A review of 70 years with astrometry

Fuente: arXiv
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Autore principale: Høg, Erik
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2024
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author Høg, Erik
author_facet Høg, Erik
contents In 1953 I heard of an experiment in 1925 by Bengt Strömgren where he observed transit times with the meridian circle at the Copenhagen University Observatory measuring the current in a photocell behind slits when a star was crossing. In 1954 just 22 years old I was given the task as a student to make first test observations with a new meridian circle of the observatory. I became fascinated by the instrument and by the importance of astrometry for astronomy. Work at four meridian circles, two in Denmark, one in Hamburg, one in Lund, and Pierre Lacroute's vision of space astrometry in France had by 1973 created the foundation for development of the Hipparcos satellite, and Gaia followed. In 2013 I proposed a successor satellite which has gained momentum especially thanks to the efforts of David Hobbs and it has a good chance to be launched by ESA about 2045. But 70 years ago, optical astrometry was considered a dying branch of astronomy, unattractive compared with astrophysics. The following growth built on the still active interest in astrometry in Europe in those years and it was supported by ESA, the European Space Agency. This review is only about astrometry where I was personally involved.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2402_10996
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle A review of 70 years with astrometry
Høg, Erik
Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
History and Philosophy of Physics
In 1953 I heard of an experiment in 1925 by Bengt Strömgren where he observed transit times with the meridian circle at the Copenhagen University Observatory measuring the current in a photocell behind slits when a star was crossing. In 1954 just 22 years old I was given the task as a student to make first test observations with a new meridian circle of the observatory. I became fascinated by the instrument and by the importance of astrometry for astronomy. Work at four meridian circles, two in Denmark, one in Hamburg, one in Lund, and Pierre Lacroute's vision of space astrometry in France had by 1973 created the foundation for development of the Hipparcos satellite, and Gaia followed. In 2013 I proposed a successor satellite which has gained momentum especially thanks to the efforts of David Hobbs and it has a good chance to be launched by ESA about 2045. But 70 years ago, optical astrometry was considered a dying branch of astronomy, unattractive compared with astrophysics. The following growth built on the still active interest in astrometry in Europe in those years and it was supported by ESA, the European Space Agency. This review is only about astrometry where I was personally involved.
title A review of 70 years with astrometry
topic Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics
History and Philosophy of Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2402.10996