Abstract
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.
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Notes
Yoshiyuki Yamada has informed me about JASMINE: The current launch schedule is officially 2028 and he continued: “We are now collaborating with ARI group for the JASMINE data reduction. ARI Heidelberg Group and our group will handle the data independently. This is like the relationship between FAST and NDAC for the Hipparcos data reduction.”.
On ADS were found 231 papers with “Høg, Erik” on 28 Dec. 2023.
References
On ADS were found 231 papers with “Høg, Erik” on 28 Dec. 2023.
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Acknowledgements
I have emphasized that this article focuses on my own involvement and experiences over my lifetime. Making Hipparcos and Gaia the successes that they are obviously involved many other individuals, many institutes and organizations across Europe, numerous technical and computational complexities, and many other political, organizational, and technological challenges. I am happy I can quote much directly from the interviews by Michael Perryman in Høg (2022), and I am grateful for further information and comments from Uli Bastian, Anthony Brown, Jos de Bruijne, Claus Fabricius, Michael Grewing, Jean-Louis Halbwachs, David Hobbs, Povl Høyer, Ningsheng Hu, Carme Jordi, Zhigang Li, Valeri V. Makarov, Lennart Lindegren, Michael Perryman, Nicholas Rowell, Natalia Shakht, Catherine Turon, Mattia Vaccari, Andreas Wicenec, Roland Wielen, Yoshiyuki Yamada, Vladimir Yershov, Dongshan Yin, and from the referee. I thank Andreas, Anthony, Lennart, Michael Grewing, Michael Perryman, Nick Rowell, Roland Wielen, Yoshiyuki, and also the referee for their kind permission to quote. The referee for this publication was Prof. Rudolf S. Le Poole (Leiden University), who kindly agreed to reveal his identity, and provided great suggestions for the improvement of the manuscript.
I am indebted to the Royal Astronomical Society for awarding me an Honorary Fellowship for “a distinguished career over nearly seven decades…” which has led to the invitation to write the present review. This review contains in essence what Professor Rajesh Kochhar (1946-2022), president of the IAU Commission for History, fourteen years ago repeatedly urged me to write as a book: my scientific biography.
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Høg, E. A review of 70 years with astrometry. Astrophys Space Sci 369, 23 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-024-04285-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-024-04285-8