Radio telescope in Hobart, Australia
The International Astronomical Union has agreed on a new reference frame for directions in space. TU Wien played an important role in developing this new frame. In future, when spacecrafts are sent to other planets or when the rotation of planet Earth is studied, a new reference frame will be used. On 30 August, at the General Meeting of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) in Vienna, the new international celestial reference frame ICRF3 was adopted, allowing for more precise directional specifications in space. It is based on the accurate measurement of over 4000 extragalactic radio sources. TU Wien (Vienna) played an important role in the international consortium, which was in charge of providing the new realization. A coordinate system for the universe - In the same way that a reference system is required to measure mountain peaks (measuring the longitude and latitude of the Earth and the height above sea level, for example), it is essential to agree on a reliable reference system for specifying directions in space.
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