The Last Meridian Circles of Pulkovo Observatory

TL;DR

This paper reviews the historical development of the final meridian circles at Pulkovo Observatory, highlighting their significance before space astrometry took over in the late 20th century.

Contribution

It provides a detailed historical account of the last meridian circles at Pulkovo Observatory and their role in the transition to space-based astrometry.

Findings

Meridian circles were crucial for astronomical measurements before space astrometry.

The development at Pulkovo marked the end of an era in ground-based astrometry.

Space missions like Hipparcos surpassed meridian circles in accuracy.

Abstract

Meridian circles played a fundamental role in astronomy since their invention in 1704. Then, at the end of the XX century, this function had been taken over by space astrometry, when the Hipparcos mission demonstrated the advantages of space astrometry by achieving the milliarcsecond level of accuracy. This historical sketch describes the development of the last meridian circles at Pulkovo Observatory (St. Petersburg) in the last quarter of the XX century.