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Plank L, Lovell JEJ, McCallum JN, Mayer D, Reynolds C, Quick J, Weston S, Titov O, Shabala SS, Böhm J, Natusch T, Nickola M, Gulyaev S. The AUSTRAL VLBI observing program. J Geod 2016; 91:803-817. [PMID: 32025105 PMCID: PMC6979662 DOI: 10.1007/s00190-016-0949-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The AUSTRAL observing program was started in 2011, performing geodetic and astrometric very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) sessions using the new Australian AuScope VLBI antennas at Hobart, Katherine, and Yarragadee, with contribution from the Warkworth (New Zealand) 12 m and Hartebeesthoek (South Africa) 15 m antennas to make a southern hemisphere array of telescopes with similar design and capability. Designed in the style of the next-generation VLBI system, these small and fast antennas allow for a new way of observing, comprising higher data rates and more observations than the standard observing sessions coordinated by the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS). In this contribution, the continuous development of the AUSTRAL sessions is described, leading to an improvement of the results in terms of baseline length repeatabilities by a factor of two since the start of this program. The focus is on the scheduling strategy and increased number of observations, aspects of automated operation, and data logistics, as well as results of the 151 AUSTRAL sessions performed so far. The high number of the AUSTRAL sessions makes them an important contributor to VLBI end-products, such as the terrestrial and celestial reference frames and Earth orientation parameters. We compare AUSTRAL results with other IVS sessions and discuss their suitability for the determination of baselines, station coordinates, source coordinates, and Earth orientation parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. Plank
- University of Tasmania, Private Bag 37, Hobart, 7001 Australia
| | - J. E. J. Lovell
- University of Tasmania, Private Bag 37, Hobart, 7001 Australia
| | - J. N. McCallum
- University of Tasmania, Private Bag 37, Hobart, 7001 Australia
| | - D. Mayer
- Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - C. Reynolds
- ICRAR/Curtin University, Bentley, Australia
- Present Address: CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science, Kensington, Australia
| | - J. Quick
- Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory, Krugersdorp, South Africa
| | - S. Weston
- Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - O. Titov
- Geoscience Australia, Canberra, Australia
| | - S. S. Shabala
- University of Tasmania, Private Bag 37, Hobart, 7001 Australia
| | - J. Böhm
- Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
| | - T. Natusch
- Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - M. Nickola
- Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory, Krugersdorp, South Africa
| | - S. Gulyaev
- Institute for Radio Astronomy and Space Research, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
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Hirabayashi H, Hirosawa H, Kobayashi H, Murata Y, Edwards PG, Fomalont EB, Fujisawa K, Ichikawa T, Kii T, Lovell JEJ, Moellenbrock GA, Okayasu R, Inoue M, Kawaguchi N, Kameno S, Shibata KM, Asaki Y, Bushimata T, Enome S, Horiuchi S, Miyaji T, Umemoto T, Migenes V, Wajima K, Nakajima J, Morimoto M, Ellis J, Meier DL, Murphy DW, Preston RA, Smith JG, Tingay SJ, Traub DL, Wietfeldt RD, Benson JM, Claussen MJ, Flatters C, Romney JD, Ulvestad JS, D’Addario LR, Langston GI, Minter AH, Carlson BR, Dewdney PE, Jauncey DL, Reynold JE, Taylor AR, McCulloch PM, Cannon WH, Gurvits LI, Mioduszewski AJ, Schilizzi RT, Booth RS. Overview and initial results of the very long baseline interferometry space observatory programme. Science 1998; 281:1825-9. [PMID: 9743489 DOI: 10.1126/science.281.5384.1825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
High angular resolution images of extragalactic radio sources are being made with the Highly Advanced Laboratory for Communications and Astronomy (HALCA) satellite and ground-based radio telescopes as part of the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Space Observatory Programme (VSOP). VSOP observations at 1.6 and 5 gigahertz of the milli-arc-second-scale structure of radio quasars enable the quasar core size and the corresponding brightness temperature to be determined, and they enable the motions of jet components that are close to the core to be studied. Here, VSOP images of the gamma-ray source 1156+295, the quasar 1548+056, the ultraluminous quasar 0014+813, and the superluminal quasar 0212+735 are presented and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Hirabayashi
- H. Hirabayashi, H. Hirosawa, H. Kobayashi, Y. Murata, P. G. Edwards, E. B. Fomalont, K. Fujisawa, T. Ichikawa, T. Kii, J. E. J. Lovell, G. A. Moellenbrock, and R. Okayasu are with the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 22
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Tingay SJ, Jauncey DL, Preston RA, Reynolds JE, Meier DL, Murphy DW, Tzioumis AK, McKay DJ, Kesteven MJ, Lovell JEJ, Campbell-Wilson D, Elllngsen SP, Gough R, Hunstead RW, Jonos DL, McCulloch PM, Migenes V, Quick J, Sinclair MW, Smits D. Relativistic motion in a nearby bright X-ray source. Nature 1995. [DOI: 10.1038/374141a0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 240] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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