Abstract
The small satellite DIVA (Deutsches Interferometer für Vielkanalphotometrie und Astrometrie) is being designed to perform astrometric and photometric observations of about four million stars. The instrument simultaneously observes two celestial fields separated by at least 60 degrees and operates in a revolving scanning mode similar to that of Hipparcos. It will exceed the performance of Hipparcos in all important parameters. The optical configuration consists of two Fizeau interferometers with baselines of 10 cm. Light is recorded by a CCD mosaic operated in time-delayed integration mode.
DIVA will be a technologically ambitious, yet low-cost space mission. It will be a much more powerful successor to Hipparcos and, at the same time, an important step towards the proposed ESA astrometric Cornerstone Mission, GAIA. A launch in 2003 is aimed at.
Bibliographical details:
Ulrich Bastian: The small astrometric interferometry satellite DIVA. In: Peter Brosche, Wolfgang R. Dick, Oliver Schwarz, Roland Wielen (Eds.): The Message of the Angles - Astrometry from 1798 to 1998. Proceedings of the International Spring Meeting of the Astronomische Gesellschaft, Gotha, May 11-15, 1998. (Acta Historica Astronomiae ; 3). Thun ; Frankfurt am Main : Deutsch, 1998, p. 207-212.
Html-Version: Wolfgang R. Dick. Created: 21 Jan 1999