Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T03:39:21.590Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Direct distance determination using parallax: Techniques, promises and limitations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2013

Lennart Lindegren
Lennart Lindegren*
Affiliation:
Lund Observatory, Lund University, Box 43, SE-22100 Lund, Sweden email: lennart.lindegren@astro.lu.se
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Determination of trigonometric parallaxes is one of the very few direct methods available for measuring cosmic distances, and the only one capable of reaching beyond the Solar System. It is fundamental both to determine the intrinsic properties of astrophysical objects and as the first step on the cosmic distance ladder. Steady improvements of instruments and techniques have extended the applicability of the parallax method to ever greater distances. However, it is not correct to say that the method is independent of physical assumptions. This review covers ground-based optical techniques, from Bessel's time to the present, as well as space observations and radio interferometry. Some emphasis is put on the physical limitations of the method, in particular its sensitivity to source structure and photocentric variability on different timescales.

Keywords

astrometrystars: distancessolar neighborhoodGalaxy: general
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 8 , Symposium S289: Advancing the Physics of Cosmic Distances , August 2012 , pp. 52 - 59
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2013

References

Andrei, A. H., Smart, R. L., Penna, J. L., et al. 2011, AJ, 141, 54Google Scholar
Auer, L. H. & van Altena, W. F. 1978, AJ, 83, 531Google Scholar
Bastian, U. & Hefele, H. 2005, in: The Three-Dimensional Universe with Gaia (Turon, C., O'Flaherty, K.S., & Perryman, M.A.C., eds.), ESA SP-576, p. 215Google Scholar
Benedict, G. F., McArthur, B., Chappell, D. W., et al. 1999, AJ, 118, 1086Google Scholar
Benedict, G. F., McArthur, B. E., Franz, O. G., et al. 2000, AJ, 119, 2382Google Scholar
Benedict, G. F., McArthur, B. E., Forveille, T., et al. 2002, ApJ, 581, L115CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benedict, G. F., McArthur, B. E., Feast, M. W., et al. 2007, AJ, 133, 1810Google Scholar
Benedict, G. F., McArthur, B. E., Feast, M. W., et al. 2011, AJ, 142, 187CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bessel, F. W. 1838, Astron. Nachr., 16, 65CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradley, A., Abramowicz-Reed, L., Story, D., Benedict, G., & Jefferys, W. 1991, PASP, 103, 317Google Scholar
Brisken, W. F., Benson, J. M., Goss, W. M., & Thorsett, S. E. 2002, ApJ, 571, 906Google Scholar
Brunthaler, A., Reid, M. J., Menten, K. M., et al. 2011, Astron. Nachr., 332, 461CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chatterjee, S., Cordes, J. M., Vlemmings, W. H. T., et al. 2004, ApJ, 604, 339Google Scholar
Chatterjee, S., Brisken, W. F., Vlemmings, W. H. T., et al. 2009, ApJ, 698, 250Google Scholar
Chiavassa, A., Pasquato, E., Jorissen, A., et al. 2011, A&A, 528, A120Google Scholar
Dahn, C. C., Harris, H. C., Levine, S. E., et al. 2008, ApJ, 686, 548Google Scholar
de Bruijne, J. H. J. 2012, Ap&SS, 341, 31Google Scholar
Deller, A. T., Tingay, S. J., Bailes, M., & Reynolds, J. E. 2009, ApJ, 701, 1243CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ducourant, C., Teixeira, R., Chauvin, G., et al. 2008, A&A, 477, L1Google Scholar
Dupuy, T. J. & Liu, M. C. 2012, ApJS, 201, 19Google Scholar
Eriksson, U. & Lindegren, L. 2007, A&A, 476, 1389Google Scholar
ESA 1997, The Hipparcos and Tycho Catalogues, ESA SP-1200Google Scholar
Harrington, R. S. & Dahn, C. C. 1980, AJ, 85, 454Google Scholar
Harris, H. C., Dahn, C. C., & Monet, D. G. 1997, in: Hipparcos – Venice '97 (Bonnet, R., Høg, E., Bernacca, P.L., et al., eds.), ESA SP-402, p. 105Google Scholar
Harris, H. C., Canzian, B., Dahn, C. C., et al. 2005, ASP Conf. Ser., 338, 122Google Scholar
Harris, H. C., Dahn, C. C., Canzian, B., et al. 2007, AJ, 133, 631Google Scholar
Hertzsprung, E. 1952, Observatory, 72, 242Google Scholar
Honma, M., Bushimata, T., Choi, Y. K., et al. 2007, PASJ, 59, 889Google Scholar
Jackson, J. 1956, Vistas in Astronomy, 2, 1018CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jao, W.-C., Henry, T. J., Subasavage, J. P., et al. 2011, AJ, 141, 117CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jenkins, L. F. 1952, General Catalogue of Trigonometric Stellar Parallaxes, Yale Obs.Google Scholar
Jenkins, L. F. 1963, Supplement to the General Catalogue of Trigonometric Stellar Parallaxes, Yale Obs.Google Scholar
Lestrade, J.-F., Rogers, A. E. E., Whitney, A. R., et al. 1990, AJ, 99, 1663Google Scholar
Lestrade, J.-F., Preston, R. A., Jones, , et al. 1999, A&A, 344, 1014Google Scholar
Lindegren, L. 2010, in: Observing Photons in Space (Huber, M. C. E., Pauluhn, A., Culhane, J. L., et al., eds.), ISSI Sci. Rep. Ser., 9, p. 279Google Scholar
Lindegren, L. & Bastian, U. 2011, EAS Publ. Ser., 45, 109Google Scholar
Marocco, F., Smart, R. L., Jones, H. R. A., et al. 2010, A&A, 524, A38Google Scholar
McArthur, B. E., Benedict, G. F., Harrison, T. E., & van Altena, W. 2011, AJ, 141, 172Google Scholar
Meijer, E. A., Nijenhuis, J. N., Vink, R. J. P., & Kamphues, F. 2008, SPIE Conf. Ser., 7010, 70102OGoogle Scholar
Menten, K. M., Reid, M. J., Forbrich, J., & Brunthaler, A. 2007, A&A, 474, 515Google Scholar
Miyoshi, M., Asaki, Y., Wada, K., & Imai, H. 2012, New Astron., 17, 553Google Scholar
Nagayama, T., Omodaka, T., Handa, T., et al. 2011, PASJ, 63, 719Google Scholar
Nyu, D., Nakagawa, A., Matsui, , et al. 2011, PASJ, 63, 63Google Scholar
Pasquato, E., Pourbaix, D., & Jorissen, A. 2011, A&A, 532, A13Google Scholar
Perryman, M. 2009, Astronomical Applications of Astrometry: Ten Years of Exploitation of the Hipparcos Satellite Data, Cambridge Univ. PressGoogle Scholar
Peterson, W. M., Mutel, R. L., Lestrade, J.-F., Güdel, M., & Goss, W. M. 2011, ApJ, 737, 104Google Scholar
Pinsonneault, M. H., Stauffer, J., Soderblom, D. R., King, J. R., & Hanson, R. B. 1998, ApJ, 504, 170Google Scholar
Pradel, N., Charlot, P., & Lestrade, J.-F. 2006, A&A, 452, 1099Google Scholar
Ratner, M. I., Bartel, N., Bietenholz, M. F., et al. 2012, ApJS, 201, 5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reid, M. J., Menten, K. M., Brunthaler, A., et al. 2009a, ApJ, 693, 397CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reid, M. J., Menten, K. M., Zheng, X. W., Brunthaler, A., & Xu, Y. 2009b, ApJ, 705, 1548CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reid, M. J., McClintock, J. E., Narayan, R., et al. 2011, ApJ, 742, 83Google Scholar
Schilbach, E., Röser, S., & Scholz, R.-D. 2009, A&A, 493, L27Google Scholar
Schlesinger, F., Palmer, M., & Pond, A. 1924, General Catalogue of Stellar Parallaxes, Yale Obs.Google Scholar
Schlesinger, F. & Jenkins, L. F. 1935, General Catalogue of Stellar Parallaxes, 2nd ed., Yale Obs.Google Scholar
Shapiro, I. I., Wittels, J. J., Counselman, C. C. III, et al. 1979, AJ, 84, 1459Google Scholar
Shapiro, I. I., Bartel, N., Bietenholz, M. F., et al. 2012, ApJS, 201, 1Google Scholar
Silva Aguirre, V., Casagrande, L., Basu, S., et al. 2012, ApJ, 757, 99Google Scholar
Smart, R. L., Ioannidis, G., Jones, H. R. A., Bucciarelli, B., & Lattanzi, M. G. 2010, A&A, 514, A84Google Scholar
Soderblom, D. R., Nelan, E., Benedict, G. F., et al. 2005, AJ, 129, 1616CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Söderhjelm, S. 2005, in: The Three-Dimensional Universe with Gaia (Turon, C., O'Flaherty, K.S., & Perryman, M.A.C., eds.), ESA SP-576, p. 97Google Scholar
Svensson, F. & Ludwig, H.-G. 2005, in: 13th Cambridge Workshop on Cool Stars, Stellar Systems and the Sun (Favata, F., Hussain, G.A.J., & Battrick, B., eds.), ESA SP-560, p. 979Google Scholar
Tinney, C. G., Burgasser, A. J., & Kirkpatrick, J. D. 2003, AJ, 126, 975Google Scholar
Tomkin, J. 2005, ASP Conf. Ser., 336, 199Google Scholar
van Altena, W. F., Lee, J. T., & Hoffleit, E. D. 1995, The General Catalogue of Trigonometric Stellar Parallaxes, 4th ed., Yale Obs.Google Scholar
van Leeuwen, F. 2007, Hipparcos, the New Reduction of the Raw Data, Astrophys. Space Sci. Lib., vol. 350Google Scholar
Vrba, F. J., Henden, A. A., Luginbuhl, C. B., et al. 2004, AJ, 127, 2948Google Scholar