• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.339-344
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• 2005

We present analysis results of the energy spectra of MCG-2-58-22 associated with occasional flares which appear in a long-term X-ray light curve. We measure an intrinsic power-law slope of this object to be ${\Gamma}=1.74{\pm}0.02$ in the energy range of ${\sim}1-5keV$ and find that this slope is little affected by flares. We confirm that there exists a broad excess emission above 5 keV to the power-law continuum. The excess emission is less variable compared with a flux variation of flare and tends to be relatively weak during flares. A soft X-ray spectrum is also found to change, implying the presence of a variable soft component. We discuss the implications of these spectral variations.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2003

A method for estimating the NORAD SGP4 atmospheric drag term from minimum osculating orbit states, i.e., two osculating orbits, is developed. The first osculating orbit state is converted into the NORAD TLE-type mean orbit state by iterative procedure. Then the converted TLE is propagated to the second orbit state using the SGP4 model with the incremental SGP4 drag term. The iterative orbit propagation procedure is finished when the difference of the two osculating semi-major axes between the propagated orbit and the given second orbit is minimized. In order to minimize the effect of the short-term variations of the osculating semi-major axis, the osculating argument of latitude of the second orbit is propagated to the same argument of latitude of the first orbit. The method is applied to the estimation of the NORAD-type TLE for the KOMPSAT-1 spacecraft. The SGP4 drag terms are estimated from both NORAD SGP4 orbit propagation and the numerical orbit propagation results. Variations of the estimated drag terms are analyzed for the KOMPSAT-1 satellite orbit determination results.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.13-31
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• 2022

We observed the symbiotic star AG Dra for a total of 61 nights between April 2004 and December 2021 using the 1.8-m telescope and the high-resolution Echelle spectrograph BOES at the Bohyunsan Optical Astronomy Observatory and obtained 355 frames of spectroscopic data to investigate the variations in its spectral lines. Overnight short-term and long-term changes in prominent emission lines are examined. No short-term changes are found in the line profiles. However, the peak intensity of the Hα emission line exhibits very small variation. In the long-term period, many emission lines including He I λ5875, λ6678, λ7065 and Fe II λ5018 are found to vary reflecting the symbiotic outburst activities. It is noted that He II λ4686 and Raman-scattered O VI λ6830, λ7088 are exceptions, where no significant variations are discernible. One of the noticeable lines is the λ5018 line. Its appearance and disappearance pattern are different from other emission lines, and the line is found to appear in outburst states. The Hα and Hβ lines remain very similar in our spectroscopic monitoring campaign.

• Journal of Science Education
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• v.44 no.3
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• pp.289-299
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• 2020

In this study, the definition, the level of difficulty, and the certainty of the understanding of 113 astronomy terminologies from 2009 revised middle school geoscience textbooks were examined. And through further interviews, the types of students' misconceptions about astronomy terminologies and their representative terms - examples of misconceptions were analyzed. The definitions of the terms presented by the students were largely classified as correct, low-level, and incorrect understanding. And low-level understanding was subdivided into high-level definition descriptions, undifferentiated concepts, and incorrect answers were subdivided into interference by scientific misconception and lack of prior knowledge. Given that the misconceptions due to terminologies can be distinguished from the prior misconception, the misconceptions due to terminologies can be effectively prevented by changing the term itself. In addition, students were aware of the advantages and disadvantages of metaphorical terms, and the recognition of their level of understanding is expected to be a good starting point considering that recognizing their own misconceptions is the first step in correcting them. Terminologies in science education is always an important subject of discussions, striving to select the right term according to the times, and scientific terms may change. It is expected that the results of this study will be the basis for discussions on the modification of terms.

• Journal of Space Technology and Applications
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.283-301
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• 2021

In order to satisfy the intellectual curiosity of mankind to explore the unknown, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States and European Space Agency (ESA) in Europe are embarking on various R&D under the motto of the grand dream of pioneering space into a safe and sustainable environment. In the 2020s and 30s, it is expected that advanced giant observation equipment will be in operation, such as the development of a 10-meter-class telescope in space. In Korea, following the development of the 0.15 m Near-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (NISS), Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute (KASI) is also participating a 0.2 m Spectro-Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization, and Ices Explorer (SPHEREx) as an international cooperation partner in small exploration telescope. However, domestic experience in the development and operation of the space telescopes is still insufficient, and there is no plan with long-term prospects for constructing telescopes. In order to answer questions about the unknown world that mankind has not experienced using our own equipment, planning and preparation for the construction of a space telescope through close cooperation among industry-university-institute-government is urgently needed. In this paper, the necessity, background, development goals, and expected effects of the development of the Korean Space Telescope are summarized conceptually, and a working group (WG) is also proposed. In the WG activities, Korea shall take the lead in establishing the Korean-style space telescope development plan, and will start a valuable step to establish the national direction in the field of space astronomy and related technologies. We hope that the WG will be another milestone in Korea's space development.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.315-326
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• 2007

Recently introduced, several explicit solutions of relative motion between neighboring elliptic satellite orbits are reviewed. The performance of these solutions is compared with an analytic solution of the general linearized equation of motion. The inversion solution by the Hill-Clohessy-Wiltshire equations is used to produce the initial condition of numerical results. Despite the difference of the reference orbit, the relative motion with the relatively small eccentricity shows the similar results on elliptic case and circular case. In case of the 'chief' satellite with the relatively large eccentricity, HCW equation with the circular reference orbit has relatively larger error than other elliptic equation of motion does.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.231-238
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• 2010

We analyzed global positioning system (GPS)-derived precipitable water vapor (PWV) trends of the Korea Astronomy and Space Science Institute 5 stations (Seoul, Daejeon, Mokpo, Milyang, Sokcho) where Korea Meteorological Administration meteorological data can be obtained at the same place. In the least squares analysis, the GPS PWV time series showed consistent positive trends (0.11 mm/year) over South Korea from 2000 to 2009. The annual increase of GPS PWV was comparable with the 0.17 mm/year and 0.02 mm/year from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Earth Observing Laboratory and Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder, respectively. For seasonal analysis, the increasing tendency was found by 0.05 mm/year, 0.16 mm/year, 0.04 mm/year in spring (March-May), summer (June-August) and winter (December-February), respectively. However, a negative trend (-0.14 mm/year) was seen in autumn (September-November). We examined the relationship between GPS PWV and temperature which is the one of the climatic elements. Two elements trends increased during the same period and the correlation coefficient was about 0.8. Also, we found the temperature rise has increased more GPS PWV and observed a stronger positive trend in summer than in winter. This is characterized by hot humid summer and cold dry winter of Korea climate and depending on the amount of water vapor the air contains at a certain temperature. In addition, it is assumed that GPS PWV positive trend is caused by increasing amount of saturated water vapor due to temperature rise in the Korean Peninsula. In the future, we plan to verify GPS PWV effectiveness as a tool to monitor changes in precipitable water through cause analysis of seasonal trends and indepth/long-term comparative analysis between GPS PWV and other climatic elements.

• Publications of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.49-65
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• 2019

We investigate the provenance and the changes in the timekeeping system focusing on official records such as almanacs and textbooks published by the government after the solar calendar was introduced. We found that the solar calendar and the 12-hour clock time first appeared in 1884 during Joseon dynasty, at that time the solar calendar was used at the open port in Busan to facilitate the exchanges with Japan. The 12-hour clock time first appeared in the 『Hansung Sunbo』 published by the government in 1884. We also found that the Joseon dynasty also used 12 diǎnzhōng or 12 diǎn. In addition, the term of the 'Sigan' first appeared in the first official academic textbook in August 1895, and the chapter related to time contained the information about 12-hour clock time instead of the 12 Shi. In 1908, the meaning of the solar time, the equation of time, and the differences in longitude with the adoption of Korean Standard Time were introduced. Meanwhile, the 24-hour clock time was first introduced in Joseon and applied to railway times in 1907. The 1946 almanac, the first issue after liberation, used the 12-hour clock time which uses 'Sango', 'Hao' and the 24-hour clock time started to be used from the following year and is still used to this day. Finally, the 12-hour clock time, which was introduced around 1884, was enacted as Article 44 of the law in 1900 and was revised again in 1905 and 1908. In Korea, the terms related to the time in the current astronomical calendar system were newly defined around 1884, 1896, and 1908, and gradually standardized through the establishment of laws.

• Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.159-172
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• 2019

It is known that the number of astronomers of a country registered to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is correlated with that country's gross domestic product (GDP). However, the robustness of this relationship could be doubted, as the fraction of astronomers joining the IAU differs from country to country. Here we revisit this correlation by using more recent data, updated as of 2017. We find a similar correlation by using the total number of astronomers and astrophysicists with PhD degrees that are working in each country, instead of adopting the number of IAU members. We confirm the existence of the correlation. We also confirm the existence of two subgroups within this correlation. One group consists of advanced European countries having a long history of modern astronomy, while the other group consists of countries having experienced recent rapid economic development. In order to determine the cause for the correlation, we obtained the long-term variations of the number of astronomers, population, and the GDP for a number of countries. We find that the number of astronomers per capita for recently developing countries has increased more rapidly as GDP per capita increased, than that for fully developed countries. We collected demographic data of the Korean astronomical community and find that it has experienced recent rapid growth. From these findings we estimate the proper size of the Korean astronomical community by considering Korea economic power and population. The current number of PhD astronomers working in Korea is approximately 310, but it should be 550 in order for it to be comparable and competitive to the sizes of the Spanish, Canadian, and Japanese astronomical communities. If current trends continue, this number will be reached by 2030. In order to be comparable to the German, French, and Italian communities, there should be 800 PhD astronomers in Korea. We discuss ways to overcome the vulnerability of the Korean astronomical community, based on the statistics of national R&D expenditure structure in comparison with that of other major advanced countries.

• Journal of Astronomy and Space Sciences
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Korea Polar Research Institute (KOPRI) and Korea Astronomy and Space Institute (KASI) have been participating in the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) Scientific Association as an affiliate institution in order to observe the polar ionosphere since 2015. During the period of December 16-21, 2016 and January 3-9, 2018, the observations for the polar ionospheric parameters such as the electron density profiles, ion drift, and electron/ion temperature are carried out in the polar cap/cusp region by the EISCAT Svalbard radar (ESR). The purpose of the observations is to investigate the characteristic of the winter ionosphere in the dayside polar cap/cusp region. In this paper, we briefly report the results of the ESR observations for winter daytime ionosphere and also the simultaneous observations for the ionosphere-thermosphere system together with the balloon-borne instrument High-Altitude Interferometer WIND Experiment (HIWIND) performed by the High Altitude Observatory (HAO), National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). We further introduce our research activities using long-term EISCAT observations for the occurrence of ion upflow and the climatology of the polar ionospheric density profiles in comparison with the mid-latitude ionosphere. Finally, our future research plans will briefly be introduced.