21st Century Astrometry: from ESA/Gaia and beyond – Alberto Krone-Martins

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. We will cross from stars, to exoplanets, the history and structure of the Milky Way, the determination of the Hubble constant, compact objects, dark matter, gravitational lensing and gravitational waves.