The polynomial-fit method is applied to remove the uneven background of a satellite when it is near a bright primary object. Detailed analysis of this method is given. Some useful conclusions are drawn from the results of simulated data.

The VLBA is now achieving parallaxes and proper motions with accuracies approaching the micro-arcsecond domain. The apparent proper motion of Sgr A*, which reflects the orbit of the Sun around the Galactic center, has been measured with high accuracy. This measurement strongly constrains Θ0/R0 and offers a dynamical definition of the Galactic plane with Sgr A*at its origin. The intrinsic motion of Sgr A*is very small and comparable to that expected for a supermassive black hole. Trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions for a number of massive star forming regions (MSFRs) have now been measured. For almost all cases, kinematic distances exceed the true distances, suggesting that the Galactic parameters, R0 and Θ0, are inaccurate. Solutions for the Solar Motion are in general agreement with those obtained from Hipparcos data, except that MSFRs appear to be rotating slower than the Galaxy. Finally, the VLBA has been used to measure extragalactic proper motions and to map masers in distant AGN accretion disks, which will yield direct estimates of H0.

VERA aims at astrometric observations using phase referencing VLBI techniques, whose goal is a 10 micro arc-second accuracy for annual parallax measurements. VERA has four 20-m diameter VLBI radio telescopes in Japanese archipelago with the maximum baseline length of 2,300 km. They have the two-beam observing system, which makes simultaneous observations of two objects possible. This leads to very accurate phase referencing VLBI observations. An important science goal is to make a 3-dimensional map of the Galaxy and reveal its dynamics. In order to achieve this, VERA has the 22GHz and 43GHz bands for H2O and SiO maser objects, respectively. Maser objects are compact and suitable for astrometry observations. VERA's construction was started in 2000 and the array became operational in 2004. We have already measured annual parallaxes and proper motions of some galactic objects. In the future, VERA will collaborate with Korean and Chinese VLBI stations.

Precision astrometry can yield model-independent distances and velocities for neutron stars. Such measurements can be exploited, for example, to locate neutron star birth sites, establish reference frame ties, model the Galactic electron density distribution, and constrain the astrophysics of supernova explosions. As a case study, I discuss recent some parallax and proper motion measurements, and their scientific implications for supernova core collapse and the velocities of ordinary pulsars versus magnetars. I also outline the calibration techniques that are enabling sub-milliarcsecond astrometry of neutron stars with VLBI. In the short term, systematic surveys and high sensitivity on very long baselines will produce ongoing science dividends from precision astrometry at radio wavelengths. In the longer term, new technology such as focal plane arrays, new telescopes such as the Square Kilometre Array, and synergy with new instruments such as Gaia, LSST, and GLAST, all hold great promise in an upcoming era of microarcsecond astrometry.

The SKA is a global project to plan and construct the next-generation international radio telescope operating at metre to cm wavelengths. More than 50 institutes in 19 countries are involved in its development. The SKA will be an interferometric array with a collecting area of up to one million square metres and maximum baseline of at least 3000 km. The SKA reference design includes field-of-view expansion technology that will allow instantaneous imaging of up to several tens of degrees. The SKA is being designed to address fundamental questions in cosmology, physics and astronomy. The key science goals range from the epoch or re-ionization, dark energy, the formation and evolution of galaxies and large-scale structure, the origin and evolution of cosmic magnetism, strong-field tests of gravity and gravity wave detection, the cradle of life, and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. The sensitivity, field-of-view and angular resolution of the SKA will make possible a program to create a multi-epoch data base of wide-angle relative astrometry to a few μas precision for ~10,000,000 radio sources with S > 10 μJy.

We discuss astrometric capabilities of the future interferometer ALMA that will be located at a high altitude site (5000m) in Northern Chile to operate in the sub-millimeter range. In this paper, we estimate the astrometric precision of ALMA to be ~0.18 milliarcsecond at the optimum observing frequency of 345 GHz from an error budget including the thermal noise and the systematic errors caused by uncertainties in antenna coordinates, reference source coordinates, Earth orientation parameters, dry atmosphere parameter and by phase fluctuations due to moisture above the site. We briefly discuss three applications: first, astrometric search of exoplanets around 446 nearby stars detectable by ALMA; second, proper motions and parallaxes of pre-stellar cores and protostars; third, the rotation rate of the debris disk around ε Eri to test the theory of dust trapping in mean motion resonances with unseen planets.

In this report we give a brief introduction to the Five hundred meter Apeture Spherical Telescope (FAST). Some possible contributions of FAST to high precision astrometry are discussed. The illuminated aperture of FAST in normal operation mode is 300m in diameter. With special feeding mechanism, the whole 500m aperture could be used. FAST will cover frequencies from 70MHz to 3GHz, and observe at zenith angle of up to 40 degrees without a notable gain loss. As the most sensitive single dish radio telescope, FAST would be able to discover more mega-masers and measure the radial velocities of masers with higher precision. This may yield more delicate dynamics of their maser spots. FAST will increase the precision of time of arrival (ToA) measurements for pulsars. This will help in detecting the stochastic gravitational wave background and in establishing an independent timing standard based on the long-term stability of the rotations of a group of millisecond pulsars. FAST might also work as a very powerful ground station for the future space missions. In a three-way communication mode, FAST should be able to provide precise ranging and Doppler measurements. Moreover, by joining the international VLBI network, FAST would help to improve the precision of the VLBI astrometry measurements.

In this report we present the current status of the Chinese VLBI network (CVN), and the results of satellite tracking experiments in the past few years related to realtime processing of the CVN dataflow and the reliability and precision of the CVN measurements. We briefly outline the prospective astrometric roles of CVN in the studies of long-term monitoring of extragalactic radio sources, densification of radio celestial reference frame, determination of Earth Orientation Parameters and linkage parameters of reference frames as well as the observation of pulsars for deep space autonomous navigation.

Using phase-referenced multi-epoch Very Long Baseline Array observations, we have measured the trigonometric parallax of several young stars in the Taurus and Ophiuchus star-forming regions with unprecedented accuracy. The mean distance to the Taurus complex was found to be about 140 pc, and its depth around 20 pc, comparable to the linear extent of Taurus on the sky. In Ophiuchus, 4 sources have been observed so far. Two of them were found to be at about 160 pc (the distance traditionally attributed to Ophiuchus), while the other 2 are at about 120 pc. Since the entire Ophiuchus complex is only a few parsecs across, this difference is unlikely to reflect the depth of the region. Instead, we argue that two physically unrelated sites of star-formation are located along the line of sight toward Ophiuchus.

We used VLBI observations at 8.4 GHz between 1991 and 2005 to determine the motion of the RS CVn binary IM Pegasi (HR 8703), the guide star for the NASA/Stanford gyroscope relativity mission, Gravity Probe B (GP-B). The motion was determined relative to our primary reference, the core of the quasar 3C 454.3. The stability of this core was checked relative to two other extragalactic sources, B2250+194 and B2252+172, the former of which was tied to the ICRF. The core of 3C 454.3 is stationary relative to these two sources to within 30 μas yr−1 in each coordinate. IM Pegasi's radio morphology varies, but appears to be on average centered on the primary. We estimate the proper motion of IM Pegasi with a statistical standard error (sse) of 30 μas yr−1 in each coordinate. We also estimate the parallax with a statistical standard error of 75 μas and parameters of the orbit with sse's corresponding to 110 μas on the sky. Coupled with our upper limit of three times the sse on any systematic errors in each parameter %threefold higher upper limit on the systematic error contributions to each parameter estimate, these results ensure that the uncertainty of IM Pegasi's proper motion makes only a small contribution to the uncertainty of GP-B's tests of general relativity.

We present observational results on the red supergiant VY Canis Majoris with VERA. We have observed 22 GHz H2O masers and 43 GHz SiO masers (v=1 and 2 J=1-0) around VY CMa for 13 months. We succesfully detected a parallax of 0.87 ± 0.08 mas, corresponding to the distance of 1.15 +0.10−0.09 kpc using H2O masers. As the result of phase-referencing analyses, we have measured absolute positions for both H2O masers and SiO masers. The H2O maser features show rapid expansion off the central star.

Based on our independently developed data processing software, the real-time reduction of the instantaneous state vectors of satellite during the maneuver stage near to perilune is analyzed via experimental observations. Results show that it is a quick and practical method to monitor the orbit evolution and the lunar capture of Chang'E-1 satellite.

We performed phase-referencing VLBI astrometric observations of the H2O maser source IRAS 02395+6244, located well beyond the solar circle. We measured its heliocentric distance to be 5.49 ± 0.80 kpc, implying a Galactocentric distance of 12.5 ± 0.5 kpc and a distance of 270 ± 40 pc above the Galactic plane.

We present an overview of recent astrometric results with VERA. Since 2004, we have been conducting astrometry of tens of Galactic maser sources with VERA, and recently obtained trigonometric parallaxes for several sources, with distances ranging from 180 pc to 5.3 kpc. In this paper, we briefly summarize the results for Galactic star-forming regions, including S269, Orion-KL, NGC 1333, ρ-oph, NGC 281 and others.

Using the VLBA, we have observed H2O maser emission in the pre-planetary nebula, IRAS 19134+2131 (I1913), in which the H2O maser spectrum has two groups of emission features separated in radial velocity by ~100 km s−1. The morphology and 3-D kinematics indicate the existence of a fast collimated flow with a dynamical age of only ~40 years. Such a “water fountain” source is a signature of the recent operation of a stellar jet, that may be responsible for the final shape of the planetary nebula into which I1913 is expected to evolve. We have also estimated the distance to I1913 (~8 kpc) on the basis of an annual parallax and the kinematics of IRAS 19134+2131 in our Galaxy. I1913 may be a component in the “thick disk” or the Galactic “warp”, whose kinematics is different from that of the Galactic “thin” disk. These results are reported in Imai, Sahai & Morris (2007).

We observed with VERA the massive star forming region G34.4+0.23, to obtain parallaxes and proper motions. Four infrared dark clouds were observed and water maser were found in two dark clouds, MM1 and MM4. In MM1, the distribution of maser spots shows a “V-shaped” structure and most features co-moving with this structure. Phase-referenced images have peaks and their motion is much larger than the expected parallax. Further analysis is needed to correctly interpret our measurement of parallax.

We have performed monitoring observations of the 3-mm flux density toward the Galactic center compact radio source Sgr A* with the ATCA since 2005 October. It has been found that during several observing epochs Sgr A* was quite active, showing significant intraday variation. Here we report the detection of an IDV in Sgr A* on 2006 August 13, which exhibits a 27% fractional variation in about 2 hrs.

Parallax measurements of the Galactic Mira variables with VERA have started since 2004 to establish their Period-Luminosity (PL) relationship in the Galaxy. Multi-epoch VLBI observations of a semiregular variable S Crt yielded an accurate parallax of 2.27±0.14 mas corresponding to the distance of 441+29−24 pc. In addition to the distance, we obtained physical properties of S Crt. Temperature of the photosphere was found to be ~3000 K by fitting the infrared spectrum with a blackbody radiation. The stellar radius was obtained based on the distance, apparent magnitude, and the temperature. Internal proper motions of circularly-arranged maser spots in S Crt were detected for the first time. Observations of the other Mira variables, such as R UMa, SY Scl, AP Lyn, and WX Psc are in progress.

As part of an astrometric program (see Loinard et al. in this volume), we have obtained an unprecedented sample of high-resolution (~ 1 mas) VLBA images of several nearby young stellar systems. As was to be expected, these images revealed interesting new characteristics of these objects. Perhaps the most interesting of these characteristics is the detection of a high rate of very tight binary stars (separations of a few mas) in our sample: of the 9 objects observed to date, 5 are binaries of this type.

Based on past astrometric and geodetic VLBI observations, a strategy for implementing differential VLBI (DVLBI) is developed by interpolating the non-geometric delay (NGD) at the target's direction using observations of several reference sources spreaded out within a circular ring centered on the target. In contrast to the ordinary approach, in our design the limitations in the angular distance are relaxed and the effects of observational uncertainties in reference sources are reduced. Analysis shows that in our design a precision of the NGD correction in S-band reaches about 1ns only. Our design can be adopted for observations of weak sources and in deep space exploration.