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The Extragalactic Distance Scale

The Extragalactic Distance Scale The determination of the extragalactic distance scale, like so many problems that occupy astronomers' attention, is essentially an impossible task. The methods, the data, and the understanding are all too fragmen­ tary at this time to allow a reliable result to be obtained. It would probably be a wise thing to stop trying for the time being and to concentrate on better establishing such things as the distance scale in our Galaxy, the effect on distance indicators of differences in abundances, the physical theory of pulsating stars, the nature of galaxy evolution, and such matters, all in themselves exceedingly difficult and not in particularly good shape, either. The distant universe, however, impinges itself on our attention, forcing us to try to establish some kind of scale so that we can deal with all the new discoveries being made out there. The temptation to go ahead and put together a scale of extragalactic distances has been too much for some of the best minds in twentieth-century astronomy to resist, and therefore we have series after series of papers that attempt what might seem to a dispassionate observer to be an impossible task. In this review I adopt an optimistic http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics Annual Reviews

The Extragalactic Distance Scale

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Publisher
Annual Reviews
Copyright
Copyright 1981 Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Subject
Review Articles
ISSN
0066-4146
eISSN
1545-4282
DOI
10.1146/annurev.aa.19.090181.002041
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The determination of the extragalactic distance scale, like so many problems that occupy astronomers' attention, is essentially an impossible task. The methods, the data, and the understanding are all too fragmen­ tary at this time to allow a reliable result to be obtained. It would probably be a wise thing to stop trying for the time being and to concentrate on better establishing such things as the distance scale in our Galaxy, the effect on distance indicators of differences in abundances, the physical theory of pulsating stars, the nature of galaxy evolution, and such matters, all in themselves exceedingly difficult and not in particularly good shape, either. The distant universe, however, impinges itself on our attention, forcing us to try to establish some kind of scale so that we can deal with all the new discoveries being made out there. The temptation to go ahead and put together a scale of extragalactic distances has been too much for some of the best minds in twentieth-century astronomy to resist, and therefore we have series after series of papers that attempt what might seem to a dispassionate observer to be an impossible task. In this review I adopt an optimistic

Journal

Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics – Annual Reviews

Published: Sep 1, 1981

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