Micro-arcsecond Celestial Reference Frames: definition and realization — Impact of the recent IAU Resolutions

Abstract

The adoption of the International Celestial Reference System (ICRS), based on Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations of extragalactic radiosources by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) since 1998 January 1, opened a new era for astronomy. The ICRS and the corresponding frame, the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF), replaced the Fundamental Catalog (FK5) based on positions and proper motions of bright stars, with the Hipparcos catalog being adopted as the primary realization of the ICRS in optical wavelengths. According to its definition, the ICRS is such that the barycentric directions of distant extragalactic objects show no global rotation with respect to these objects; this provides a quasi-inertial reference for measuring the positions and angular motions of the celestial objects. Other resolutions on reference systems were passed by the IAU in 2000 and 2006 and endorsed by the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) in 2003 and 2007, respectively. These especially concern the definition and realization of the astronomical reference systems in the framework of general relativity and transformations between them. First, the IAU 2000 resolutions refined the concepts and definition of the astronomical reference systems and parameters for Earth's rotation, and adopted the IAU 2000 precession-nutation. Then, the IAU 2006 resolutions adopted a new precession model that is consistent with dynamical theories; they also addressed definition, terminology or orientation issues relative to reference systems and time scales that needed to be specified after the adoption of the IAU 2000 resolutions. An additional IUGG 2007 resolution defined the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) so that it strictly complies with the IAU recommendations. Finally, the IAU 2009 resolutions adopted a new system of astronomical constants and an improved realization of the ICRF. These fundamental changes have led to significant improvements in the fields of astrometry, celestial mechanics, geodynamics, geodesy, etc. Of special interest are the improvements in the model for variations in Earth's rotation, which, in turn, can provide better knowledge of the dynamics of the Earth's interior. These have also contributed to a significant improvement in the accuracy of the ephemerides of the solar system bodies as determined from modern measurements, with a large number of scientific applications. This paper recalls the main aspects of the recent IAU resolutions on reference systems as well as their consequences on the concepts, definitions, nomenclature and models that are suitable for the definition, realization and transformation of reference frames at a microarcsecond level.