Research in atomic spectroscopy will continue to approach the fundamental limits of resolution and accuracy in optical spectroscopy, one part in 1018. The best "accuracy" and 1000-day stability realized in the past is 10-13 or 105 times less. The new "accuracy" means that independent frequency measurements on the same atomic line by two different groups in the same laboratory agree to better than 10-18 and long term (108 sec or 1000 days) stability is as good. This follows on the first observation in an individual Ba+ ion of the forbidden 6S1/2 5D5/2 transition at 1.76 microm of 0.005 Hz natural line width. Further work will continue to improve on these basic measurements of atomic parameters.
