Satellite Observation and its Application at Yunnan Observatory

For the past two decades,especially in the last ten years the reseach work engaged in and the results obtained for the satellite observations and its applications by the branch of the observation and study of the artifcial satellites at Yunnan Observatory are briefly presented in this paper.Because the branch also is a station that belongs to the Observation Network of the Artificial Satellites, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, it has taken part in various cooperative research projects organized by the Network and implemented a lot of tasks including real time orbit determinations, space geodesyetc. The branch addressed its effert towards the instrumental development study and improvement used for the observation of satellites. The work that has been fulfilled in this fieldis also introduced. They are a high-accuracy timing method for the photographic tracking satellites, a high-accuracy pointing system-a 1.2m alt-azimuth telescope at the Yunnan Observatory and the reformation of GDJ-a kind of large tracking theodolite used for the visual observation of satellites, which has been transformed into a photoelectric theodolite. In addition, the development of the satellite laser ranging system is descriped also. The study of lunar physics and geodynamics using laser ranging data and the analysis of the effect from modeling uncertainties on the reduction of lunar laser ranging data are given. At last work that will probably be done from now on by the branch is discussed.