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Report on Astronomical Constants

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

Toshio Fukushima
Toshio Fukushima*
Affiliation:
IAU WG on Astronomical Standards, National Astronomical Observatory, 2-21-1, Ohsawa, Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, JapanToshio.Fukushima@nao.ac.jp

Abstract

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Recent progress in the determinations of astronomical constants is reviewed. First is the latest estimation of the general relativistic scale constants, LC, LG, and LB (Irwin and Fukushima, 1999). By reestimating the uncertainty, the value of the first constant is given as LC = 1.480 826 867 4 × 10–8 ± 1.4 × 10–17. Also noted is the rigorous relation among these three, LB = LC + LG – LCLG. Based on the latest determination of the geoidal potential W0 in the IAG 1999 Best Estimate of Geodetic Parmeters (Groten, 1999), LG and LB were reevaluated as LG = 6.969 290 09 × 10–10 ± 6 × 10–18 and LB = 1.550 519 767 3 × 10–8 ± 2.0 × 10–17. Since LG is roughly related to W0, a proposal to fix its numerical value is presented in order to remove the geophysical ambiguity in its evaluation in the future. In that case, LG becomes a defining constant for the scale difference between the geocentric and terrestrial coordinate systems. While LC and LB remain as a primary and derived constant, respectively. Next is the correction to the current precession constant, Δp. The recent estimates of Δp based on Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observation seem to converge to a value close to –0.30″/cy (Mathews et al., 2000; Petrov, 2000; Shirai and Fukushima, 2000; Vondrák and Ron, 2000). Unfortunately this is significantly different from –0.34″/cy, the latest value determined from the Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) data (Chapront et al., 1999). The difference is roughly ten times larger than the sum of their formal uncertainties. Since the cause of this difference is not clear, we first arranged the best estimates based on VLBI and LLR techniques, respectively, then took a simple mean of these two best estimates, and recommend it as the current best estimate. The value derived is p = 5 028.78 ± 0.03 ″/cy. Similar estimates were given for some other quantities related to the precession formula; namely the correction to the obliquity rate of the IAU 1976 precession formula (Lieske et al., 1977), Δε1 = (–0.024 5 ± 0.002 5) ″/cy, and the offsets of the Celestial Ephemeris Pole of the International Celestial Reference System, Δψ0 sin ε0 = (–17.5 ± 0.8) mas and Δε0 = (–5.2 ± 0.4) mas. As a result, the obliquity of the ecliptic at the epoch J2000.0 was estimated as ε0 = 23°26′21.″405 6 ± 0.″000 5. The draft IAU 2000 File of Current Best Estimates of astronomical constants, that is to replace the 1994 version (Standish, 1995) or maybe even the formal IAU 1976 System of Astronomical Constants (Duncombe et al., 1977), after discussion at the 24th General Assembly of the IAU is presented.

Type
Section 4. Time and Standards
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 180: Towards Models and Constants for Sub-Microarcsecond Astrometry , March 2000 , pp. 417 - 427
Copyright
Copyright © US Naval Observatory 2000

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