Status and Problems of the International Reference Star Programs

Abstract

One of the major projects in positional astronomy now in progress is the cooperative effort of 18 transit circles throughout the world to relate the positions of 20,000 reference stars in each hemisphere of the sky to the fundamental system. It is intended that these reference stars will serve as intermediaries in concurrent photographic surveys to relate the positions of upwards of 300,000 stars to the 9th magnitude to the fundamental system.