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Costantino Sigismondi

Publications and source records attributed to Costantino Sigismondi.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The Crab Nebula progenitor: recovering the 1054 AD supernova event as galactic Gamma-ray burst

In 1054 AD a daytime star appeared in the constellation of Taurus, for three weeks, and it was reported in various sources from Europe to China/Japan: it was one of the few documented galactic supernovae of the last two millenia. This paradigm has been established about sixty years ago, as the comprehension of the physics of supernovae progressed with enough observational data. The Gamma-ray bursts were discovered in the same period, but only in the past few years have their observations become daily and their distances have been fully understood as cosmological. After the explosion, the exponential decay of the luminosity in gamma-rays and X-rays has been followed with telescopes onboard dedicated satellites. Also the exponential decay of the afterglow's optical and radio frequencies have been observed with the largest optical and radio telescopes. Within the binary-driven hypernova framework, successful in explaining all the observed phases of the Gamma-ray bursts, the universal exponential decay can be extended to 1000 years after the burst, to account for the present values of Gamma and X-rays as well as optical and radio frequencies of the Crab Nebula. Both the daytime visibility of the burst, and the simultaneous radiation plagues appeared in Constantinople and Cairo is a strong evidence of the presence of Gamma-rays in the lower atmosphere, coming from the same source originating the Crab nebula. The association to the daytime visibility of that star and the following plague meets exactly the etymology of the word dis-aster, bad star.

physics.hist-ph↗

Solstices and Equinoxes in 1703 at the meridian line of St. Maria degli Angeli in Rome, and the stellar aberration of Sirius

The 1703 was the first year of full operation of the meridian line in the Basilica of St. Maria degli Angeli in Rome. The instants of solstices and equinoxes, the \textit{Anni Cardines}, obtained by comparing transit timings of Sun and Sirius, also in daytime, are affected either by the East deviation of the meridian line of about 5' Eastward (geometrical effect), either by the stellar aberration of Sirius (relativistic effect). Similarly the seasonal shifts of Sirius' declination observed by Bianchini are here firstly recognized as depending on the stellar aberration in ecliptic latitude. The eccentricity of the Earth's orbit and the orientation of its axis in the space can be measured, since Ptolemy, by knowing the exact timing of the solstices and the equinoxes. The dates of 1703 equinoxes and solstices have been published by Francesco Bianchini in local roman mean time, referred to the local (roman) mean noon, i.e. after the solar meridian mean transit time. By using the observations of the three lunar eclipses of 1703 we found the equation of time for that year, and the UTC corresponding timings of the beginning of the seasons. This operation lead to find the contribution of the Sirius aberration to the instant calculated by Bianchini with respect to the current celestial mechanical models of IMCCE.

physics.hist-ph↗

Betelgeuse at the end of 2019: an historical minimum about to end

The semi-regular variable star Betelgeuse is undergoing an historical minimum of its brightness. An 8 year series of visual and V-band CCD observations started at the end of 2011 is presented and discussed. Visual methods for comparing magnitudes of angularly distant stars, and performing a differential photometry, needed for such a bright star, are also presented.

astro-ph.SR↗

Measuring Danjon index and umbral magnitude of a partial lunar eclipse (July 16, 2019)

The partial lunar eclipse of July 16, 2019, left the lower part of the Moon illuminated at its maximum phase in Padova (Italy). Occulting it behind far buildings it was possible to compare the light of Jupiter and Saturn de-focused to the same diameter of the Moon with the light from the umbra. The luminosity of the eclipsed Moon as well as the Danjon index have been estimated and compared with ephemerides. January 21, 2019, July 27, 2019 and September 28, 2015 total lunar eclipses data are also published.

physics.pop-ph↗

Lunar impacts during eclipses separated by a Metonic cycle on Jan 21, 2000 and 2019: a possible origin from daytime Sagittarids/Capriconids meteor shower

The lunar impact claimed by Zuluaga et al. (2019) during the total eclipse of 21 January has been discussed widely by his research group, introducing some results from the technique of gravitational ray-tracing. A similar event of magnitude 6 was observed visually by the author during the eclipse of 19 years before, that was published under the name of Padua event (Sigismondi and Imponente, 2000a,b) and a video was obtained independently by Gary Emerson (Cudnik, 2002) in the US at the same time. The remarkable repetition of such a phenomenon after 19 years deserves some investigation about known active meteor shower on Jan 21 with radiant comprised between the solar longitude 300.7 degrees of January 21 and +/- 60 degrees and declination also departing no more than 60 degrees from the solar one. The amount of 60 degrees is the FWHM of a simple modulated probability model on the visibility of a lunar meteor impact with the cosine of the angle comprised between the line of sight and the normal to the lunar surface. The candidate of this search is the daytime shower Sgr/Cap DSC115 with meteoroid velocities around 26 km/s.

astro-ph.EP↗

Visual and H-alpha measurements of solar diameter of 9 may 2016 mercury transit

Visual observations of 2016 Mercury transit ingress made in visible light (Rome) and in H-alpha line (Tehran) are compared to evaluate the quote 1.84" of active H-alpha regions at the solar latitude of the transit, without a confirmation of the theory of an oblate Sun at minimum activity. A variation of -0.12" in the photospheric radius, within 0.17" is found.

astro-ph.SR↗

Differential refraction, 2017 winter solstice timing and true ecliptic obliquity measured at the meridian line of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome

The declination of the Sun along the year varies according to a sinusoid. Around the solstices this curve is approximated by a parabola. In kinematics a parabola is obtained with a constant acceleration. This acceleration has been estimated in the days 21-29 December 2017, from the measurements taken at the meridian line in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome made by Francesco Bianchini in 1702 with purpose of measuring the variation of the obliquity of the ecliptic. The parabola equation is fitted to the data to obtain the solstice's instant with an accuracy of one hour. The departure of the measures is within 4 arcsec (the daytime seeing during these solar transits) from the ephemerides of IMCCE. The pipeline of the algorithm used to obtain the angular data of the center of the Sun, starting from the ground measurements affected by the atmospheric refraction, and corrected by the Cassini equation, is described. Bianchini in 1703 reduced the error on the solstices timings by using the difference in right ascension between the Sun and a star observed at the same meridian line even in daytime (as he did with Sirius in June-July 1703). The present one is an absolute measurement, without stellar references. The meridian diameter is averagely measured 24 arcsec less than the true value, with 20 arcsec of standard deviation, because of different luminosity contrasts in the sky and in the Basilica. Conversely the center of the image is much better defined (the contrast acts symmetrically without moving the center of the image), allowing an accuracy to the nearest arcsecond in the determination of the true obliquity.

physics.pop-ph↗

Umbra in partial lunar eclipses at moonrise

The darkness of the umbra of the lunar eclipse of August 7 2017 corresponded to the predictions of A. Danjon for the Sun at its minimum. It appeared partial at moonrise in Rome similarly to the one of April 3, 33 AD in Jerusalem, supposed following the Crucifixion of Christ. The hypothesis of Sun at maximum activity for that historical eclipse is discussed.

physics.hist-ph↗

Lo Gnomone Clementino Astronomia Meridiana in Basilica

The Clementine Gnomon realized in 1702 by the astronomer Francesco Bianchini (1661-1729) upon the will of Pope Clement XI (1700-1721) in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome is fully reviewed about its scientific functions.

astro-ph.IM↗

The opportunity of the 2016 transit of Mercury for measuring the solar diameter and recommendations for the observation

The transit of Mercury occurred two times in this century: 2003, May 7 and 2006, November 8. In 2016 there is another opportunity to observe this phenomenon and measure the solar diameter with the method of comparing the ephemerides with the observations. This method has been presented by I. I. Shapiro in 1980, the data of the observed transits (since 1631) have been re-analyzed by Sveshnikov (2002) and an improvement on the observed data, to avoid the confusion given by the black-drop effect, proposed by C. Sigismondi and collaborators since 2005 exploits the measurement of the chord drawn by the solar limb with the disk of the transiting planet and its extrapolation to zero through the analytic chord fitting the observations before the black drop, in the ingress/egress phases. A network of European observers (IOTA/ES) and observatories (coronograph of Bialkow, PL 56 cm; IRSOL, Locarno CH - 45 cm Gregorian telescope) is active for the 2016 transit. Recommendations to improve the observation of the ingress/egress phases and examples of the data analysis on the 1999 Mercury transit observed by TRACE are also done: the planet should be centered in the field of view of the telescope to avoid optical distortions, and the observations should be prolonged well after the black drop phase, estimated in about 40 seconds and more after the internal contact t2 in the ingress and before the internal contact t3 in egress.

astro-ph.SR↗

42 Years of Continuous Observations of the Solar Diameter from 1974 to 2015

Several group in the World followed the solar diameter with dedicated instruments, namely solar astrolabes, since 1974. Their data have been gathered in several observing stations connected in the R2S3 (Reseau de Suivi au Sol du Rayon Solaire) network and through reciprocal visits and exchanges: Nice/Calern Observatory, Rio de Janeiro Observatorio Nacional/Brazil, IAG/Universidade de Sao Paulo/Brazil, Antalya Observatory/Turkey, San Fernando/Spain. The tradition of these observational efforts is here briefly sketched with the aim to evidence the possibility to analyze against the solar activity all these 42 years data at once by overcoming the problem of the shift between the different series. Each instrument has its own density filter with a prismatic effect responsible of that shift. The overall change of the solar radius during the last century is evident by comparing the Auwers' radius of 959.63" (1891, present IAU standard) with 959.94" (2015, from eclipses and Venus transit data, the latter either observed from space) and the role of ground-based daily measurements has been and it is crucial nowadays with Picard-sol and the Reflecting Heliometer of Rio de Janeiro, to ensure an homogeneus and continuous monitor of the solar diameter without the lifetime limitation of the satellites.

astro-ph.SR↗

The Reflecting Heliometer of Rio de Janeiro after 6 Years of Activity

Started its regular, daily operational phase in 2011 and installed in 2009 by the occasion of the Symp264 in the XXVII IAU GA at Rio de Janeiro, the results so far obtained show that the Heliometer of the Observatorio Nacional fulfilled its planed performance of single measurement to the level of few tens of milli-arcsecond, freely pivoting around the heliolatitudes without systematic deviations or error enhancement. We present and discuss the astrometric additions required on ground based astronomic programs. We also discuss instrumental and observations terms, namely the constancy of the basic heliometric angle, against which the measurements are made, and the independence to meteorological and pointing conditions.

astro-ph.IM↗

Transits of Venus and Solar diameter measures from ground: method and results from Athens (2004) and Huairou (2012)

The variation of the solar diameter in time and in position angle has implications in astrophysics and in general relativity, as the long series of studies attest. The Transits of Venus in 2004 and 2012 have been carefully studied because of the rarity of the phenomenon and its historical importance due the AU measure and to the discovery of Venus atmosphere. The characterization of Venus atmosphere and the measure of the solar diameter to the milliarcsecond level of precision have been studied also from satellite images. The results of the solar diameter measurements made with the observations in Athens (2004) and at the Huairou Solar Observing Station in China (2012) are presented. The topic of the oblateness of the Sun at sunset and its intrinsic value is drafted to introduce the general public to the relativistic relevance of measuring the solar figure, in the occasion of the International Year of Light 2015.

astro-ph.SR↗

Optical Deformations in Solar Glass Filters for High Precision Astrometry

Measuring the solar diameter at all position angles gives the complete figure of the Sun. Their asphericities have implications in classical physics and general relativity, and the behavior of the optical systems used in the direct measurements is to be known accurately. A solar filter is a plane-parallel glass with given absorption, and here we study the departures from the parallelism of the faces of a crystal slab 5 mm thick, because of static deformations. These deformations are rescaled to the filter's dimensions. Related to the Solar Disk Sextant experiment and to the Reflecting Heliometer of Rio de Janeiro a simplified model of the influences of the inclination between the external and the internal surfaces of a glass solar filter, is discussed.

astro-ph.IM↗

The Eddington's Eclispe and a Possible Replica of the Experiment of Light Bending

The success of the first measurement of the light bending by the solar gravitational field is due to the particular stellar field during the Eddington's 1919 total eclipse of the Sun, near the Hyades, giving the opportunity to measure the gravitational bending of the light to the astronomers in two expeditions in Brazil, Sobral, and on the Principe Island in the Atlantic Ocean. The geometrical properties of this field and another field in Leo are discussed in view of repeating this experiment of General Relativity with SOHO satellite data in the context of the International Year of Light 2015.

astro-ph.IM↗

Observational Accuracy of Variable Stars, Novae and Supernovae from Naked Eye to General Relativistic Standard: a Balance over Thousand SGQ Observations Sent to AAVSO

The theory of General Relativity deals with very accurate measurements that show significant divergences from Newtonian predictions only with speeds near to the velocity of light. An introduction for educational purposes, based on naked eye photometry, deals with the radiation near collapsing star's shells like novae and supernovae. The theme of accuracy is drafted from entry level observations to the precision of professional data, often of public domain on the web. Thousand observations of variable stars, included the type 1a SN2014J, the Nova Del 2013 and the Nova Cen 2013, sent to the AAVSO by the author, with SGQ code, during the period 1998-2015 are analyzed to increase the photometric accuracy, in the occasion of the International Year of Light 2015.

astro-ph.SR↗

The first winter solstice observed at the meridian line of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome

The page written by the astronomer Francesco Bianchini (1662-1729) and containing the data of the 1701 winter solstice observed at Santa Maria degli Angeli is presented for the first time in figure 2 and widely discussed along this paper. The great meridian line in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Rome was built in 1701/1702 with the scope to measure the Obliquity of the Earth's orbit in the following eight centuries, upon the will of pope Clement XI. During the winter solstice of 1701 the first measurements of the obliquity have been realized by Francesco Bianchini, the astronomer who designed the meridian line, upgrading the similar instrument realized by Giandomenico Cassini in San Petronio, Bononia. In this paper the accuracy of the data observed by Francesco Bianchini is discussed and compared with up-to-date ephemerides. The modern situation of this historical instrument is also presented.

physics.hist-ph↗

Tower bells and time zones, a history of synchronization

The Astrarium made by Jacopo Dondi dell'Orologio in Padua in 1344 is one of the first public horologia in the World, their public utility is also shown through the history of the tower bell of Our Lady of Suffragio in Turin, made by the mathematician Francesco Faà di Bruno in 1866. The tower bell of St. Anthony in Lanciano made by Antonio Cibotti was inaugurated by the Pope Paul VI in 1973 through a radio impulse, and now many tower bells are radio synchronized to the Central European Time within a single second of accuracy.

physics.hist-ph↗