Dr. Norbert Zacharias

IAU vice-president commission 8 (Astrometry)

Curator and author

• Astrometry
• (2010) Norbert Zacharias

Articles sponsored or reviewed

• JASMINE
• (2011) Naoteru Gouda

• Standards of Fundamental Astronomy
• (2011) Catherine Hohenkerk

• Relativistic astrometry
• (2011) Sergei Kopeikin

• Ground-based optical interferometry
• (2012) Donald J. Hutter

• Hipparcos and Tycho catalogs
• (2010) Claus V. Fabricius

Astrometry is the branch of astronomy which deals with positions and motions of celestial bodies. Areas of research in astrometry can be categorized into ground-or space-based, by wavelength (radio, optical, IR astrometry), or technique, including direct imaging and interferometry. Targets of research in astrometry range from satellites orbiting Earth to solar system astrometry to galactic and extragalactic kinematics and dynamics. Astrometry forms the basis of astrophysics by providing trigonometric parallaxes (distances) and masses of celestial bodies.