Solar and Planetary Variations and Atmospheric Transparency

这项研究涉及继续进行与太阳变率、太阳活动与行星天气之间的关系以及地球大气透明度变化有关的精确天文测量。太阳输出和行星“天气”之间关系的新证据来自海王星，它的全球反照率表明了与太阳周期相关的周期变化。望远镜和旅行者号宇宙飞船的图像结合光度测定法，将亮度变化与平流层的冰冻甲烷云联系起来。这项工作将包括进一步的多光谱连续体和甲烷波段光度测定，海王星的协同红外成像，以及泰坦和天王星的比较测量，它们在太阳极大期91期间也会发生亮度变化，以测试包括紫外线驱动光化学和宇宙射线诱导成核在内的相互竞争的太阳天气理论。一系列间接太阳亮度测量源自木星的伽利略卫星的光度测定也将完成。1976-1992年的光度测量包含了1980-1989年由太阳极大期任务（SMM）进行的精确太阳辐射测量，并将测试1976- 1978年间报告的0.4%太阳亮度增加的准确性。最后，利用夜间的多色恒星和白天的太阳光度测量，将进行一系列的气溶胶和臭氧消失测量，以寻找系统的趋势和日变化。

This research concerns continuation of precise astronomical measurements related to solar variability, the relation between solar activity and planetary weather, and variations in the transparency of the Earth's atmosphere. New evidence for a relationship between solar output and planetary "weather" comes from the planet Neptune, whose global albedo has indicated cyclic variations associated with solar cycle. Telescopic and Voyager spacecraft images combined with photometry relate the brightness variations to transiting stratospheric clouds of frozen methane. This work will include further multispectral continuum and methane-band photometry and collaborative infrared imaging of Neptune, plus comparative measurements of Titan and Uranus which also vary in brightness during solar max 91, to test competing solar-weather theories involving UV driven photochemistry and cosmic-ray induced nucleation. A series of indirect solar brightness measurements derived from photometry of the Galilean satellites of Jupiter will also be completed. The 1976-1992 photometry encloses the 1980-1989 era of precise solar radiometry by the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) and will test the veracity of a reported 0.4% solar brightness increase between 1976 and 1978. Finally, using multicolor nighttime stellar and daytime solar photometry, a long series of aerosol and ozone extinction measurements will be made to look for systematic trends and diurnal variations.