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Observational Constraints on Interstellar Grain Alignment
We present new multicolor photopolarimetry of stars behind the SouthernCoalsack. Analyzed together with multiband polarization data from theliterature, probing the Chamaeleon I, Musca, ? Opiuchus, R CrA, andTaurus clouds, we show that the wavelength of maximum polarization(?max) is linearly correlated with the radiationenvironment of the grains. Using far-infrared emission data, we showthat the large scatter seen in previous studies of?max as a function of AV is primarily dueto line-of-sight effects causing some AV measurements to notbe a good tracer of the extinction (radiation field strength) seen bythe grains being probed. The derived slopes in ?maxversus AV, for the individual clouds, are consistent with acommon value, while the zero intercepts scale with the average values ofthe ratios of total to selective extinction (RV) for theindividual clouds. Within each cloud we do not find direct correlationsbetween ?max and RV. The positive slope isconsistent with recent developments in theory and indicating alignmentdriven by the radiation field. The present data cannot conclusivelydifferentiate between direct radiative torques and alignment driven byH2 formation. However, the small values of?max(AV=0), seen in several clouds, suggesta role for the latter, at least at the cloud surfaces. The scatter inthe ?max versus AV relation is found to beassociated with the characteristics of the embedded YSOs in the clouds.We propose that this is partially due to locally increased plasmadamping of the grain rotation caused by X-rays from the YSOs.
| An Analysis of the Shapes of Interstellar Extinction Curves. V. The IR-through-UV Curve Morphology
We study the IR-through-UV interstellar extinction curves towards 328Galactic B and late-O stars. We use a new technique which employsstellar atmosphere models in lieu of unreddened "standard" stars. Thistechnique is capable of virtually eliminating spectral mismatch errorsin the curves. It also allows a quantitative assessment of the errorsand enables a rigorous testing of the significance of relationshipsbetween various curve parameters, regardless of whether theiruncertainties are correlated. Analysis of the curves gives the followingresults: (1) In accord with our previous findings, the central positionof the 2175 A extinction bump is mildly variable, its width is highlyvariable, and the two variations are unrelated. (2) Strong correlationsare found among some extinction properties within the UV region, andwithin the IR region. (3) With the exception of a few curves withextreme (i.e., large) values of R(V), the UV and IR portions of Galacticextinction curves are not correlated with each other. (4) The largesightline-to-sightline variation seen in our sample implies that anyaverage Galactic extinction curve will always reflect the biases of itsparent sample. (5) The use of an average curve to deredden a spectralenergy distribution (SED) will result in significant errors, and arealistic error budget for the dereddened SED must include the observedvariance of Galactic curves. While the observed largesightline-to-sightline variations, and the lack of correlation among thevarious features of the curves, make it difficult to meaningfullycharacterize average extinction properties, they demonstrate thatextinction curves respond sensitively to local conditions. Thus, eachcurve contains potentially unique information about the grains along itssightline.
| New Estimates of the Solar-Neighborhood Massive Star Birthrate and the Galactic Supernova Rate
The birthrate of stars of masses >=10 Msolar is estimatedfrom a sample of just over 400 O3-B2 dwarfs within 1.5 kpc of the Sunand the result extrapolated to estimate the Galactic supernova ratecontributed by such stars. The solar-neighborhood Galactic-plane massivestar birthrate is estimated at ~176 stars kpc-3Myr-1. On the basis of a model in which the Galactic stellardensity distribution comprises a ``disk+central hole'' like that of thedust infrared emission (as proposed by Drimmel and Spergel), theGalactic supernova rate is estimated at probably not less than ~1 normore than ~2 per century and the number of O3-B2 dwarfs within the solarcircle at ~200,000.
| Catalog of Galactic OB Stars
An all-sky catalog of Galactic OB stars has been created by extendingthe Case-Hamburg Galactic plane luminous-stars surveys to include 5500additional objects drawn from the literature. This work brings the totalnumber of known or reasonably suspected OB stars to over 16,000.Companion databases of UBVβ photometry and MK classifications forthese objects include nearly 30,000 and 20,000 entries, respectively.
| Uvbyβ photometry of all stars earlier than G0 and brighter than m_pg_~10.3mag in Selected Area 194
Four-colour and Hβ photometry is introduced for 594 stars earlierthan G0 in the Kapteyn's Selected Area 194. The results give V, b-y,m_1_, c_1_, and β on the standard systems, with overall rms errorsfor one observation of one star of 0.009mag, 0.004mag, 0.006mag,0.009mag, and 0.009mag, respectively. The data cover an area of about5deg x 5deg and is intended for an investigation of the distribution ofthe interstellar medium toward the northern part of the SouthernCoalsack and its surroundings. A comparison to earlier results obtainedby other authors has shown that the c_1_ indices obtained for the latetype stars were underestimated, in average, by 0.020mag. Since suchdifference may account for an error of little more than 10% in theestimated stellar distances, a correction was applied to the c_1_ indexof these stars.
| The distance and structure of the Coalsack. I - Photometric data
The results of UBV and H-beta photometry for 284 stars of spectral typesB to F located in the area of the dark cloud Coalsack are presented.Most of the present stars are brighter than 10.0 mag and are classifiedin the MK system of Houk and Cowley (1975). For each star, the bestvalues for the extinction and distance modulus are provided, withtypical estimated errors of + or - 0.08 mag for the extinction and + or- 0.32 mag for the distance modulus. Possible misclassifications andspectral peculiarities are noted for several of the stars.
| Stromgren and H-beta photometry of stars earlier than G0 in the Southern Coalsack direction
Four-color and H-beta photometry have been obtained for 236 starsearlier than G0 in order to study the color excess distribution in theSouthern Coalsack direction. The beta histogram of the stars reveals arelative absence of stars in the range of A4 to A9. The (b-y)distribution for B-type stars suggests the existence of three differenttypes of stars located at different distances.
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Centaurus |
| Right ascension: | 13h01m23.23s |
| Declination: | -62°55'30.3" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 8.393 |
| Distance: | 613.497 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | -13.6 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -7.3 |
| B-T magnitude: | 8.949 |
| V-T magnitude: | 8.439 |
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INHABITED SKY
