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J.L. Hilton (U.S. Naval Observatory)
Resolution B1.8 adopted at the last IAU General Assembly in Manchester, UK recommends, in part, "the use of the 'non-rotating origin' in the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS)....that the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) take steps to implement this by 1 January 2003,..." The goals of this paper are to describe the reasons for the introduction of the non-rotating origin (NRO), how the NRO differs from the traditional origin based on the equinox, and how the NRO will move over time. In addition, I will discuss the current plans for introducing the NRO to the Astronomical Almanac and how it may change the data tabulated there.