AbstractAfter briefly describing the operation of the Hubble Space Telescope Fine Guidance Sensors (HST–FGS) in the Transfer Function (TF) Scan mode, we discuss the reduction and analysis of scan data affected by HST jitter and Optical Field Angle Distortion (OFAD). We present relative positions and magnitude differences for the components of ADS 11300 = Hu 581 = WDS 18229+1458 derived from TF scans obtained on 17 February 1992. Residuals from a newly revised orbit provide a first indication of the accuracy of HST–FGS observations in the Transfer Function Scan mode.
We briefly review the concept of double star measurement with HST Fine Guidance Sensors (FGS) in the Transfer Function (TF) Scan mode and give results for three calibration binaries observed with FGS3. Agreement among multiple observations indicates an astrometric precision of 1 millisecond of arc (mas) per observation. We compare measured angular separations with ephemeris values from orbits based entirely on speckle observations. This comparison shows that the accuracy of binary-star astrometry with FGS3 in the TF-Scan mode is 1 mas per observation. Multiple observations can be expected to produce relative positions of binary components at sub-millisecond of arc accuracy.
Detection and Measurement of Binary Stars with the HST Fine Guidance Sensors
