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Local kinematics of K and M giants from CORAVEL/Hipparcos/Tycho-2 data. Revisiting the concept of superclusters
The availability of the Hipparcos Catalogue has triggered many kinematicand dynamical studies of the solar neighbourhood. Nevertheless, thosestudies generally lacked the third component of the space velocities,i.e., the radial velocities. This work presents the kinematic analysisof 5952 K and 739 M giants in the solar neighbourhood which includes forthe first time radial velocity data from a large survey performed withthe CORAVEL spectrovelocimeter. It also uses proper motions from theTycho-2 catalogue, which are expected to be more accurate than theHipparcos ones. An important by-product of this study is the observedfraction of only 5.7% of spectroscopic binaries among M giants ascompared to 13.7% for K giants. After excluding the binaries for whichno center-of-mass velocity could be estimated, 5311 K and 719 M giantsremain in the final sample. The UV-plane constructed from these datafor the stars with precise parallaxes (σπ/π≤20%) reveals a rich small-scale structure, with several clumpscorresponding to the Hercules stream, the Sirius moving group, and theHyades and Pleiades superclusters. A maximum-likelihood method, based ona Bayesian approach, has been applied to the data, in order to make fulluse of all the available stars (not only those with precise parallaxes)and to derive the kinematic properties of these subgroups. Isochrones inthe Hertzsprung-Russell diagram reveal a very wide range of ages forstars belonging to these groups. These groups are most probably relatedto the dynamical perturbation by transient spiral waves (as recentlymodelled by De Simone et al. \cite{Simone2004}) rather than to clusterremnants. A possible explanation for the presence of younggroup/clusters in the same area of the UV-plane is that they have beenput there by the spiral wave associated with their formation, while thekinematics of the older stars of our sample has also been disturbed bythe same wave. The emerging picture is thus one of dynamical streamspervading the solar neighbourhood and travelling in the Galaxy withsimilar space velocities. The term dynamical stream is more appropriatethan the traditional term supercluster since it involves stars ofdifferent ages, not born at the same place nor at the same time. Theposition of those streams in the UV-plane is responsible for the vertexdeviation of 16.2o ± 5.6o for the wholesample. Our study suggests that the vertex deviation for youngerpopulations could have the same dynamical origin. The underlyingvelocity ellipsoid, extracted by the maximum-likelihood method afterremoval of the streams, is not centered on the value commonly acceptedfor the radial antisolar motion: it is centered on < U > =-2.78±1.07 km s-1. However, the full data set(including the various streams) does yield the usual value for theradial solar motion, when properly accounting for the biases inherent tothis kind of analysis (namely, < U > = -10.25±0.15 kms-1). This discrepancy clearly raises the essential questionof how to derive the solar motion in the presence of dynamicalperturbations altering the kinematics of the solar neighbourhood: doesthere exist in the solar neighbourhood a subset of stars having no netradial motion which can be used as a reference against which to measurethe solar motion?Based on observations performed at the Swiss 1m-telescope at OHP,France, and on data from the ESA Hipparcos astrometry satellite.Full Table \ref{taba1} is only available in electronic form at the CDSvia anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/430/165}
| 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.
| The science potential of ALFA: Adaptive optics with natural and laser guide stars
Adaptive optics with laser guide stars is mandatory in order to make useof the full capabilities of 8-m class telescopes. However, progress hasbeen slow in two particular areas: techniques for spectroscopy atdiffraction limited resolution and wavefront sensing on laser guidestars. ALFA - currently the only European laser guide star adaptiveoptics system, and the only one in the world open to guest observers -has made significant advances in both of these. In this paper we reporton our first results from summer 1998, representing significantimprovements over previous performance. We report on observations usingnatural guide stars which demonstrate that for bright stars ({m_V} ~<8) ALFA can now reach K-band Strehl ratios in excess of 60% and easilyresolve binaries at the diffraction limit of the telescope. We thenpresent some of the first integral field spectroscopy at diffractionlimited scales, showing we are able to distinguish spectra of binarystars with a separation of only 0.26 arcsec. We also discuss resultsfrom a wide field image, which indicate that useful correction (allowingbinary stars and circumstellar dust shells to be resolved) can beachieved from a relatively faint star to a radius of at least 1 arcmin.Our last set of results include a correction on a galaxy using the laserguide star as the reference. The best result to date is of the galaxyUGC 1347 in Abell 262. Correcting tip-tilt on a star 41'' away andhigher orders on the laser, we achieved an increase in peak intensity of2.5, and a reduction in FWHM from 1.07'' to 0.40 arcsec.
| Variations in brightness and polarization of UX Draconis.
Not Available
| Visual polarization measurements in the Cepheus flare
We present polarization measurements on a stellar sample located in alarge area in Cepheus. The observations were made with the 2-m telescopeat the Pic du Midi (France), around 4350 A and with an accuracy of thepolarization degree of the order of 0.0001. At large scales, we findthat the galactic magnetic field as given by the direction of thepolarization (alignment of the dust) is, roughly speaking, parallel tothe galactic plane in the Cassiopeia cloud, with a scale size of theorder of 100 pc, while it is turned by about 90 in the Cepheus cloud. Atsmall scales, in both the Cepheus and the Cassiopeia clouds, the COcontent has little correlation with the degree of polarization.
| Yerkes actinometry. Zone +73deg to +90deg.
Not Available
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Dragon |
| Right ascension: | 19h18m52.44s |
| Declination: | +76°47'33.1" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 7.244 |
| Distance: | 273.973 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | -8.9 |
| Proper motion Dec: | 4.1 |
| B-T magnitude: | 8.797 |
| V-T magnitude: | 7.373 |
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INHABITED SKY
