A systematic study of variability among OB-stars based on HIPPARCOS photometry
Context: Variability is a key factor for understanding the nature of themost massive stars, the OB stars. Such stars lie closest to the unstableupper limit of star formation. Aims: In terms of statistics, thedata from the HIPPARCOS satellite are unique because of time coverageand uniformity. They are ideal to study variability in this large,uniform sample of OB stars. Methods: We used statisticaltechniques to determine an independant threshold of variabilitycorresponding to our sample of OB stars, and then applied an automaticalgorithm to search for periods in the data of stars that are locatedabove this threshold. We separated the sample stars into 4 maincategories of variability: 3 intrinsic and 1 extrinsic. The intrinsiccategories are: OB main sequence stars (~2/3 of the sample), OBe stars(~10%) and OB Supergiant stars (~1/4).The extrinsic category refers toeclipsing binaries. Results: We classified about 30% of the wholesample as variable, although the fraction depends on magnitude level dueto instrumental limitations. OBe stars tend to be much more variable(≈80%) than the average sample star, while OBMS stars are belowaverage and OBSG stars are average. Types of variables include αCyg, β Cep, slowly pulsating stars and other types from the generalcatalog of variable stars. As for eclipsing binaries, there arerelatively more contact than detached systems among the OBMS and OBestars, and about equal numbers among OBSG stars.
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Optical polarimetric study of open clusters: distribution of interstellar matter towards NGC 654
We present new B,V and R linear polarimetric observations for 61 starstowards the region of the young open cluster NGC 654. In this study wefound evidence for the presence of at least two layers of dust along theline of sight to the cluster. The distances to the two dust layers areestimated to be ~200 pc and ~1 kpc which are located much closer to theSun than the cluster (~2.4 kpc). Both the dust layers have their localmagnetic field orientation nearly parallel to the direction of theGalactic plane. The foreground dust layer is found to have a ringmorphology with the central hole coinciding with the centre of thecluster. The foreground dust grains are suggested to be mainlyresponsible for both the observed differential reddening and thepolarization towards the cluster.
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Tycho-2 stars with infrared excess in the MSX Point Source Catalogue
Stars of all evolutionary phases have been found to have excess infraredemission due to the presence of circumstellar material. To identify suchstars, we have positionally correlated the infrared Mid-Course SpaceExperiment (MSX) Point Source Catalogue and the Tycho-2 opticalcatalogue. Near-mid-infrared colour criteria have been developed toselect infrared excess stars. The search yielded 1938 excess stars; overhalf (979) have never previously been detected by IRAS. The excess starswere found to be young objects such as Herbig Ae/Be and Be stars, andevolved objects such as OH/IR (infrared) and carbon stars. A number ofB-type excess stars were also discovered whose infrared colours couldnot be readily explained by known catalogued objects.
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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.
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Stellar contents of two young open clusters: NGC 663 and 654
UBVRI CCD photometry in a wide field around two young open clusters, NGC663 and 654, has been carried out. Hα and polarimetricobservations for the cluster NGC 654 have also been obtained. We use thephotometric data to construct colour-colour and colour-magnitudediagrams, from which we can investigate the reddening, age, mass andevolutionary states of the stellar contents of the these clusters. Thereddening across the cluster regions is found to be variable. There isevidence for anomalous reddening law in both clusters; however, moreinfrared and polarimetric data are needed to conclude about thereddening law. Both clusters are situated at about a distance of 2.4kpc. Star formation in both clusters is found to be a continuousprocess. In the case of NGC 663, star formation seems to have takenplace sequentially, in the sense that formation of low-mass starsprecedes the formation of most massive stars. Whereas, in the case ofNGC 654, formation of low-mass stars did not cease after the formationof most massive stars in the cluster.
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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.
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Absolute proper motions of open clusters. I. Observational data
Mean proper motions and parallaxes of 205 open clusters were determinedfrom their member stars found in the Hipparcos Catalogue. 360 clusterswere searched for possible members, excluding nearby clusters withdistances D < 200 pc. Members were selected using ground basedinformation (photometry, radial velocity, proper motion, distance fromthe cluster centre) and information provided by Hipparcos (propermotion, parallax). Altogether 630 certain and 100 possible members werefound. A comparison of the Hipparcos parallaxes with photometricdistances of open clusters shows good agreement. The Hipparcos dataconfirm or reject the membership of several Cepheids in the studiedclusters. Tables 1 and 2 are only available in electronic form at theCDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html
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Spectroscopic observations of young open clusters: IC 1805, NGC 654 and NGC 6823
Spectroscopic observations were made for a sample of 263 stars fromthree young open clusters IC 1805, NGC 654 and NGC 6823 with CCDdetectors in the blue and yellow-red spectral regions. MKK types wereproperly determined for these stars by carefully comparing spectra ofprogram stars with those of a complete grid of MKK standards, which wereobserved with the same instruments as the program stars. For most of theobserved stars precise MKK types were assigned for the first time. A fewof early-type emission-line stars were discovered or confirmed. Thepresence of Be stars in the studied clusters is discussed. Spectra ofthe observed MKK standards also reveal lots of features showingtemperature or luminosity effect in the yellow-red region, which helpedin our stellar spectral classification.
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The 74th Special Name-list of Variable Stars
We present the Name-list introducing GCVS names for 3153 variable starsdiscovered by the Hipparcos mission.
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Catalogue of H-alpha emission stars in the Northern Milky Way
The ``Catalogue of Stars in the Northern Milky Way Having H-alpha inEmission" appears in Abhandlungen aus der Hamburger Sternwarte, Band XIin the year 1997. It contains 4174 stars, range {32degr <= l() II< 214degr , -10degr < b() II < +10degr } having the Hαline in emission. HBH stars and stars of further 99 lists taken from theliterature till the end of 1994 were included in the catalogue. We givethe cross-identification of stars from all lists used. The catalogue isalso available in the Centre de Données, Strasbourg ftp130.79.128.5 or http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr and at the HamburgObservatory via internet.
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UBV beta Database for Case-Hamburg Northern and Southern Luminous Stars
A database of photoelectric UBV beta photometry for stars listed in theCase-Hamburg northern and southern Milky Way luminous stars surveys hasbeen compiled from the original research literature. Consisting of over16,000 observations of some 7300 stars from over 500 sources, thisdatabase constitutes the most complete compilation of such photometryavailable for intrinsically luminous stars around the Galactic plane.Over 5000 stars listed in the Case-Hamburg surveys still lackfundamental photometric data.
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Catalogue of stars in the northern Milky Way having H-alpha in emission
Not Available
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JHK photometric study of the variable interstellar extinction in the direction of open star cluster NGC 654
JHK magnitudes have been determined for 18 stars in the field of NGC654. Study of the interstellar extinction law in the cluster directionindicates an anomalous distribution of interstellar grains causing moreextinction in U and B pass-bands compared to that obtained from thecolor excesses E(V-J), E(V-H) and E(V-K) using a normal reddening law.This implies a small shift in the grain-size distribution towardssmaller than normal-sized particles. Patchy distribution of interstellarmatter seems to be responsible for the nonuniform extinction in thecluster region.
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Photometry of the open cluster NGC 654
A reddening which varies from 0.74 to 1.16 mag across the cluster isdetermined by a photoelectric UBV study of NGC 654. The true distancemodulus is estimated to be 10.85 mag. A discussion is presented of theage of the cluster stars and NGC 654's position on the HR diagram. Anevolutionary effect in the cluster stars is observable. Almost all ofthe stars have reached the main sequence.
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Membership in the young open cluster NGC 654
Relative proper motions with an average standard error of + or 0.07arcsec/century in each coordinate have been determined for 186 stars inthe region of the young open cluster NGC 654. Of these stars 60 arefound to be probable members, including the A0 Ib supergiant BD +61 deg315. The F5 Ia MK standard HD 10494 tentatively appears to be a probablemember. With an adopted absorption ratio of 3.0, the corrected distancemodulus is 11.9 + or - 0.3 magnitudes or a distance of 2400 pc. Derivedabsolute visual magnitudes and intrinsic (B-V) colors for thesupergiants are given. Three additional bright stars are presented aspossible B-A Ib supergiants. The known variable reddening across thecluster is probably due to foreground dust rather than to dust left overfrom the period of star formation.
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Stellar Spectra and Colors in a Milky way Region in Cassiopeia.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1955ApJS....2..123F&db_key=AST
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INHABITED SKY
