3.3

CCD astrometry

Michael Geffert, Bonn

Abstract

Charge Coupled Devices (CCDs) today have, since their introduction in astronomy some 15 years ago, a large variety of applications as two-dimensional detectors in astrometry. The linear relation between count rate and intensity of the collected photons, the gain in observing time and the direct access to the machine readable data from CCDs have led today to a replacement of photographic plates by CCDs for many astrometric measurements (e.g. parallaxes and double stars).

The aim of this paper is to give in the first part a small overview on the status of the use of CCDs in astrometry along with some of the problems, one encounters when using this technique. In the second part I give some applications of CCD astrometry from projects related to the Sternwarte of University of Bonn, which are examples of the use of CCDs in astrometry like many other applications in different observatories.

Bibliographical details:

Michael Geffert: CCD astrometry. In: Peter Brosche, Wolfgang R. Dick, Oliver Schwarz, Roland Wielen (Eds.): The Message of the Angles - Astrometry from 1798 to 1998. Proceedings of the International Spring Meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, Gotha, May 11-15, 1998. (Acta Historica Astronomiae ; 3). Thun ; Frankfurt am Main : Deutsch, 1998, p. 181-189.