The OH 1667 MHz maser in the circumstellar shell around the Mira variable U
Herculis has been observed with the NRAO Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) at 6
epochs, spread over 4 years. Using phase referencing techniques the position of
the most blue-shifted maser spot was monitored with respect to two
extra-galactic radio sources. The absolute radio positions of the maser can be
compared with the stellar optical position measured by the Hipparcos satellite
to 15 mas accuracy. This confirms the model in which one of the maser spots
corresponds to the stellar continuum, amplified by the maser. The stellar
proper motion and the annual parallax (5.3 +/- 2.1 mas) were measured.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures; to be published in A&