New Determination of the “Decade” Fluctuations in the Rotation of the Earth 1860–1978

1979 ◽  
pp. 55-57
Author(s):  
L. V. Morrison
Author(s):  
L. V. Morrison ◽  
F. R. Stephenson ◽  
C. Y. Hohenkerk ◽  
M. Zawilski

Historical reports of solar eclipses are added to our previous dataset (Stephenson et al. 2016 Proc. R. Soc. A 472 , 20160404 ( doi:10.1098/rspa.2016.0404 )) in order to refine our determination of centennial and longer-term changes since 720 BC in the rate of rotation of the Earth. The revised observed deceleration is −4.59 ± 0.08 × 10 −22  rad s −2 . By comparison the predicted tidal deceleration based on the conservation of angular momentum in the Sun–Earth–Moon system is −6.39 ± 0.03 × 10 −22  rad s −2 . These signify a mean accelerative component of +1.8 ± 0.1 × 10 −22  rad s −2 . There is also evidence of an oscillatory variation in the rate with a period of about 14 centuries.


1985 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 193-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ya. S. Yatskiv ◽  
W. J. Klepczynski ◽  
F. Barlier ◽  
H. Enslin ◽  
C. Kakuta ◽  
...  

During the period, work on the problem of the Earth’s rotation has continued to expand and increase its scope. The total number of institutions engaged in the determination of the Earth’s rotation parameters (ERP) by different techniques has been increased significantly. The rotation of the Earth is currently measured by classical astrometry, Doppler and laser satellite tracking, laser ranging of the Moon, and radio interferometry. Several long time series of the ERP are available from most of these techniques, in particular, those made during the Main Campaign of the MERIT project. The various series have been intercompared and their stability, in the time frame of years to days, has been estimated for the purposes of establishing a new conventional terrestrial reference system (COTES). On the other hand, the difficulties of maintaining a regular operation for laser ranging to the Moon (LLR) have been recognized. It resulted in the proposal to organize an one-month campaign of observations in 1985 in order to complement the COTES collocation program and to allow additional intercomparisons with other techniques.


1979 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 55-57
Author(s):  
L. V. Morrison

Observations of the Earth's rotation have shown irregular variations of rate which have characteristic times of decades. These have been attributed to transfer of angular momentum between core and mantle by some mechanism such as inertial coupling, viscous stress, electromagnetic coupling or stresses produced by topographic features on the core mantle boundary.


The tracking of near-Earth satellites with laser systems permits the determination of the variation of latitude of the tracking station and the variation in the rotation of the Earth. The present-day capability of a single station is approximately 75 cm in latitude averaged over 6h and 0.8 ms in the length of day. When the Laser Geodynamics Satellite (Lageos) is launched, a network of laser stations is projected to be able to achieve better than 10 cm in each coordinate from less than one day of tracking. The perturba­tions of near-Earth satellites by solid Earth and ocean tides are now measurable and can provide new information about the Earth and oceans. The orbit perturbations have long periods (days, months) and the analysis of orbital changes are providing estimates of the amplitudes and phases of the major tidal components.


1992 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 508-536
Author(s):  
B. Kolaczek

Solar System bodies are different. They have different sizes, from large planets to small asteroids, and shapes. They have different structure, from solid body to solid body with fluid atmosphere or core, to gaseous bodies, but all of them rotate. The Solar System is a big laboratory for studying rotation of solid and fluid bodies.Different observational methods are applied to determine the rotation of the Solar system bodies. They depend on the position of the observer and on the structure of the bodies. The most accurate methods, laser ranging to the Moon and artificial satellites and Very Long Base radio Interferometry have been applied to the determination of the rotation of the Earth and the Moon. Their accuracy is better than 0.001”, which on the surface of the Earth corresponds to about 3 cm. Radiotracking of artifical satellites have been used for Earth, Moon, Venus, Mars. In the case of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto-Charon magnetic and photometric observations have been used respectively. Their accuracy is of the order of one tenth of a degree.


1979 ◽  
Vol 81 ◽  
pp. 133-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Fricke

Within the work being carried out at Heidelberg on the establishment of the new fundamental reference coordinate system, the FK5, the determination of the location of celestial equator and the equinox form an important part. The plane of the celestial equator defined by the axis of rotation of the Earth and the plane of the ecliptic defined by the motion of the Earth about the Sun are both in motion due to various causes. The intersection of the equator and the ecliptic, the dynamical equinox, is therefore in motion. Great efforts have been made in the past to determine the location and motion of the dynamical equinox by means of observations of Sun, Moon and planets in such a manner that the dynamical equinox can serve as the origin of the right ascension system of a fundamental catalogue. The results have not been satisfactory, and we have some important evidence that the catalogue equinox of the FK4 is not identical with the “dynamical equinox”. Moreover, is has turned out that the difference α(DYN) - α(FK4) = E(T) depends on the epoch of observation T. Duncombe et al. (1974) have drawn attention to the possible confusion between the catalogue equinox and dynamical equinox; they mention the difference between two Earth longitude systems, one established by the SAO using star positions on the FK4 and the other one established by the JPL using planetary positions measured from the dynamical equinox. This is undoubtedly one legitimate explanation of the difference, even if other sources of errors may also have contributed.


1968 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 71-76
Author(s):  
P. Melchior

Three aspects of the experimental study of earth-tides present a direct interest for the study of the rotation of the earth. These are (1) the experimental determination of the Love numbers and the dynamical effects of the liquid core on nutations of the principal axis of inertia; (2) the delay of earth-tides; and (3) the drift of horizontal pendulums.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document