Fifth Fundamental Catalogue
Encyclopedia
The Catalogue of Fundamental Stars is a series of six astrometric catalogues of high precision positional data for a small selection of star
s to define a celestial reference frame, which is a standard coordinate system for correlation of star positions.
Fourth Fundamental Catalogue (FK4) was measured and published in 1963 to contain 1535 stars in various equinoxes from 1950.0 to 1975.0.
Fourth Fundamental Catalogue's Supplement (FK4S) is an amendment to FK4 containing further 1987 stars.
Fifth Fundamental Catalogue (FK5) was an update of FK4 in 1988 with new positions for the 1535 stars. It was obsoleted when the quasar based International Celestial Reference Frame
(ICRF) was introduced.
Fifth Fundamental Catalogue Extension (FK5) was an addition of 3117 new fundamental stars, published in 1991.
Sixth Fundamental Catalogue (FK6) is a 2000 update of FK5 correlated with the ICRF through the Hipparcos
satellite. It comes in two parts, FK6(I) and FK6(III) containing respectively 878 and 3272 stars. Both are updated and amended versions of FK5, using Hipparcos catalogue data.
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s to define a celestial reference frame, which is a standard coordinate system for correlation of star positions.
Fourth Fundamental Catalogue (FK4) was measured and published in 1963 to contain 1535 stars in various equinoxes from 1950.0 to 1975.0.
Fourth Fundamental Catalogue's Supplement (FK4S) is an amendment to FK4 containing further 1987 stars.
Fifth Fundamental Catalogue (FK5) was an update of FK4 in 1988 with new positions for the 1535 stars. It was obsoleted when the quasar based International Celestial Reference Frame
International Celestial Reference Frame
The International Celestial Reference Frame is a quasi-inertial reference frame centered at the barycenter of the Solar System, defined by the measured positions of 212 extragalactic sources . Although relativity implies that there is no true inertial frame, the extragalactic sources used to...
(ICRF) was introduced.
- Examples: Iota ArietisIota ArietisIota Arietis is a binary star in the constellation Aries. It is approximately 660 light years from Earth.Iota Arietis is a spectroscopic binary classified as a yellow G-type supergiant with an apparent magnitude of +5.09. The orbital period of the binary is 1567.7 days and the two components are...
is located at FK5 2132, Alpha Arietis is at FK5 74, Kappa Aurigae at FK5 1168.
Fifth Fundamental Catalogue Extension (FK5) was an addition of 3117 new fundamental stars, published in 1991.
Sixth Fundamental Catalogue (FK6) is a 2000 update of FK5 correlated with the ICRF through the Hipparcos
Hipparcos
Hipparcos was a scientific mission of the European Space Agency , launched in 1989 and operated between 1989 and 1993. It was the first space experiment devoted to precision astrometry, the accurate measurement of the positions of celestial objects on the sky...
satellite. It comes in two parts, FK6(I) and FK6(III) containing respectively 878 and 3272 stars. Both are updated and amended versions of FK5, using Hipparcos catalogue data.
See also
Astronomical Calculation InstituteAstronomical Calculation Institute (University of Heidelberg)
The Astronomisches Rechen-Institut , or ARI, is a research institute in Heidelberg, Germany. The ARI is currently part of the Zentrum für Astronomie der Universität Heidelberg ". Formerly, the ARI belonged to the state of Baden-Württemberg.The ARI has a rich history...
External links
- Fifth fundamental catalogue part I Basic FK5 (1988)
- Fifth fundamental catalogue part II FK5 extension