Related papers: An Updated Reference Frame for the Galactic Inner …

Based on data on Galactic masers with measured trigonometric parallaxes, we have tested a nonlinear model of Galactic rotation using generalized Oort formulas. This model is shown to yield pretty good results up to heliocentric distances of…

We describe development and application of a Global Astrometric Solution (GAS) to the problem of Pan-STARRS1 (PS1) astrometry. Current PS1 astrometry is based on differential astrometric measurements using 2MASS reference stars, thus PS1…

For more than fifty years, astronomers have mapped the neutral hydrogen gas in the Galaxy assuming kinematically derived distances. We employ the distances of nearby young stars, which trace the gas from which they formed, in…

We have observed with the IRAM interferometer at two different epochs and simultaneously the two transitions v=0, J=2-1 and v=1, J=2-1 of 29SiO and 28SiO in Orion IRc2. We have made the first maps of 29SiO v=0, J=2-1 emission from Orion.…

We applied the currently most comprehensive version of the statistical-parallax technique to derive kinematical parameters of the maser sample with 136 sources. Our kinematic model comprises the overall rotation of the Galactic disk and the…

The stable environment of space makes HST an excellent astrometric tool. Its diffraction-limited resolution allows it to distinguish and measure positions and fluxes for stars all the way to the center of most globular clusters. Apart from…

We present the first astrometry catalog from the Japanese VLBI (very long baseline interferometer) project VERA (VLBI Exploration of Radio Astrometry). We have compiled all the astrometry results from VERA, providing accurate trigonometric…

Circumstellar OH maser lines are useful for studying the dynamics of the circumstellar envelope (CSE) around evolved stars. This study aims to identify CSEs around cold stars, which exhibit deviations from the spherical expansion, by…

Sagittarius A*, the supermassive compact object at the center of the Galaxy, exhibits outbursts in the near infrared and X-ray domains. These flares are likely due to energetic events very close to the central object, on a scale of a few…

The presence of massive stars (MSs) in the region close to the Galactic Center (GC) poses several questions about their origin. The harsh environment of the GC favors specific formation scenarios, each of which should imprint characteristic…

We have measured the absolute proper motion of the Draco dwarf spheroidal galaxy using Subaru Suprime-Cam images taken at three epochs, with time baselines of 4.4 and 7 years. The magnitude limit of the proper-motion study is i=25, thus…

We report the first Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) observations of 43 GHz v=1, J=1-0 SiO masers in the circumstellar envelope of the M-type semi-regular supergiant variable star AH Sco at 2 epochs separated by 12 days in March 2004. These…

Proper motion studies of stars in the centre of the Milky Way have been typically limited to the Arches and Quintuplet clusters and to the central parsec. Here, we present the first results of a large-scale proper motion study of stars…

We have searched for the SiO J=1--0 v= 1 and 2 maser lines at ~ 43 GHz in 277 2MASS/MSX/IRAS sources off the Galactic plane (|b|> 3 deg), which resulted in 119 (112 new) detections. Among the new detections, are two very faint objects with…

The accuracy of stellar distances inferred purely from parallaxes degrades rapidly with distance. Proper motion measurements, when combined with some idea of typical velocities, provide independent information on stellar distances. Here I…

We present new HST/STIS observations of Centaurus A. [SIII] 9533A was used to study the kinematics in the nuclear region with a 0.1" spatial resolution. The STIS data and the VLT/ISAAC spectra by Marconi et al. (2001) provide independent…

Radial velocity monitoring has revealed the presence of moving broad emission lines in some quasars, potentially indicating the presence of a sub-parsec binary system. Phase-referenced, near-infrared interferometric observations could map…

Very Large Array observations of the Galactic Center at 7 mm have produced an image of the 30 arcseconds surrounding Sgr A* with a resolution of 82x42 milliarcseconds (mas). A comparison with IR images taken simultaneously with the Very…

We are using the VLBA and the Japanese VERA project to measure trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions of masers found in high-mass star-forming regions across the Milky Way. Early results from 18 sources locate several spiral arms. The…

Large ground-based telescopes equipped with adaptive optics (AO) systems have ushered in a new era of high-resolution infrared photometry and astrometry. Relative astrometric accuracies of <0.2 mas have already been demonstrated from…