Post-Hipparcos Cosmic Candles

This text reviews the changes brought about in the field of astronomy by the release of the Hipparcos catalogue. Chapters by leading experts detail with the various approaches of one of the most challenging cosmological issues: the scale of the universe.

Foreword. Hipparcos: A New Basis for Calibrating Distance Indicators; C. Turon. Distance Determination with Cepheid Variables; N.R. Tanvir. Absolute Magnitudes Derived Using the Statistical Parallax Method; A.C. Layden. The RR Lyrae Distance Scale; P. Popowski, A. Gould. Mira Distances and their Use; M. Feast, P. Whitelock. Distances and Ages of Globular Clusters Using Hipparcos Parallaxes of Local Subdwarfs; R.G. Gratton, et al. Globular Cluster Distance Determinations; B. Chaboyer. The Distances of the Magellanic Clouds; A. Walker. Helium Core Flash and Tip of the Red Giant Branch Distances; B.F. Madore, W.L. Freedman. Distances from the Planetary Nebulae Luminosity Function; R.H. Mendez. Distances from Surface Brightness Fluctuations; J.P. Blakeslee, J.L. Tonry. Distances from the Correlation between Galaxy Luminosities and Rotation Rates; R.B. Tully. Distance Scale from Supernovae; F.D. Macchetto, N. Panagia. The Contribution of Microlensing Surveys to the Distance Scale; J.-P. Beaulieu, W.J. de Wit. Stellar Evolution and Standard Candles; V. Castellani.