Intrinsic visual oblateness of the Sun

Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1975 · Astrophys. J., v. 200, no. 2, pp. 471-483

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/153813· OSTI ID:4122807

Hill, H A; Stebbins, R T

New solar oblateness observations are reported that yield a value of 18.4plus-or-minus12.5 milli-arcsec for the difference between equatorial and polar diameters. These observations were conducted when the time-varying, excess equatorial brightness was markedly reduced, greatly simplifying the interpretation of the apparent solar oblateness. The experimental scheme for defining the ''edge'' of the Sun and monitoring the shape of the extreme limb darkening function is summarized along with the description of the instrumentation. Sources of systematic error are exhaustively surveyed in order to extract the intrinsic visual oblateness of the Sun. The result further strengthens the conclusion of Hill et al. that the grave consequence of the Dicke- Goldenberg work for Einstein's general theory of relativity is removed. The new result excludes an oblateness as large as that required by the rapidly rotating interior models used to explain the low neutrino flux. (AIP)

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• NSA Number: NSA-33-010138
• OSTI ID: 4122807
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J., v. 200, no. 2, pp. 471-483, Journal Name: Astrophys. J., v. 200, no. 2, pp. 471-483; ISSN ASJOA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

*SUN-- GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
640104* --Physics Research--Astrophysics & Cosmology--Solar Phenomena
BRIGHTNESS
FOURIER TRANSFORMATION
GENERAL RELATIVITY THEORY
N56400* --Physics (Astrophysics & Cosmology)--Solar Phenomena
ROTATION