An observational investigation of the solar oblateness
Technical Report
·
OSTI ID:7344778
The shape of the Sun has been under study for almost two and a half centuries. During that time, most observers have concluded that the Sun is barely, if at all, different from spherical. In recent years, the sun's figure has come under closer scrutiny because it may reflect certain properties of the solar interior, and because an aspherical solar mass would alter the interpretation of a basic test of gravitation theories. A flurry of activity in this area has been triggered by the 1967 report of Dicke and Goldenberg of an equatorial diameter significantly larger than the polar diameter. This thesis reports a measurement of the solar oblateness using different experimental techniques which finds no comparable oblateness. Further, the evidence indicates an explanation for the disagreement between previous results. A number of other interesting facets of the Sun are also revealed. (GRA)
- Research Organization:
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo. (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7344778
- Report Number(s):
- PB-247519; NCAR-CT-34
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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