Mutual positions of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter from photometric observations during their mutual occultations and eclipses in 1997


We report the final results of the 1997 campaign of
photometric observations of the mutual phenomena of the Galilean
satellites carried out at observatories in Kazakhstan, Russia, and
Ukraine. Our results contribute substantially to the
world data bank of such observations
and will allow the model of the motion of Galilean 
satellites to be further refined. To facilitate the use of
photometric data, we reduced them by computing the planetocentric
rectangular
coordinate differences of satellite pairs for a number of instants
of time so we deduce the differences for one instant from one
observed light curve.
It is these reduced data that constitute the principal result of this work. We based our data reduction on the method which we developed in
earlier papers (Emel'yanov 1999; Emel'yanov 2000). The accuracy of observations was estimated in the process of reduction. The paper also describes the equipment used.

Photometry and position observations of Saturnian satellites during their mutual eclipses and occultations in 1995 performed at the Observatories in Russia and Kazakhstan

Photometry of mutual eclipses and occultations of planetary satellites is a powerful technique to explore these bodies. Observations of these rare events are a source of much precise information. In 1995 the Celestial Mechanics Department of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (SAI) has organized the observations of mutual eclipses and occultations of Saturnian satellites on a number of observatories of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) — the former Soviet Union (FSU). The ephemerides of satellites and their observing conditions have been computed beforehand and mailed these data to many observatories of CIS. The Crimean laboratory (CL) of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute, two observatories of the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan (FAI AS RK) in Almaty, and the Main Astronomical Observatory of Russian Academy of Sciences (MAO RAS) in Pulkovo took part in observations. A photoelectric photometer was used in CL of SAI, a CCD was employed to secure satellite images in FAI AS RK, and both CCD and photographic plates were used in MAO RAS. As a result of this observing campaign, photometric data and light curves were obtained for three mutual eclipses and occultations of Saturnian satellites. A number of position observations made allowed us to measure relative coordinates of satellites. Astrometric information has already been derived from photometric data. The mutual apparent positions of satellites were calculated with an accuracy of 0\hbox{.\!\!^{\prime\prime}} 002 - 0\hbox{.\!\!^{\prime\prime}} 003. In this paper observations are described and the parameters characterizing the observed phenomena are given. The results of observations are available in electronic form. This work supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, projects Nos. 95-02-05042, 97-02-16551

Mutual positions of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter from photometric observations during their mutual occultations and eclipses in 1997


We report the final results of the 1997 campaign of
photometric observations of the mutual phenomena of the Galilean
satellites carried out at observatories in Kazakhstan, Russia, and
Ukraine. Our results contribute substantially to the
world data bank of such observations
and will allow the model of the motion of Galilean 
satellites to be further refined. To facilitate the use of
photometric data, we reduced them by computing the planetocentric
rectangular
coordinate differences of satellite pairs for a number of instants
of time so we deduce the differences for one instant from one
observed light curve.
It is these reduced data that constitute the principal result of this work. We based our data reduction on the method which we developed in
earlier papers (Emel'yanov 1999; Emel'yanov 2000). The accuracy of observations was estimated in the process of reduction. The paper also describes the equipment used.