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J.L. Tonry (IFA), E.A. Ajhar (NOAO), J.P. Blakeslee (Caltech), A. Dressler (OCIW)
Surface Brightness Fluctuation (SBF) has proven to be an effective means to measure the distances of relatively nearby (5--10,000 km/s), early-type galaxies. SBF offers an unusual combination of high accuracy and plentiful measurements in the crucial distance range where Cepheids can be measured out to the Hubble flow, and is also promising for theoretical calibration from first principles using stellar populations. I will review the current status of SBF measurements, describe our calibration of the SBF zeropoint and the Hubble constant we derive, discuss possible systematic errors and remedies, and relate ongoing and future work with SBF which is relevant to the expansion of the universe.
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