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Abstract. About 45 000 absolute and semi-absolute observations of right ascension of the FK4 stars were obtained during [1963][1964][1965][1966][1967][1968][1969][1970][1971][1972]. The observations were made with the three instruments of the Cerro Calan Observatory jointly by Chilean and Soviet astronomers. As a result, systematic A(x d cos8 errors were found to exist in the FK4 catalogue. For the reduction of star observations according to the SRS program, it is necessary to derive the system of the AOL corrections for the FK4.

The reference photographic catalogue of the southern sky (RPC) will be a basis for investigations in the fields of astrometry, stellar astronomy, geodesy, space studies etc. in the southern hemisphere. It will be a catalogue of high precision, containing both bright and faint stars, reliably connected to the fundamental catalogue and giving an inertial coordinate system for a wide range of southern stars. The RPC will be an extension of the Goloseevo Plan (1) for the southern hemisphere. However, our project has its own peculiarities, mainly because there is no AGK3 type catalogue of the southern sky for the present epoch.

There are 44 active meridian instruments in the world ( 5 great transit instruments, 6 vertical circles, 33 meridian circles), including 8 in the Southern Hemisphere and 16 in the USSR. 10 instruments are new ones - less than 12 years old. We have also more then 20 widefield astrographs which are suitable for catalogue work.There are another 100 astrometric instruments (Danjon Astrolabe, ZT, Time Service TI, PZT and so on) which are used for catalogue purposes.

Modern computing techniques are widely used in astrometry for reduction of astrometrical observations, theoretical studies and for gathering and storing measurements and observational data. At present the Pulkovo Observatory has a 3rdgeneration Soviet-Bulgarian computer ES-1020. It is similar to IBM computers in programming languages, magnete tapes, punch-cards and formats. ES-1020 can be used for a single-program and concurrent processing because it is supplied with a disc operating system(DOS). As its components DOS has the following translators: ASSEMBLER, BASIC, FORTRAN IV, PL/1, COBOL, etc., and also a programming library of mathematical and astrometrical modules. The library of sub-routines has a module principle which permits changing its contents and including new modules, e.g. astronomical programs.