Related papers: The MONS Star Trackers
An accurate forecast of flare and CME initiation requires precise measurements of the magnetic energy build up and release in the active regions of the solar atmosphere. We designed a new space weather mission that performs such…
In this paper we introduce the MOBSTER collaboration and lay out its scientific goals. We present first results based on the analysis of nineteen previously known magnetic O, B and A stars observed in 2-minute cadence in sectors 1 and 2 of…
The realization of multimessenger astrophysics will open new vistas upon the most energetic events in the universe. Messenger particles of all four of nature's fundamental forces, recorded by detectors on the ground and satellites in space,…
The traditional celestial navigation system (CNS) is used the moon, stars, and planets as celestial guides. Then the star tracker (i.e. track one star or planet or angle between it) and star sensor (i.e. sense many star simultaneous) be…
Star trackers are state-of-the-art attitude estimation devices which function by recognising and tracking star patterns. Most commercial star trackers use conventional optical sensors. A recent alternative is to use event sensors, which…
We demonstrate how observations of pulsars can be used to help navigate a spacecraft travelling in the solar system. We make use of archival observations of millisecond pulsars from the Parkes radio telescope in order to demonstrate the…
Solar astrometry deals with the accurate measumerent of the solar diameter, and in general with the measurement of the shape of the Sun. During the last decades several techniques have been developed to monitor the radius and the irradiance…
Measuring photometric brightness is a common tool for characterizaing satellites. However, characterizing satellite mega-constellations and their impact on astronomy research requires a new approach and methodology. A few measurements of…
Neutron stars are compact and dense celestial objects that offer the unique opportunity to explore matter and its interactions under conditions that cannot be reproduced elsewhere in the Universe. Their extreme gravitational, rotational and…
The impact of large-scale constellations of satellites, is a concern for ground-based astronomers. In recent years there has been a significant increase in the number of satellites in Low-Earth Orbit and this trend is set to continue. The…
The CNES/European space mission COROT will monitor asteroseismic targets located in selected fields to probe stellar interiors. Therefore, suitable candidate targets have to be searched for in order to optimize the scientific return of the…
The Joint Milliarcsecond Pathfinder Survey (JMAPS) is a Department of Navy bright star astrometric all-sky survey scheduled for launch in the 2012 timeframe. Mission objectives include a complete update of star positions for the 2015 epoch…
Old neutron stars (ONSs) which have radiated away their internal and rotational energy may still shine if accreting the interstellar medium. Rather stringent limits from the analysis of ROSAT surveys indicate that most optimistic…
To obtain the best possible scientific result, astronomers must understand the properties of the available instrumentation well. This is important both when designing new instruments and when using existing instruments close to the limits…
The possibilities of organizing an observation service for solar activity in order to provide space weather forecasting are considered. The most promising at this stage is the creation of a ground-based observation network. Such a network…
We introduce a new method of searching for and characterizing extra-solar planets. We show that by monitoring the center-of-light motion of microlensing alerts using the next generation of high precision astrometric instruments the…
We summarize the science opportunity, design elements, current and projected partner observatories, and anticipated science returns of the Astrophysical Multimessenger Observatory Network (AMON). AMON will link multiple current and future…
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) will search for planets transiting bright and nearby stars. TESS has been selected by NASA for launch in 2017 as an Astrophysics Explorer mission. The spacecraft will be placed into a highly…
We have developed a low-cost off-the-shelf component star sensor (StarSense) for use in minisatellites and CubeSats to determine the attitude of a satellite in orbit. StarSense is an imaging camera with a limiting magnitude of 6.5, which…
Astrometry as a technique has so far proved of limited utility when employed as either a follow-up tool or to independently search for planetary mass companions orbiting nearby stars. However, this is bound to change during the next decade.…