On the Constancy of the Diameter of the Sun During the Rising Phase of Solar Cycle 24 (original) (raw)
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Ground-based measurements of the solar diameter during the rising phase of solar cycle 24
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2014
Context. For the past thirty years, modern ground-based time-series of the solar radius have shown different apparent variations according to different instruments. The origins of these variations may result from the observer, the instrument, the atmosphere, or the Sun. Solar radius measurements have been made for a very long time and in different ways. Yet we see inconsistencies in the measurements. Numerous studies of solar radius variation appear in the literature, but with conflicting results. These measurement differences are certainly related to instrumental effects or atmospheric effects. Use of different methods (determination of the solar radius), instruments, and effects of Earth's atmosphere could explain the lack of consistency on the past measurements. A survey of the solar radius has been initiated in 1975 by Francis Laclare, at the Calern site of the Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur (OCA). Several efforts are currently made from space missions to obtain accurate solar astrometric measurements, for example, to probe the long-term variations of solar radius, their link with solar irradiance variations, and their influence on the Earth climate. Aims. The Picard program includes a ground-based observatory consisting of different instruments based at the Calern site (OCA, France). This set of instruments has been named "Picard Sol" and consists of a Ritchey-Chrétien telescope providing full-disk images of the Sun in five narrow-wavelength bandpasses (centered on 393.37, 535.7, 607.1, 782.2, and 1025.0 nm), a Sun-photometer that measures the properties of atmospheric aerosol, a pyranometer for estimating a global sky-quality index, a wide-field camera that detects the location of clouds, and a generalized daytime seeing monitor allowing us to measure the spatio-temporal parameters of the local turbulence. Picard Sol is meant to perpetuate valuable historical series of the solar radius and to initiate new time-series, in particular during solar cycle 24. Methods. We defined the solar radius by the inflection-point position of the solar-limb profiles taken at different angular positions of the image. Our results were corrected for the effects of refraction and turbulence by numerical methods. Results. From a dataset of more than 20,000 observations carried out between 2011 and 2013, we find a solar radius of 959.78 ±0.19 arc-seconds (696,113 ±138 km) at 535.7 nm after making all necessary corrections. For the other wavelengths in the solar continuum, we derive very similar results. The solar radius observed with the Solar Diameter Imager and Surface Mapper II during the period 2011-2013 shows variations shorter than 50 milli-arc-second that are out of phase with solar activity.
42 Years of Continuous Observations of the Solar Diameter from 1974 to 2015
arXiv: Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, 2015
Several group in the World followed the solar diameter with dedicated instruments, namely solar astrolabes, since 1974. Their data have been gathered in several observing stations connected in the R2S3 (Reseau de Suivi au Sol du Rayon Solaire) network and through reciprocal visits and exchanges: Nice/Calern Observatory, Rio de Janeiro Observatorio Nacional/Brazil, IAG/Universidade de Sao Paulo/Brazil, Antalya Observatory/Turkey, San Fernando/Spain. The tradition of these observational efforts is here briefly sketched with the aim to evidence the possibility to analyze against the solar activity all these 42 years data at once by overcoming the problem of the shift between the different series. Each instrument has its own density filter with a prismatic effect responsible of that shift. The overall change of the solar radius during the last century is evident by comparing the Auwers' radius of 959.63" (1891, present IAU standard) with 959.94" (2015, from eclipses and Ve...
A solar cycle lengthwise series of solar diameter measurements
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2009
The measurements of the solar photospheric diameter rank among the most difficult astronomic observations. Reasons for this are the fuzzy definition of the limb, the SNR excess, and the adverse daytime seeing condition. As a consequence there are very few lengthy and consistent time series of such measurements. Using modern techniques, just the series from the IAG/USP and from Calern/OCA span more than one solar cycle. The Rio de Janeiro Group observations started in 1997, and therefore in 2008 one complete solar cycle time span can be analyzed. The series shares common principles of observation and analysis with the ones afore mentioned, and it is complementary on time to them. The distinctive features are the larger number of individual points and the improved precision. The series contains about 25,000 single observations, evenly distributed on a day-by-day basis. The typical error of a single observation is half an arc-second, enabling us to investigate variations at the expected level of tens of arc-second on a weekly basis. These features prompted to develop a new methodology for the investigation of the heliophysical scenarios leading to the observed variations, both on time and on heliolatitude. The algorithms rely on running averages and time shifts to derive the correlation and statistical incertitude for the comparison of the long term and major episodes variations of the solar diameter against activity markers. The results bring support to the correlation between the diameter variation and the solar activity, but evidentiating two different regimens for the long term trend and the major solar events.
Nearly Century-scale Variation of the Sun’s Radius
The Astrophysical Journal
The Kodaikanal Archive Program (India) is now available to the scientific community in digital form as daily digitized solar white light pictures, from 1923 to 2011. We present here the solar radius data, obtained after a painstaking effort to remove all effects that contribute to the error in their measurements (limb darkening, distortion of the objective lens, refraction, other instrumental effects, etc.). These data were analyzed to reveal any significant periodic variations, after applying a multi-taper method with red noise approximation and the Morlet wavelet transform analysis. After removing obvious periodic variations (such as solar rotation and Earth annual rotation), we found a possible cycle variation at 11.4 yr, quasi biennial oscillations at 1.5 and 3.8 yr, and Rieger-type periodicity at ≈159, 91, and 63 days. Another ≈7.5 yr periodicity (as a mean) resulting from two other main periodicities detected at 6.3-7.8 yr can be identified as an atmospheric component. The detrending data show, over a mean radius of 959".7 ± 0".7, a residual of less than ≈(−)1 mas over the time period of analysis: if not spurious, this estimate indicates a faint decline, but probably confirms more the constancy of the solar diameter during the considered ranging time, within instrumental and methodological limits. The Kodaikanal long quality observations contribute to international efforts to bring past solar data measurements to the community to further explore issues, for instance, those of the luminosity/radius properties that could be used to pinpoint the "seat of the solar cycle."
On the Constancy of the Solar Diameter
The Astrophysical Journal, 2000
Why does the solar luminosity vary and could it change on human timescales by enough to a †ect terrestrial climate ? As important as these questions are, we lack answers because we do not understand the physical mechanisms responsible for the solar irradiance cycle. Progress here depends on discovering how changes in the solar interior a †ect energy Ñow from the radiative and convection zones out through the photosphere. Measurements of small changes in the solar radius are a critical probe of the SunÏs interior stratiÐcation ; they can tell us how and where the solar luminosity is gated or stored. Here we report results from a sensitive 3 yr satellite experiment designed to detect solar diameter Ñuctuations.
Observed variations of the solar photospheric diameter
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union, 2009
Here we derive a formulation connecting the observed variations of the solar diameter to the heliophysics of the photosphere, in particular in connection to the granulation pattern and morphology. The results from the measurements are next used to correlate the variations of the semi-diameter and of estimators of the solar activity along the solar cycle 23. The values obtained strongly support a broader physical description of the photosphere, intertwining the diameter variations with the irradiance, the sunspots, the 10.7 cm radio emission, and to a lesser degree with the integrated magnetic field and with the flares count.
How big is the Sun: Solar diameter changes over time
The measurement of the Sun's diameter has been first tackled by the Greek astronomers from a geometric point of view. Their estimation of ≈ 1800″, although incorrect, was not truly called into question for several centuries. The first pioneer works for measuring the Sun's diameter with an astrometric precision were made around the year 1660 by Gabriel Mouton, then by Picard and La Hire. A canonical value of the solar radius of 959".63 was adopted by Auwers in 1891. Despite considerable efforts during the second half of the XXth century, involving dedicated space instruments, no consensus was reached on this issue. However, with the advent of high sensitivity instruments on board satellites, such as the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) on Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) aboard NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), it was possible to extract with an unprecedented accuracy the surface gravity oscillation ƒ modes, over nearly two solar cycles, from 1996 to 2017. Their analysis in the range of angular degree l = 140-300 shows that the so-called "seismic radius" exhibits a temporal variability in anti-phase with the solar activity. Even if the link between the two radii (photospheric and seismic) can be made only through modeling, such measurements provide an interesting alternative which led to a revision of the standard solar radius by the International Astronomical Union in 2015. This new look on such modern measurements of the Sun's global changes from 1996 to 2017 gives a new way for peering into the solar interior, mainly to better understand the subsurface fields which play an important role in the implementation of the solar cycles. Keywords: Solar diameter Introduction. The first determinations of the diameter of the Sun have been made by the Greek astronomers through brilliant geometric procedures. Aristarchus of Samos (circa 310-230 BC), was able to set up the solar diameter D ʘ as the 720th part of the zodiacal circle, or 1800 seconds of arc (″) (i.e. 360°/720). A few years later, Archimedes (circa 287-212 BC) wrote in the Sand-reckoner that the apparent diameter of the Sun appeared to lie between the 164th and the 200th part of the right angle, and so, the solar diameter D ʘ could be estimated between 1620″ and 1976″ (or 27'00″ and 32'56″ [Lejeune, 1947; Shapiro, 1975]. Their results, albeit somewhat erroneous, were not truly called into question during several centuries. Such an issue is not only historical: in the quest to measure the solar diameter, important discoveries were made, such as its annual variation, which led to the eccentricity of the Earth's orbit by Ibn al Shatir from the Marāgha school (XIVth century). Another example is given by the analysis of some 53year record observations of the solar diameter and sunspot positions during the seventeenth century, which lead to the conclusion that the solar diameter was larger and rotation slower during the Maunder minimum [Ribes et al. in 1987]. Moreover, through the irradiance variability, directly linked to the radius variability, its size may impact the temperature of the Earth [Eddy, 1979].
Variation of the diameter of the Sun as measured by the Solar Disk Sextant (SDS)
Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, 2013
The balloon-borne Solar Disk Sextant (SDS) experiment has measured the angular size of the Sun on seven occasions spanning the years 1992 to 2011. The solar half-diameter-observed in a 100 nm wide passband centred at 615 nm-is found to vary over that period by up to 200 mas, while the typical estimated uncertainty of each measure is 20 mas. The diameter variation is not in phase with the solar activity cycle; thus, the measured diameter variation cannot be explained as an observational artefact of surface activity. Other possible instrumentrelated explanations for the observed variation are considered but found unlikely, leading us to conclude that the variation is real. The SDS is described here in detail, as is the complete analysis procedure necessary to calibrate the instrument and allow comparison of diameter measures across decades.
PICARD: Solar Diameter, Irradiance and Climate
2000
The PICARD microsatellite mission will provide 3 to 4 years simultaneous measurements of the solar diameter, differential rotation and solar constant to investigate the nature of their relations and variabilities. The 110 kg satellite has a 42 kg payload consisting of 3 instruments: SODISM, which will deliver an absolute measure (better than 4 milliarcsec) of the solar diameter and solar shape, SOVAP, measuring the total solar irradiance, and PREMOS, dedicated to the UV and visible flux in selected wavelength bands. Now in Phase B, PICARD is expected to be launched by 2005. We review the scientific goals linked to the diameter measurement with interest for Earth Climate, Space Weather and Helioseismology, present the payload and instruments' concepts and design, and give a brief overview of the program aspects.
2016
The size of the diameter of the Sun has been debated for a very long time. First tackled by the Greek astronomers from a geometric point of view, an estimate, although incorrect, has been determined, not truly called into question for several centuries. The French school of astronomy, under the impetus of Mouton and Picard in the XVIIth century can be considered as a pioneer in this issue. It was followed by the German school at the end of the XIXth century whose works led to a canonical value established at 959".63 (second of arc). A number of ground-based observations has been made in the second half of the XIXth century leading to controversial results mainly due to the difficulty to disentangle between the solar and atmospheric effects. Dedicated space measurements yield to a very faint dependence of the solar diameter with time. New studies over the entire radiation spectrum lead to a clear relationship between the solar diameter and the wavelength, reflecting the height a...