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Space Astrometry - Its Impact on Astronomy and Astrophysics-Introductory Comments

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2016

Gart Westerhout*
Affiliation:
U. S. Naval Observatory Washington, D.C. 20390, USA

Extract

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Astrometry - the determination of positions, motions, and coordinate systems and the entirety of the products of these observations- was the first specialty in astronomy. The value of astrometry for all of the fields of astronomy does not have to be emphasized here; it is clear that the foundation of astronomy and astrophysics is provided by astrometry. What is perhaps not so clear is the fact that, although considerable progress has been made in the seventies, the numerical estimates for many of the basic quantities are much less certain than the average user realizes. Fortunately, astrometry stands at the brink of a technological revolution, involving both ground-based and space techniques. Once completed, this will lead to one or more orders of magnitude improvement in both the precision and quantity of most astrometric observations, with enormous implications for other fields of astronomy.

Type
Joint Commission Meetings
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1980

References

(1) Colloquium on European Satellite Astrometry, Padova, Italy, 1978; Ed. Barbieri, C. and Bernacca, P.L.. Consiglio-Nazionale Delle Ricerche, Instituto di Astronomia, Universita di Padova, Italy 1979.Google Scholar
(2) Transactions of the International Astronomical Union, Vol. XVIIB, Proceedings of the Seventeenth General Assembly, Montreal 1979; Ed. Wayman, P.A.. D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland 1980.Google Scholar