Japan has been developing a new satellite based positioning system called Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS). Since improvement of positioning availability in urban area is one of the most important advantages of the QZSS, multipath mitigation is a key factor for the QZSS positioning system. Therefore, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and GNSS Inc. developed a pseudolite, which trans...

The principal error source in the GPS technology is a delay experienced by the GPS signal in propagating through the electrically neutral atmosphere, usually referred to as a tropospheric delay. This delay is normally calculated in the zenith direction, and is referred to as a zenith tropospheric delay. The delay consists of a zenith hydrostatic delay, which can be modeled accurately using surf...

High-accuracy spectral-slit-function calibration measurements, in situ ambient absorption gas cell measurements for ozone and nitrogen dioxide, and ground-based zenith sky measurements with the Earth Observing System Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) flight instrument are reported and the results discussed. For use of high-spectral-resolution gas absorption cross sections from the literatu...

[1] The ARM Shortwave Spectrometer (SWS) measures zenith radiance at 418 wavelengths between 350 and 2170 nm. Because of its 1-sec sampling resolution, the SWS provides a unique capability to study the transition zone between cloudy and clear sky areas. A spectral invariant behavior is found between ratios of zenith radiance spectra during the transition from cloudy to cloud-free. This behavior...

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation affects human life and UV exposure is a significant everyday factor that individuals must be aware of to ensure minimal damaging biological effects to themselves. UV exposure is affected by many complex factors. Albedo is one factor, involving reflection from flat surfaces. Albedo is defined as the ratio of reflected (upwelling) irradiance to incident (downwelling) ir...

Equipped with a suitable optical relay system, telescopes employing low-cost fixed primary mirrors could point and track while delivering high-quality images to a fixed location. Such an optical tracking system would enable liquid-mirror telescopes to access a large area of sky and employ infrared detectors and adaptive optics. Such telescopes could also form the elements of an array in which l...

The multiangular and off-track pointing capabilities of CHRIS/PROBA introduce a strong distortion on the geometry on the resulting images. In order to make full scientific use of the data some information about the geometry of acquisition is needed. In particular, the viewing azimuth and zenith angles must be known, and the images must be geometrically corrected to make possible multi-angular a...

As one of the most essential modeling aspects for precise orbit determination, solar radiation pressure (SRP) is the largest non-gravitational force acting on a navigation satellite. This study focuses on SRP modeling of the BeiDou-3 experimental satellite I2-S (PRN C32), for which an obvious modeling deficiency that is related to SRP was formerly identified. The satellite laser ranging (SLR) v...

In ancient cultures all over the world, summer and winter solstices and equinoxes had a great importance. These astronomical events had been widely considered in the planning of monuments and other architectures. But in the zone of the Earth delimited by the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, we can see another relevant event, the zenith passage of the sun. In this paper we will show that several...