Astron. Astrophys. 323, L49-L52 (1997)

Letter to the Editor

The Hipparcos Catalogue ^*

M.A.C. Perryman ¹, L. Lindegren ², J. Kovalevsky ³, E. Hog ⁴, U. Bastian ⁵, P.L. Bernacca ⁶, M. Crézé ⁷, F. Donati ⁸, M. Grenon ⁹, M. Grewing ¹⁰, F. van Leeuwen ¹¹, H. van der Marel ¹², F. Mignard ³, C.A. Murray ¹³, R.S. Le Poole ¹⁴, H. Schrijver ¹⁵, C. Turon ¹⁶, F. Arenou ¹⁶, M. Froeschlé ³ and C.S. Petersen <sup>4

1</sup> Astrophysics Division, European Space Agency, ESTEC, Noordwijk 2200AG, The Netherlands
² Lund Observatory, Box 43, S-22100 Lund, Sweden
³ Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, CERGA, Avenue Copernic, F-06130 Grasse, France
⁴ Copenhagen University Observatory, Juliane Maries Vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen OE, Denmark
⁵ Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, Mönchhofstrasse 12-14, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
⁶ Astrophysical Observatory, via dell'Osservatorio, I-36012 Asiago, Italy
⁷ 18 rue Nicolazic, F-56400 Sainte Anne d'Auray, France
⁸ Centro di Studi Sui Sistemi, Via Vincenzo Vela 27, I-10128 Torino, Italy
⁹ Observatoire de Genève, CH-1290 Sauverny, Switzerland
¹⁰ Astronomisches Institut, Waldhäuserstrasse 64, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
¹¹ Royal Greenwich Observatory, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0EZ, UK
¹² Department of Geodesy, Delft University of Technology, Thijsseweg 11, 2629JA Delft, The Netherlands
¹³ Derwent Cottage, 12 Derwent Road, Eastbourne, Sussex BN20 7PH, UK
¹⁴ Sterrewacht Leiden, Postbus 9513, 2300RA Leiden, The Netherlands
¹⁵ SRON, Sorbonnelaan 2, 3584CA Utrecht, The Netherlands
¹⁶ Section d'Astrophysique, Observatoire de Paris, F-92195 Meudon Cedex, France

Received 29 April 1997 / Accepted 1 May 1997

Abstract

The principal observational characteristics of the Hipparcos Catalogue, and a summary of its main astrometric and photometric properties, are presented. Median astrometric standard errors (in position, parallax, and annual proper motion) are in the range 0.7-0.9 milliarcsec (mas) for stars brighter than 9 mag at the catalogue epoch (J1991.25). The catalogue is a materialisation of the ICRS reference system, coinciding with its principal axes at the level of  mas, and with proper motions consistent with an inertial system at the level of  mas/yr. The constituent stars provide a mean sky density of  stars deg^-2. The catalogue is available in printed and machine-readable forms.

Key words: Hipparcos astrometry parallaxes proper motions catalogues

* Based on observations made with the ESA Hipparcos astrometry satellite

© European Southern Observatory (ESO) 1997

Online publication: June 5, 1998

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