Search for Nanosecond Optical Pulses from Nearby Solar-Type Stars
With ``Earth 2000'' technology we could generate a directed laser pulsethat outshines the broadband visible light of the Sun by 4 orders ofmagnitude. This is a conservative lower bound for the technicalcapability of a communicating civilization; optical interstellarcommunication is thus technically plausible. We have built a pair ofsystems to detect nanosecond pulsed optical signals from a target listthat includes some 13,000 Sun-like stars, and we have made some 16,000observations totaling nearly 2400 hr during five years of operation. Abeam splitter-fed pair of hybrid avalanche photodetectors at the 1.5 mWyeth Telescope at the Harvard/Smithsonian Oak Ridge Observatory(Agassiz Station) triggers on a coincident pulse pair, initiatingmeasurement of pulse width and intensity at subnanosecond resolution. Anidentical system at the 0.9 m Cassegrain at Princeton's Fitz-RandolphObservatory performs synchronized observations with 0.1 μs eventtiming, permitting unambiguous identification of even a solitary pulse.Among the 11,600 artifact-free observations at Harvard, the distributionof 274 observed events shows no pattern of repetition, and is consistentwith a model with uniform event rate, independent of target. With onepossible exception (HIP 107395), no valid event has been seensimultaneously at the two observatories. We describe the search andcandidate events and set limits on the prevalence of civilizationstransmitting intense optical pulses.
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Spectroscopic orbits of potential interferometric binaries
We are obtaining high-resolution, red-wavelength spectra at McDonald andKitt Peak National Observatory to improve the orbits of knownspectroscopic binaries that are potential targets for ground-basedoptical interferometers. The combination of such observations willproduce three-dimensional orbits from which very accurate masses andorbital parallaxes can be obtained for double-lined systems. Thisspectroscopic program will be expanded and placed on the menu of the 2meter Automatic Spectroscopic Telescope of Tennessee State Universityonce it commences routine operation.
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Reprocessing the Hipparcos Intermediate Astrometric Data of spectroscopic binaries. II. Systems with a giant component
By reanalyzing the Hipparcos Intermediate Astrometric Data of a largesample of spectroscopic binaries containing a giant, we obtain a sampleof 29 systems fulfilling a carefully derived set of constraints andhence for which we can derive an accurate orbital solution. Of these,one is a double-lined spectroscopic binary and six were not listed inthe DMSA/O section of the catalogue. Using our solutions, we derive themasses of the components in these systems and statistically analyzethem. We also briefly discuss each system individually.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA 1997) and on data collected with theSimbad database.
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Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.
We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.
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Chromospheric CA II H and K and H-alpha emission in single and binary stars of spectral types F6-M2
New observations of the Ca II H and K and H-epsilon region and/or theBalmer H-alpha line are presented for 100 mostly very active stars butalso for weak or inactive stars with suspected activity. Correlationsbetween chromospheric activity at Ca II H and K and H-alpha andeffective surface temperature and rotation are identified, and severalnew stars with chromospheric Ca II H and K emission are discovered. Nosingle activity-rotation relation can be derived for all luminosityclasses, and there is clear evidence that evolved stars are generallymore active than main-sequence stars of the same rotation period. Binarywithin the evolved stars appears to play no role, while main-sequencebinary stars show generally higher levels of activity than their singlecounterparts. Chromospheric emission in the Ca II H and K lines dependson surface temperature in that flux declines with cooler temperature.
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Mean positions and proper motions of 224 stars based on PZT observations at Ondrejov in 1973-1986
An improvement of the positions and proper motions for the Ondrejov PZTstar list based on observations of 224 stars in the period 1973-1986 ispresented. The mean epoch of the PZT 86 catalogue is found to be 1981.56with a standard error in right ascension equal to + or - 0.0015 s/ andin delination equal to + or - 0.017 arcsec. The proper motions in rightascension and declination were obtained with an accuracy characterizedby the average standard errors of + or - 0.051 s/cy and + or - 0.57arcsec/cy, respectively. The PZT 86 catalogue is compared with theprevious PZT (1978 and 1983) catalogues, and with the AGK 3 (Dieckvoss,1975) catalogue.
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Narrow-band photometry of late-type stars. II
This paper presents extensive narrow-band photometry in the Uppsalasystem supplementing earlier published mesurements so that data now areavailable for all late-type stars brighter than V = 6.05 and a number ofgalactic cluster members. Numerous UBV and BV measurements are alsopublished. The data are used to determine relations for the predictionof UBV intrinsic colors for late-type stars from the narrow-bandmeasurements. The main purpose of the data is to constitute the basisfor the determination of solar-neighborhood space densities of late-typestars, mainly giants of different kinds; these space densities will becombined with narrow-band data for fainter stars in the north Galacticpole region to yield the decrease of space density with distance fromthe galactic plane for many kinds of late-type stars.
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The spectroscopic orbits of HD 44780 and 65 Geminorum
Binary star systems in which both components are normal late-type giantsare rare. HD 44780 and 65 Gem are shown to be such systems: they haveperiods of 577 and 1601 days respectively, and their spectra areconspicuously double-lined for considerable parts of their orbits. Theirmass ratios are very close to unity, although their luminosity ratiosare not. Attention is drawn to the imminent series of lunar occultationsof 65 Gem.
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E. W. Fick Observatory stellar radial velocity measurements. I - 1976-1984
Stellar radial velocity observations made with the large vacuumhigh-dispersion photoelectric radial velocity spectrometer at FickObservatory are reported. This includes nearly 2000 late-type starsobserved during 585 nights. Gradual modifications to this instrumentover its first eight years of operation have reduced the observationalerror for high-quality dip observations to + or - 0.8 km/s.
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Mean positions and proper motions of 305 stars obtained from the combination of PZT observations at Ondrejov with AGK positions
Observations of 305 stars carried out at the Ondrejov Observatory in theperiod 1973-1983 were compared to the positions of the same stars in theAGK 2 and AGK 3 catalogs in order to obtain their mean positions andproper motions. The observations were performed in the course of 1140nights using the PZT telescope and comprise more than 32 thousand startransits. The average mean errors in the right ascension and declinationof a star that was observed thoughout the whole period were + or -0.0019 s and + or - 0.019 arcsec in the epoch around 1979. It ispredicted that the errors will increase + or - 0.0055 sec and + or -0.059 arcsec in the year 2000. A table listing the errors in the rightascension and declination is provided.
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Spectroscopic binaries - 14th complementary catalog
Orbital-element data for 380 spectroscopic binaries are compiled andannotated in tables. The catalog represents a continuation of the 13thcatalog (Pedoussaut and Nadal, 1977) and uses the same general format.The techniques used in making the magnitudes and spectral typeshomogeneous are indicated.
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The determination of mean positions and proper motions of 304 stars from PZT observations at Ondrejov
Not Available
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Radial-velocity orbit of HR 2081
Radial-velocity observations of HR 2081 made with photoelectricspectrometers are given, as well as its orbital elements. The orbit ofHR 2081, a double-lined spectroscopic binary, is determined, showing nosignificant eccentricity. Photoelectric velocity traces show two dipsoften well separated, with a small but perceptible difference in depth.In addition, the minimum masses of both components of HR 2081 correspondto spectral type A1 V on the main sequence, and thus it appears to be ayouthful system.
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MK spectral types for some F and G stars.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1979PASP...91...83C&db_key=AST
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Catalog of Indidual Radial Velocities, 0h-12h, Measured by Astronomers of the Mount Wilson Observatory
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1970ApJS...19..387A&db_key=AST
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INHABITED SKY
