Home     Getting Started     To Survive in the Universe    
Inhabited Sky
    News@Sky     Astro Photo     The Collection     Forum     Blog New!     FAQ     Press     Login  

31 Tau


Contents

Images

Upload your image

DSS Images   Other Images


Related articles

Reddening and the Extinction Law at High Galactic Latitude
We present near-infrared (JHKL) photometry of 103 southern stars locatedbehind translucent interstellar clouds at high Galactic latitude. Ourdata are combined with visual photometry and spectral type informationfrom the literature in a detailed analysis of the wavelength dependenceof interstellar extinction by dust in these high-latitude clouds. Weinvestigate the shape of the near-infrared extinction curve and evaluatethe total line-of-sight extinction (AV) and ratio oftotal-to-selective extinction (RV) in each line of sight.Sources of uncertainty in RV arising from photometric errorsand spectral classification errors are carefully assessed and quantifiedas functions of the line-of-sight reddening. We detect appreciabledifferences in our results compared with the average extinction curvefor dust in the diffuse interstellar medium (ISM) close to the Galacticplane. Assuming a power-law form in the near-infrared, we find the meanfor high-latitude clouds to be well described by~λ-2.3, somewhat steeperthan that for the diffuse ISM(~λ-1.8). Our sampleincludes a substantial number of lines of sight with low RVvalues (47% with RV<2.8) relative to the diffuse ISMaverage of 3.05+/-0.15. We conclude that many high-latitude clouds haveenhanced abundances of relatively small grains.

B Star Rotational Velocities in h and χ Persei: A Probe of Initial Conditions during the Star Formation Epoch?
Projected rotational velocities (vsini) have been measured for 216 B0-B9stars in the rich, dense h and χ Persei double cluster and comparedwith the distribution of rotational velocities for a sample of fieldstars having comparable ages (t~12-15 Myr) and masses (M~4-15Msolar). For stars that are relatively little evolved fromtheir initial locations on the zero-age main sequence (ZAMS) (those withmasses M~4-5 Msolar), the mean vsini measured for the h andχ Per sample is slightly more than 2 times larger than the meandetermined for field stars of comparable mass, and the cluster and fieldvsini distributions differ with a high degree of significance. Forsomewhat more evolved stars with masses in the range 5-9Msolar, the mean vsini in h and χ Per is 1.5 times thatof the field; the vsini distributions differ as well, but with a lowerdegree of statistical significance. For stars that have evolvedsignificantly from the ZAMS and are approaching the hydrogen exhaustionphase (those with masses in the range 9-15 Msolar), thecluster and field star means and distributions are only slightlydifferent. We argue that both the higher rotation rates and the patternof rotation speeds as a function of mass that differentiatemain-sequence B stars in h and χ Per from their field analogs werelikely imprinted during the star formation process rather than a resultof angular momentum evolution over the 12-15 Myr cluster lifetime. Wespeculate that these differences may reflect the effects of the higheraccretion rates that theory suggests are characteristic of regions thatgive birth to dense clusters, namely, (1) higher initial rotationspeeds; (2) higher initial radii along the stellar birth line, resultingin greater spin-up between the birth line and the ZAMS; and (3) a morepronounced maximum in the birth line radius-mass relationship thatresults in differentially greater spin-up for stars that become mid- tolate-B stars on the ZAMS.

An empirical temperature calibration for the Δ a photometric system . I. The B-type stars
We establish an empirical effective temperature calibration of mainsequence, luminosity class V to III B-type stars for the Δ aphotometric system which was originally developed to detect magneticchemically peculiar objects of the upper main sequence (early B-type toearly F-type) at 5200 Å. However, this system provides the index(g_1-y) which shows an excellent correlation with (B-V) as well as (b-y)and can be used as an indicator of the effective temperature. This issupplemented by a very accurate color-magnitude diagram, y or V versus(g_1-y), which can be used, for example, to determine the reddening,distance and age of an open cluster. This makes the Δ aphotometric system an excellent tool to investigate theHertzsprung-Russell-Diagram (HRD) in more detail. Using thereddening-free parameters and already established calibrations withinthe Strömgren uvbyβ, Geneva 7-color and Johnson UBV systems, apolynomial fit of third degree for the averaged effective temperaturesto the individual (g_1-y)0 values was derived. For thispurpose, data from the literature as well as new observations were takenresulting in 225 suitable bright normal B-type objects. The statisticalmean of the error for this sample is 238 K which is sufficient toinvestigate the HRD of distant galactic open clusters as well asextragalactic aggregates in the future.

NaI and CaII absorption components observed towards the Orion-Eridanus Superbubble
We present medium-resolution spectra (R ~ 7.5 km s-1) of theinterstellar NaI and CaII interstellar absorption lines observed towards16 early-type stars with distances of 160-1 kpc in the line-of-sighttowards the Orion-Eridanus Superbubble (OE-S). These data have beensupplemented with measurements of NaI absorption towards a further 13stars with similar sight-lines taken from the literature. We detect twomajor absorption components with velocities of Vlsr ~ +7.0and -8.0 km s-1. The former component, seen in 70% of thesight-lines is associated with the boundary to the Local Bubble cavitylocated at a distance of 140-150 pc. The other absorption component isonly detected towards a limited region of the sky bounded by (190°< l < 215°) and (-50° < b < -30°). If gas withthis velocity is associated with an outer expansion shell of the OE-S,then we can place its distance at 163-180 pc in agreement with theestimate by Guo et al. (1995, ApJ, 453, 256). Several other negativevelocity components at Vlsr ~ -20.4, -28.5 and -33.5 kms-1 have also been detected for sight-line distances > 220pc within an area coincident with that of the 0.75 keV X-ray enhancementof the OE-S. Column density ratios, N(NaI)/N(CaII), for the mostnegative velocity components have values < 1.0, suggesting that thisgas has been disrupted by a possible shock event. Our data do notsupport a simple model for the OE-S that involves a single stellarbubble cavity that stretches from the Orion Nebula to high galacticlatitudes. Instead, our detection of multiple positive and negativevelocity components suggests the presence of several gas shells producedby supernovae and/or stellar wind-driven shocks. We also confirm thatthe prominent "hook-like" feature of H-α emission thatcharacterizes the OE-S, in in fact composed of two physically separateemission arcs, with the brighter Arc A being at a distance > 500 pc.Finally, we place a similar distance limit for any coherently structuredrear shell of neutral gas associated with expansion of the OE-S towardsthe galactic halo.

Differential photometry of speckle-interferometric binary and multiple stars
A method for differential photometry of speckle-interferometric binaryand multiple stars is presented. Both the accuracy and sources ofsystematic errors of the method are analysed. The photometric accuracyranges between 0.02 m and 0.20 m, depending on the atmospheric seeing,the brightness and the separation of the system components. A comparisonbetween our magnitude differences and those of other authors ispresented.

Ultraviolet Extinction Properties in the Milky Way
We have assembled a homogeneous database of 417 ultraviolet (UV)extinction curves for reddened sight lines having InternationalUltraviolet Explorer spectra. We have combined these with optical andTwo Micron All Sky Survey photometry, allowing estimates of the ratio oftotal-to-selective extinction, RV, for the entire sample.Fitzpatrick-Massa (FM) parameters have also been found for the entiresample. This is the largest study of parameterized UV extinction curvesyet published, and it covers a wide range of environments, from densemolecular clouds to the diffuse interstellar medium, with extinctionsAV ranging from 0.50 to 4.80. It is the first to extend farbeyond the solar neighborhood and into the Galaxy at large, with 30sight lines having distances greater than 5 kpc. Previously, the longestsight lines with FM parameters and RV extended ~1 kpc. Wefind that (1) the Cardelli, Clayton, & Mathis (CCM) extinction lawapplies for 93% of the sight lines, implying that dust processing in theGalaxy is efficient and systematic, (2) the central wavelength of the2175 Å bump is constant, and (3) the 2175 Å bump width isdependent on environment. Only four sight lines show systematicdeviations from CCM: HD 29647, 62542, 204827, and 210121. These sightlines all sample dense, molecule-rich clouds. The new extinction curvesand values of RV allow us to revise the CCM law.

Speckle interferometry of nearby multiple stars. II.
This paper is a continuation of diffraction-limited speckleinterferometry of binary and multiple stars carried out at the 6-mtelescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory in Zelenchuk. Theprogram has concentrated on nearby (π>10 mas) close binariesdiscovered or measured during the Hipparcos mission. Here, we present132 measurements of relative positions and magnitude differences for 99pairs and 8 measurements for 6 triple systems. 54 entries in the paperare new Hipparcos binaries. New triple systems with late-type dwarfcomponents, discovered in the course of observations, are HIP 8533 andHIP 25354.Based on data collected at the Special Astrophysical Observatory,Russia.{Tables 1-3 are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?/A+A/422/627

High-Resolution Observations of Interstellar Ca I Absorption-Implications for Depletions and Electron Densities in Diffuse Clouds
We present high-resolution (FWHM~0.3-1.5 km s-1) spectra,obtained with the AAT UHRF, the McDonald Observatory 2.7 m coudéspectrograph, and/or the KPNO coudé feed, of interstellar Ca Iabsorption toward 30 Galactic stars. Comparisons of the column densitiesof Ca I, Ca II, K I, and other species-for individual componentsidentified in the line profiles and also when integrated over entirelines of sight-yield information on relative electron densities anddepletions (dependent on assumptions regarding the ionizationequilibrium). There is no obvious relationship between the ratio N(CaI)/N(Ca II) [equal to ne/(Γ/αr) forphotoionization equilibrium] and the fraction of hydrogen in molecularform f(H2) (often taken to be indicative of the local densitynH). For a smaller sample of sight lines for which thethermal pressure (nHT) and local density can be estimated viaanalysis of the C I fine-structure excitation, the average electrondensity inferred from C, Na, and K (assuming photoionizationequilibrium) seems to be independent of nH andnHT. While the electron density (ne) obtained fromthe ratio N(Ca I)/N(Ca II) is often significantly higher than the valuesderived from other elements, the patterns of relative nederived from different elements show both similarities and differencesfor different lines of sight-suggesting that additional processesbesides photoionization and radiative recombination commonly andsignificantly affect the ionization balance of heavy elements in diffuseinterstellar clouds. Such additional processes may also contribute tothe (apparently) larger than expected fractional ionizations(ne/nH) found for some lines of sight withindependent determinations of nH. In general, inclusion of``grain-assisted'' recombination does reduce the inferred ne,but it does not reconcile the ne estimated from differentelements; it may, however, suggest some dependence of ne onnH. The depletion of calcium may have a much weakerdependence on density than was suggested by earlier comparisons with CHand CN. Two appendices present similar high-resolution spectra of Fe Ifor a few stars and give a compilation of column density data for Ca I,Ca II, Fe I, and S I.

Kinematical Structure of the Local Interstellar Medium: The Galactic Anticenter Hemisphere
A survey of interstellar Na I D1 and D2 absorption features in thespectra of 104 early-type stars in the second and third Galacticquadrants reveals the large-scale kinematics of the interstellar gaswithin the Galactic anticenter hemisphere at distances from the Sunbetween ~70 and ~250 pc. Employing a technique that uses both the radialvelocities and column densities of the Na I absorptions produced by theintervening gas we have identified the velocity vectors and determinedthe spatial distribution of eight interstellar clouds in the volumeexplored. The average internal H I+H2 densities of the cloudsrange between 0.03 and 1.7 cm-3, and their masses between 80and 104 Msolar, although uncertainties in thesizes of the clouds, their possible extension beyond the regionexplored, and the presence of denser gas embedded in the larger cloudsimply that these will tend to be lower limits. We have clearlyidentified clumps of denser gas immersed in the low-density gas in oneof the clouds; these clumps show internal H I+H2 densities oforder 50 cm-3. Although we are not able to detect anyinterstellar Na I within 70 pc, the sizes of some of the clouds implythat their near edges are within that range of distances from the Sun.With respect to the local standard of rest the clouds move withvelocities between 19 and 54 km s-1. Their velocity vectorsdo not support the view of a local interstellar medium uniquelydominated by expansion from centers in the Scorpio-Centaurus OBassociation; our results suggest that this expansion is present in theGalactic center hemisphere but in the Galactic anticenter hemisphere isrestricted to the immediate neighborhood of the Sun.

3D mapping of the dense interstellar gas around the Local Bubble
We present intermediate results from a long-term program of mapping theneutral absorption characteristics of the local interstellar medium,motivated by the availability of accurate and consistent parallaxes fromthe Hipparcos satellite. Equivalent widths of the interstellar NaID-line doublet at 5890 Å are presented for the lines-of-sighttowards some 311 new target stars lying within ~ 350 pc of the Sun.Using these data, together with NaI absorption measurements towards afurther ~ 240 nearby targets published in the literature (for many ofthem, in the directions of molecular clouds), and the ~ 450lines-of-sight already presented by (Sfeir et al. \cite{sfeir99}), weshow 3D absorption maps of the local distribution of neutral gas towards1005 sight-lines with Hipparcos distances as viewed from a variety ofdifferent galactic projections.The data are synthesized by means of two complementary methods, (i) bymapping of iso-equivalent width contours, and (ii) by densitydistribution calculation from the inversion of column-densities, amethod devised by Vergely et al. (\cite{vergely01}). Our present dataconfirms the view that the local cavity is deficient in cold and neutralinterstellar gas. The closest dense and cold gas ``wall'', in the firstquadrant, is at ~ 55-60 pc. There are a few isolated clouds at closerdistance, if the detected absorption is not produced by circumstellarmaterial.The maps reveal narrow or wide ``interstellar tunnels'' which connectthe Local Bubble to surrounding cavities, as predicted by the model ofCox & Smith (1974). In particular, one of these tunnels, defined bystars at 300 to 600 pc from the Sun showing negligible sodiumabsorption, connects the well known CMa void (Gry et al. \cite{gry85}),which is part of the Local Bubble, with the supershell GSH 238+00+09(Heiles \cite{heiles98}). High latitude lines-of-sight with the smallestabsorption are found in two ``chimneys'', whose directions areperpendicular to the Gould belt plane. The maps show that the LocalBubble is ``squeezed'' by surrounding shells in a complicated patternand suggest that its pressure is smaller than in those expandingregions.We discuss the locations of several HI and molecular clouds. Usingcomparisons between NaI and HI or CO velocities, in some cases we areable to improve the constraints on their distances. According to thevelocity criteria, MBM 33-37, MBM 16-18, UT 3-7, and MBM 54-55 arecloser than ~ 100 pc, and MBM 40 is closer than 80 pc. Dense HI cloudsare seen at less than 90 pc and 85 pc in the directions of the MBM 12and MBM 41-43 clouds respectively, but the molecular clouds themselvesmay be far beyond. The above closest molecular clouds are located at theneutral boundary of the Bubble. Only one translucent cloud, G192-67, isclearly embedded within the LB and well isolated.These maps of the distribution of local neutral interstellar NaI gas arealso briefly compared with the distribution of both interstellar dustand neutral HI gas within 300 pc.Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp:cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/411/447

Rotational Velocities of B Stars
We measured the projected rotational velocities of 1092 northern B starslisted in the Bright Star Catalogue (BSC) and calibrated them againstthe 1975 Slettebak et al. system. We found that the published values ofB dwarfs in the BSC average 27% higher than those standards. Only 0.3%of the stars have rotational velocities in excess of two-thirds of thebreakup velocities, and the mean velocity is only 25% of breakup,implying that impending breakup is not a significant factor in reducingrotational velocities. For the B8-B9.5 III-V stars the bimodaldistribution in V can be explained by a set of slowly rotating Ap starsand a set of rapidly rotating normal stars. For the B0-B5 III-V starsthat include very few peculiar stars, the distributions in V are notbimodal. Are the low rotational velocities of B stars due to theoccurrence of frequent low-mass companions, planets, or disks? Therotational velocities of giants originating from late B dwarfs areconsistent with their conservation of angular momentum in shells.However, we are puzzled by why the giants that originate from the earlyB dwarfs, despite having 3 times greater radii, have nearly the samerotational velocities. We find that all B-type primaries in binarieswith periods less than 2.4 days have synchronized rotational and orbitalmotions; those with periods between 2.4 and 5.0 days are rotating withina factor 2 of synchronization or are ``nearly synchronized.'' Thecorresponding period ranges for A-type stars are 4.9 and 10.5 days, ortwice as large. We found that the rotational velocities of the primariesare synchronized earlier than their orbits are circularized. The maximumorbital period for circularized B binaries is 1.5 days and for Abinaries is 2.5 days. For stars of various ages from 107.5 to1010.2 yr the maximum circularized periods are a smoothexponential function of age.

Infrared Speckle Interferometry of Eleven Binaries Using a Bispectral Analysis
Infrared speckle-masking observations of eleven binary systems with the6-m Special Astrophysical Observatory telescope are presented. Aresolution of 43 mas in J (1.25 micrometer) and 76 mas in K (2.2micrometers) has been achieved in reconstructed images. Accuratemagnitude differences, separations, and position angles have beendetermined for all the resolved binaries. The pair HR 1071 with anabnormally low lithium abundance is considered in more detail.

ICCD Speckle Observations of Binary Stars. XXIII. Measurements during 1982-1997 from Six Telescopes, with 14 New Orbits
We present 2017 observations of 1286 binary stars, observed by means ofspeckle interferometry using six telescopes over a 15 year period from1982 April to 1997 June. These measurements constitute the 23dinstallment in CHARA's speckle program at 2 to 4 m class telescopes andinclude the second major collection of measurements from the MountWilson 100 inch (2.5 m) Hooker Telescope. Orbital elements are alsopresented for 14 systems, seven of which have had no previouslypublished orbital analyses.

Two-colour photometry for 9473 components of close Hipparcos double and multiple stars
Using observations obtained with the Tycho instrument of the ESAHipparcos satellite, a two-colour photometry is produced for componentsof more than 7 000 Hipparcos double and multiple stars with angularseparations 0.1 to 2.5 arcsec. We publish 9473 components of 5173systems with separations above 0.3 arcsec. The majority of them did nothave Tycho photometry in the Hipparcos catalogue. The magnitudes arederived in the Tycho B_T and V_T passbands, similar to the Johnsonpassbands. Photometrically resolved components of the binaries withstatistically significant trigonometric parallaxes can be put on an HRdiagram, the majority of them for the first time. Based on observationsmade with the ESA Hipparcos satellite.

Ultraviolet Interstellar Linear Polarization. V. Analysis of the Final Data Set
Using recent measurements of ultraviolet interstellar polarization, wehave examined its relationship to ultraviolet extinction and topolarization and extinction measurements in the visible and infrared.The relationship between the relative amount of ultraviolet polarizationand the parameter lambda_max, determined using only visible data, isconfirmed and strengthened, for example, by a tight correlation betweenp(6 mum^-1)/p_max and lambda^-1_max. A good fit to the wavelengthdependence of the polarization from the infrared to the ultraviolet canbe achieved with a five-parameter function combining a power law in theinfrared and a Serkowski-like function in the ultraviolet. Thepolarization efficiency (ratio of polarization to extinction) is less inthe ultraviolet than in the visual, and the ratio of these efficienciesincreases systematically with lambda^-1_max. We relate these effects tosystematic changes in the underlying aligned grain size distribution.The polarization efficiency of the grains causing the 2175 Åextinction bump along most sight lines is so (unusually) small that nostatistically significant polarization feature is detectable in thatwavelength region. Only two of 28 sight lines show a definitepolarization feature. The environments of the two bump sight lines aresimilar but not unique, and the mechanism for producing the polarizationfeature along only these two sight lines is still not known.

Speckle Interferometry at the US Naval Observatory. IV.
The results of 1314 speckle interferometric observations of 625 binarystars, ranging in separation from 0.2" to 5.2" with a limiting secondarymagnitude of V=11, are tabulated. These observations were obtained usingthe 66 cm refractor at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, withan intensified CCD detector. This is the fourth in a series of paperspresenting measures obtained with this equipment and covers the period1997 January 1 through December 31. Random errors for all measures areestimated to be 18 mas in separation and 0.57d/rho in position angle,where rho is the separation in arcseconds.

Speckle Interferometry at the US Naval Observatory. III.
Position angles and separations resulting from 2578 speckleinterferometric observations of 590 binary stars are tabulated. This isthe third in a series of papers presenting measures obtained using the66 cm refractor at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, andcovers the period from 1995 June through 1996 December. Program starsrange in separation from 0.2" to 4.3", with a limiting magnitude ofV=11. Random errors are estimated to be 17.0 mas in separation and0.56d/rho in position angle, where rho is the separation in arcseconds.These are the first results acquired using an improved intensified CCDdetector. The new detector, in concert with an intensity-filteringtechnique applied in software, has permitted a 1 mag increase in dynamicrange, to 3.5 mag, for pairs separated by about 2". The instrumentationand calibration are briefly described, with an emphasis on thecharacteristics of the new detector. The software filter used toincrease the dynamic range is also described.

Speckle Interferometry at the US Naval Observatory. II.
Position angles and separations resulting from 2406 speckleinterferometric observations of 547 binary stars are tabulated. This isthe second in a series of papers presenting measures obtained using the66 cm refractor at the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, with anintensified CCD detector. Program stars range in separation from 0.2" to3.8", with Deltam<=2.5 mag and a limiting magnitude of V=10.0. Theobservation epochs run from 1993 January through 1995 August. Randomerrors are estimated to be 14 mas in separation and 0.52d/rho inposition angle, where rho is the separation in arcseconds. Theinstrumentation and calibration are briefly described. Aspects of thedata analysis related to the avoidance of systematic errors are alsodiscussed.

Measurements of double stars 1993.67 - 1998.13
624 Micrometer Measurements of 224 pairs with a 32.5 cm Cassegrain, 719Measurements of 310 double stars with a 360 mm Newtonian are given.Tables 1 to 4 are available in electronic form only at the CDS130.79.128.5 or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

An extensive Delta a-photometric survey of southern B and A type bright stars
Photoelectric photometry of 803 southern BS objects in the Deltaa-system as detection tool for magnetic chemically peculiar (=CP2) starshas been carried out and compared to published spectral types. Thestatistical yield of such objects detected by both techniques ispractically the same. We show that there are several factors whichcontaminate the search for these stars, but this contamination is onlyof the order of 10% in both techniques. We find a smooth transition fromnormal to peculiar stars. Our sample exhibits the largest fraction ofCP2 stars at their bluest colour interval, i.e. 10% of all stars in thecolour range -0.19 <= B-V < -0.10 or -0.10 <= b-y < -0.05.No peculiar stars based on the Delta a-criterion were found at bluercolours. Towards the red side the fraction of CP2 stars drops to about3% for positive values of B-V or b-y with red limits roughlycorresponding to normal stars of spectral type A5. The photometricbehaviour of other peculiar stars: Am, HgMn, delta Del, lambda Boo, Heabnormal stars, as well as Be/shell stars and supergiants shows someslight, but definite deviations from normal stars. Spectroscopic andvisual binaries are not distinguished from normal stars in their Delta abehaviour. The results of this work justify larger statistical work(e.g. in open clusters) employing more time-saving photometric methods(CCD). \newpage Based on observations obtained at the European SouthernObservatory, La Silla, Chile. This research has made use of the Simbaddatabase, operated at CDS, Strasbourg, France. Table 2 is only availablein electronic form via anonymous ftp 130.79.128.5 orhttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

The Tokyo PMC catalog 90-93: Catalog of positions of 6649 stars observed in 1990 through 1993 with Tokyo photoelectric meridian circle
The sixth annual catalog of the Tokyo Photoelectric Meridian Circle(PMC) is presented for 6649 stars which were observed at least two timesin January 1990 through March 1993. The mean positions of the starsobserved are given in the catalog at the corresponding mean epochs ofobservations of individual stars. The coordinates of the catalog arebased on the FK5 system, and referred to the equinox and equator ofJ2000.0. The mean local deviations of the observed positions from theFK5 catalog positions are constructed for the basic FK5 stars to comparewith those of the Tokyo PMC Catalog 89 and preliminary Hipparcos resultsof H30.

Speckle interferometry of the spectroscopic binaries Gliese 150.2 and 41 Draconis.
Not Available

Speckle Interferometry at the US Naval Observatory. I.
We present speckle interferometer measurements of 467 binary stars takenat the US Naval Observatory in Washington, DC, using the 66 cmrefractor, from 1990 October through 1992 December. The observingprogram is designed to provide high-quality observations of binaries inthe 0."3--3."5 range of separations and as faint as 10.0 mag. More than8000 measurements have been made to date, of which we report the resultsfor 2329. Not only is it our intent to provide accurate data forinteresting binary stars, but also, by careful calibration, to firmlyrelate the "classical" astrometry of binary stars to that being obtainedtoday by speckle and that which will soon be obtained by other moderntechniques such as long-baseline optical interferometry.

Ultra--High-Resolution Observations of Interstellar Na I and Ca II K toward the High Galactic Latitude Star HD 28497
We present very high resolution (0.32 km s-1) spectra of interstellar NaI D1, D2, and Ca II K absorption toward HD 28497 obtained with theUltra--High-Resolution Facility at the 3.9 m Anglo-Australian Telescope.The star is located in projection in a highly disturbed interstellarregion close to a number of identified features including the highgalactic latitude molecular cloud MBM 20, the large Orion-Eridanusshell, seen in H alpha and H I 21 cm maps, and a filamentary loopstructure between vLSR = -12 and -4 km s-1 in the Berkeley H I 21 cmsurvey and visible on the IRAS 100 mu m map. Toward HD 28497 we detect13 absorption components in the Na I spectra, to a column density limitof 2 x 1010 cm-2, and 10 in Ca II K over a velocity range of ~70 km s-1.Four absorption components in the Na I spectra show s-resolved hyperfinestructure with b-values from 0.31 to 0.40 km s-1 and column densitiesfrom 4.0 to 14 x 1010 cm-2. If we assume the clouds represented by thesecomponents have no internal turbulent velocities, their temperatureswould range between 134 and 227 K. One of these hyperfine split (hfs)components, at vLSR = -11.1 km s-1, shows significant temporal variationin equivalent width compared to earlier (1977) observations, making thisthe first interstellar sight line outside the Vela supernova remnant toshow a time-varying component. The feature may be associated with thefilamentary loop structure seen in this region. There is poorcorrespondence between the Na I and Ca II profiles: we do not detectnarrow Ca II profiles to the four hfs Na I components, and only three ofthe well-resolved components have the same Ca II and Na I radialvelocities and consistent b-values. One of these components, at vLSR =-30.0 km s-1, has a low Na I/Ca II ratio and arises in a region whereturbulent motions dominate---properties consistent with the hypothesisthat the cloud lies close to HD 28497. In general, however, the Na I andCa II occupy different gaseous phases in the ISM. We have compared ourdata with 21 cm emission profiles obtained from the recentLeiden/Dwingeloo H I survey. Based on agreement in the velocities, theNa I/Ca II ratio, and the kinetic temperatures, we conclude that thecomponent at vLSR = -7.5 km s-1 is associated with the front side of thelarge, expanding Orion-Eridanus shell. Unexpectedly, the molecular cloudMBM 20 is not detected either in our absorption spectra or in the H Iprofiles, indicating that HD 28497 lies away from the core of MBM 20.Apart from the two features at -11 and -7.5 km s-1 there is almost noagreement between the H I profiles and the optical spectra. Although wecannot rule out the possibility that most of the H I lies behind thestar, this explanation seems unlikely because many of the H I featureshave previously been attributed to foreground phenomena. The beam sizesof the H I and the optical studies are quite different and this suggestsa different explanation, namely that the physical sizes of theinterstellar structures we detect in Na I and Ca II are not extensiveenough to be detected in H I. If so, this raises questions about theusefulness in general of combining results obtained from H I 21 cmstudies with results obtained from optical (or ultraviolet) studies ofthe interstellar gas.

ICCD Speckle Observations of Binary Stars. XVII. Measurements During 1993-1995 From the Mount Wilson 2.5-M Telescope.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....114.1639H&db_key=AST

ICCD Speckle Observations of Binary Stars. XVI. Measurements During 1982-1989 from the Perkins 1.8-M Telescope.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1997AJ....114.1623F&db_key=AST

The Distribution of Dust Clouds in the Interstellar Medium
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...457..764D&db_key=AST

Ultraviolet Interstellar Polarization of Galactic Starlight.I.Observations by the Wisconsin Ultraviolet Photo Polarimeter Experiment
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996AJ....112.2726A&db_key=AST

ICCD Speckle Observations of Binary Stars. XIII. Measurements During 1989- 1994 From the Cerro Tololo 4 M Telescope
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996AJ....111..936H&db_key=AST

ICCD Speckle Observations of Binary Stars. XII. Measurements During 1984-1986 From the Perkins 1.8 M Telescope
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996AJ....111..393A&db_key=AST

Submit a new article


Related links

  • - No Links Found -
Submit a new link


Member of following groups:


Observation and Astrometry data

Constellation:Taureau
Right ascension:03h52m00.20s
Declination:+06°32'05.0"
Apparent magnitude:5.67
Distance:215.983 parsecs

Catalogs and designations:
Proper Names   (Edit)
Flamsteed31 Tau
HD 1989HD 24263
BSC 1991HR 1199

→ Request more catalogs and designations from VizieR