Year: 2017
Type: article
Abstract: In this proceeding paper, we introduce the recent results of Galactic maser astrometry by mainly focusing on those obtained with Japanese VLBI array VERA. So far we have obtained parallaxes for 86 sources including preliminary results, and combination with the data obtained with VLBA/BeSSeL provides astrometric results for 159 sources. With these most updated results we conduct preliminary determinations of Galactic fundamental parameters, obtaining R0 = 8.16 ± 0.26 kpc and Θ0 = 237 ± 8 km/s. We also derive the rotation curve of the Milky Way Galaxy and confirm the previous results that the rotation curve is fairly flat between 5 kpc and 16 kpc, while a remarkable deviation is seen toward the Galactic center region. In addition to the results on the Galactic structure, we also present brief overviews on other science topics related to masers conducted with VERA, and also discuss the future prospect of the project.
Authors: Mareki Honma, Takumi Nagayama, Tomoya Hirota, Nobuyuki Sakai, Tomoaki Oyama, Aya Yamauchi, Toshiaki Ishikawa, Toshihiro Handa, Ken Hirano, Hiroshi Imai, Takaaki Jike, Osamu Kameya, Yusuke Kono, Hideyuki Kobayashi, Akiharu Nakagawa, Katsunori M. Shibata, Daisuke Sakai, Kazuyoshi Sunada, Koichiro Sugiyama, Katsuhisa Sato, Toshihiro Omodaka, Yoshiaki Tamura, Yuji Ueno
Language: English
Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2883548404