NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2013A-0147
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2013A-0147 |
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PI: Norbert Zacharias, U.S. Naval Observatory, nz@usno.navy.mil
Address: Astrometry Department, 3450 Mass. Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20392, USA
CoI: Marion Zacharias, contractor with USNO
CoI: Charlie Finch, U.S. Naval Observatory
Title: Radio-optical reference frame link
Abstract:
Aligning the optical reference frame (currently realized by the
Hipparcos and Tycho-2 star catalogs) and the defining radio reference
frame (ICRF2) is a high priority, particularly with the upcoming Gaia
mission and its need to align this new optical system to ICRF2.
Compact, extragalactic sources (mainly QSO) are used for this purpose.
Recent results indicate much larger than expcted offsets between radio
positions and their optical counterparts centroids. The proposed
observations will allow to distinguish between systematic errors in the
current optical reference frame and possible astrophysical ``real"
offsets of centroids between radio and optical data. The solution of
this problem has far reaching implications for the reference frame
alignment procedures for the Gaia data and can shed some light on the
morphology of QSO radio cores and host/merging galaxies.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2013A-0147 |
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