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URL: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/380188

⇱ A Geometric Determination of the Distance to the Galactic Center - IOPscience

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A Geometric Determination of the Distance to the Galactic Center*

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Published 2003 October 24 • © 2003. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 597, Number 2Citation F. Eisenhauer et al 2003 ApJ 597 L121DOI 10.1086/380188

F. Eisenhauer

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany

R. Schödel

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany

R. Genzel

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany

Also at Department of Physics, University of California at Berkeley, 366 LeConte Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720-7300

T. Ott

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany

M. Tecza

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany

R. Abuter

AFFILIATIONS

Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik (MPE), Giessenbachstrasse Postfach 1312, D-85741 Garching, Germany

A. Eckart

AFFILIATIONS

I. Physikalisches Institut der Universität Köln, Zulpicher Strasse 77, D-50937, Cologne, Germany

T. Alexander

AFFILIATIONS

Faculty of Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, P.O. Box 26, 76100 Rehovot, Israel

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Dates

  1. Received 2003 May 27
  2. Accepted 2003 September 30
  3. Published 2003 October 24
1538-4357/597/2/L121

Abstract

We report new astrometric and spectroscopic observations of the star S2 orbiting the massive black hole in the Galactic center that were taken at the ESO VLT with the adaptive optics-assisted, near-IR camera NAOS/CONICA and the near-IR integral field spectrometer SPIFFI. We use these data to determine all the orbital parameters of the star with high precision, including the Sun-Galactic center distance, which is a key parameter for calibrating stellar standard candles and an important rung in the extragalactic distance ladder. Our deduced value of R0 = 7.94 ± 0.42 kpc is the most accurate primary distance measurement to the center of the Milky Way and has minimal systematic uncertainties of astrophysical origin. It is in excellent agreement with other recent determinations of R0.

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Footnotes

  • * 

    Based on observations obtained at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) of the European Southern Observatory, Chile.

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10.1086/380188