The Second Extension of the International Celestial Reference Frame: ICRF-EXT.1

A. L. Fey (1) , C. Ma (2) , Elisa Felicitas Arias (3) , Patrick Charlot (4) , Martine Feissel-Vernier (5, 6, 7) , Anne-Marie Gontier (5, 6, 7) , Christopher S. Jacobs (8) , J. Li (9) , D. S. Macmillan (2)

1 USNO - United States Naval Observatory
2 NASA-GSFC-SGB - Space Geodesy Branch,
3 BIPM - Bureau International des Poids et Mesures
4 LAB - Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux [Pessac]
5 SYRTE - Systèmes de Référence Temps Espace
6 Rotation de la Terre et géodésie spatiale
7 Systèmes de référence célestes
8 JPL - Jet Propulsion Laboratory
9 SHAO - Shanghai Astronomical Observatory [Shanghai]

We use very long baseline interferometry data obtained between mid-1995 and the end of 2002 May together with older data to extend and revise the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF). Revised positions of ICRF candidate and ``other'' sources, based on inclusion of the additional data, are presented. Positions, in the frame of the ICRF, for an additional 109 new sources are also presented. All but four of the new sources are located north of delta=-30°. Positions of the ICRF defining sources remain unchanged. We present a summary of current astrometric and geodetic observing programs and discuss the evolution and future of the ICRF.

Domaines: Astrophysique [astro-ph]

A. L. Fey, C. Ma, Elisa Felicitas Arias, Patrick Charlot, Martine Feissel-Vernier, et al.. The Second Extension of the International Celestial Reference Frame: ICRF-EXT.1. The Astronomical Journal, 2004, 127, pp.3587-3608. ⟨10.1086/420998⟩. ⟨hal-03733070⟩