Solar and Planetary Variations and Atmospheric Transparency

这项研究涉及继续进行与太阳变化、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，其全球性的周期性变化表明与太阳周期有关。望远镜和旅行者号航天器的图像结合测光将亮度变化与过境的平流层冻结甲烷云联系起来。这项工作将包括进一步的多光谱连续和甲烷波段测光和海王星的合作红外成像，加上泰坦和天王星的比较测量，它们在太阳极大期91期间的亮度也不同，以测试竞争的太阳天气理论，包括紫外线驱动的光化学和宇宙射线诱导的成核。还将完成一系列从木星伽利略卫星光度测量得出的间接太阳亮度测量。1976-1992年测光包含了1980-1989年太阳极大使命（SMM）精确太阳辐射测量的时代，并将测试1976年至1978年期间报告的0.4%太阳亮度增加的准确性。最后，将利用夜间恒星测光和白天太阳测光，进行一系列的气溶胶和臭氧消光测量，以寻找系统趋势和日变化。

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.