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What is the Hipparcos Catalog? The earliest known stellar catalog was produced by a Greek astronomer named Hipparchos of Nicea and later Rhodes (c.190 - c.125 BCE). Sadly we do not have a copy of his catalog, but know of its existence only from the references of later astronomers. The most influential of these later astronomers was Claudius Ptolemy of Alexandria, Egypt (c.85 - c.165 CE). On August 8, 1989, a satellite was launched to carry on the cataloging work started twenty-one centuries earlier. In honor of the Greek astronomer, the satellite was named, High Precision Parallax Collecting Satellite (HIPPARCOS). For three and a half years it measured the parallaxes and brightnesses of more than a million stars. Two catalogs were generated from the satellite's mission:
Hipparcos
Tycho
Hipparchos, the man from, http://wwwhip.obspm.fr/hipparcos/SandT/hip-SandT.html |