History of Astronomy : Acta Historica Astronomiae : Vol. 3

CCD meridian observations at Valinhos Observatory

Ramachrisna Teixeira, Paulo Benevides-Soares, Tania P. Dominici, Wilson Monteiro, Sao Paulo, Michel Rapaport, J. François Le Campion, Yves Réquième, Bordeaux

Complete text (abstract only):

Since 1996 we have been regularly observing with a CCD micrometer transit circle at the Abrahno de Moraes Observatory in Valinhos, Brazil. The new detector system is the result of a successful cooperation with the Bordeaux Observatory. Differential astrometric and photometric observations of more than ten thousand stars per clear night, down to V = 16 mag, become feasible, making possible the current development of many observational projects:

• Extension of the Hipparcos and Tycho catalogs to fainter objects,
• Observation of extragalactic objects for linking the radio and optical reference frames and photometric detection of variability,
• Low absorption windows around the galactic center direction for detecting and classifying stellar variability,
• Solar system objects (Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, a few asteroides and major planets satellites) for dynamic research purposes,
• Proper motion of open clusters and young stars to establish the possible connection between star formation and trajectorys of molecular clouds across the galactic disk.