectors	p. 247
Photoconductive detectors	p. 248
Photovoltaic detectors	p. 250
Background radiation	p. 250
Signal-to-noise and DQE	p. 254
Coherent detection	p. 254
Radio receivers	p. 254
Infrared heterodyne	p. 257
Multi-channelled incoherent detectors	p. 260
Photographic emulsion plus microdensitometer	p. 260
The photographic process	p. 260
Microdensitometer/microphotometers	p. 261
DQE of photographic emulsions	p. 265
Hypersensitising	p. 267
Photographic enhancement and unsharp masking	p. 268
Photographic emulsion plus image intensifier	p. 273
Magnetically focussed intensifiers	p. 276
Electrostatically focussed intensifiers	p. 276
Proximity focussed intensifiers	p. 277
Coupling of phosphor output and detector	p. 279
Electronography	p. 281
Signal generating detectors	p. 284
Analogue and photon counting television cameras	p. 284
The SEC vidicon, a 2D analogue integrating detector	p. 285
Photon counting television systems	p. 287
The silicon diode, SIT, and ISIT vidicons	p. 288
Image tube scanner (ITS)	p. 289
Finding and guiding	p. 289
Limitations of television cameras	p. 289
Solid state detectors	p. 290
Self-scanned silicon diode arrays (Reticon)	p. 290
Analogue integration	p. 293
Photon counting	p. 294
The digicon	p. 296
Charge transfer devices	p. 297
Analogue integration	p. 299
CID	p. 299
CCD	p. 300
Photon counting	p. 307
Multi-anode, resistive anode, and microchannel arrays	p. 307
Resistive anode MCP	p. 307
The microchannel array (MAMA) detector	p. 309
Effect of cosmic rays	p. 309
Photon counting vs. integration for visible detectors	p. 311
High resolution imaging X-ray detector (HRI)	p. 315
SI Units and symbols	p. 317
Errors of observation	p. 319
References	p. 321
Index	p. 342
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.

Astronomical Observations

An Optical Perspective

At a Glance

Paperback

Shipping

How to return your order

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You Can Find This Book In

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