Addendum 2020 to ‘Measurement of the Earth’s rotation: 720 BC to AD 2015’

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.

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 68
Author(s):  
Sushil Yadav ◽  
Rajiv Aggarwal ◽  
Bhavneet Kaur

This paper investigates resonances in the perturbations of a synchronous satellite including its latitude, angular rate of the earth-moon system around the sun and the earth’s rotation rate about its axis. This is found that resonances occur due to the commensurability between (i) angular velocity of the satellite and angular rate of earth’s rotation about its axis and (ii) angular rate of the earth-moon system around the sun and angular rate of the rotation of the earth. Amplitude and time-period of the oscillation at the resonance points are determined using the procedure of Brown and Shook [3]. Effect of  (orbital angle of the mass-centre of the earth-moon system around the sun) on amplitude and time period is also analyzed. It is found that for increasing the values of  from to  amplitude decreases and time period also decreases. Effect of time on the latitude of the satellite including earth oblateness is also studied. It is seen that for increasing the value of , there is a small change in ,  the latitude of the synchronous satellite.


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.


The Bermuda Triangle is located in the area of the archipelago between North and South America and the Dragon Triangle is located in the area of the archipelago in Southeast Asia. There is a great resemblance between these two triangular areas; both were formed following special geological and tectonic conditions. It is herein proposed that their creation stems from the change in location of the axis of rotation of the earth and, accordingly, the change in the location of the equator.


1979 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 7-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Guinot

With the advent of more precise methods for measuring Earth rotation, a number of corrections to the apparent directions in space, to the terrestrial references, and to the rotation axis motion have to be carefully applied. It is the duty of the international Astronomical Union to give recommended or conventional expressions of these corrections in order to avoid inextricable difficulties in discussing the evaluated results. However, this task is not sufficient. The concepts used in the description of the Earth's rotation are somewhat obscured by traditions. They should be purified by removing notions which are not directly relevant.


1972 ◽  
Vol 47 ◽  
pp. 402-404
Author(s):  
E. L. Ruskol

According to the Radzievskij-Artemjev hypothesis of the ‘locked’ revolution of the circumplanetary swarms around the Sun, the initial Moon-to-Earth distance and the angular momentum acquired by the Earth through the accretion of the inner part of the swarm can be evaluated. Depending on the concentration of the density to the centre of the swarm we obtain the initial distance for a single protomoon in the range 15–26 Earth radii R and for a system of 3-4 protomoons in the range 3–78 R, if the outer boundary of the swarm equals to the radius of the Hill's sphere (235 R). The total angular momentum acquired by the primitive Earth-Moon system through the accretion of the swarm particles is ½–⅔ of its present value. The rest of it should be acquired from the direct accretion of interplanetary particles by the Earth. The contribution of satellite swarms into the rotation of other planets is relatively less.


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.


Occultations of stars by the Moon, and solar and lunar eclipses are analysed for variations in the Earth’s rotation over the past 2700 years. Although tidal braking provides the dominant, long-term torque, it is found that the rate of rotation does not decrease uniformly as would be expected if tidal friction were the only mechanism affecting the Earth’s rotation. There are also non-tidal changes present that vary on timescales ranging from decades to millennia. The magnitudinal and temporal behaviour of these non-tidal variations are evaluated in this paper.


1980 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 235-237
Author(s):  
G. P. Pilnik

It is possible, in principle, to derive from astronomical observations both the tidal and nutational variations in the rotation of the Earth. However, in practice there are a number of difficulties. To detect the waves with periods of 18.6, 1.0 and 0.5 year one could use UT1-TAI. Unfortunately, this is impossible because of the lack of sufficiently long series of observations and because of significant non-periodic irregularities in the rate of the Earth's rotation. In addition, the annual wave consists of several harmonics of different natures which cannot be separated from one another. Investigation of short-period nutations is more promising, but it is also connected with specific difficulties.


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