Speaker: Alberto Krone Martins (CENTRA FCUL)
Title: 21st Century Astrometry: from ESA/Gaia and beyond
Abstract: Astrometry stands among the most fundamental and transversal branches of Astronomy. It lays at the basis of most astronomical studies and provides anchors to many aspects of human life: from daily cycles to satellite and spacecraft navigation and attitude control. In this talk I will briefly comment on the past of optical Astrometry, and then concentrate in the exciting present of space-Astrometry, with the micro-arcsecond level ESA/Gaia space mission. I will also discuss some promising astrometric space mission proposals to cross to sub-micro-arcsecond regimes already in the next twenty to thirty years, and I will comment on recent astrometry-enabled discoveries of new stellar clusters, galaxies and lensed and multiply-imaged quasars.