Zechmeister et al. (2009, J/A+A/505/859) surveyed 38 nearby M dwarfs from 2000 to 2007 March with VLT2 and the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) spectrometer. These data have recently been reanalyzed, yielding a significant improvement in the Doppler velocity precision. Spurred by this, we have combined the UVES data with velocity sets from High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher, Magellan/Planet Finder Spectrograph, and Keck/High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer. Sixteen planet candidates have been uncovered orbiting nine M dwarfs. Five of them are new planets corresponding to radial velocity signals, which are not sensitive to the choice of noise models and are identified in multiple data sets over various time spans. Eight candidate planets require additional observation to be confirmed. We also confirm three previously reported planets. Among the new planets, GJ 180 d and GJ 229A c are super-Earths located in the conservative habitable zones of their host stars. We investigate their dynamical stability using the Monte Carlo approach and find both planetary orbits are robust to the gravitational perturbations of the companion planets. Due to their proximity to the Sun, the angular separation between the host stars and the potentially habitable planets in these two systems is 25 and 59 mas, respectively. They are thus good candidates for future direct imaging by James Webb Space Telescope and E-ELT. In addition, we find GJ 433 c, a cold super-Neptune belonging to an unexplored population of Neptune-like planets. With a separation of 0.5" from its host star, GJ 433 c is probably the first realistic candidate for the direct imaging of cold Neptunes. A comprehensive survey of these planets is important for the studies of planet formation.
We present mean radial velocities for 143 stars in Selected Area 57 at the north Galactic pole that are suitable for use as secondary velocity standards. The stars were drawn from a magnitude-limited sample and are mostly fainter than 11th magnitude in V. They span a wide range of effective temperatures and surface gravities and thus provide a suitable source of targets for observed templates. The mean radial velocities are based on at least 10 observations spanning at least 8200 days, and are accurate typically to 0.2km/s, with no obvious signs of variable velocity or composite spectra.
Table2 presents the results of HI observations of 78 'nearby dwarf galaxies' from Karachentseva et al. (1999A&AS..135..221K) obtained with the 100-m radio telescope at Effelsberg. This survey covers an area limited by R.A.[14h,23h30] and Dec[-20d,+60d] including the nearest cosmic void : R.A.[18h38m], Dec[+18d], V_0_<1500km/s.
We investigate the kinematic and photometric properties of the Segue 3 Milky Way companion using Keck/DEIMOS spectroscopy and Magellan/IMACS g- and r-band imaging. Using maximum likelihood methods to analyze the photometry, we study the structure and stellar population of Segue 3. We find that the half-light radius of Segue 3 is 26"+/-5" (2.1+/-0.4pc, for a distance of 17kpc) and the absolute magnitude is a mere M_V_=0.0+/-0.8mag, making Segue 3 the least luminous old stellar system known.
We validate the accuracy and precision of the current SEGUE (Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration) Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP), which determines stellar atmospheric parameters (effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity) and radial velocities (RVs), by comparing these estimates for selected members of three globular clusters (M 13, M 15, and M 2) and two open clusters (NGC 2420 and M 67) to the literature values. Spectroscopic and photometric data obtained during the course of the original Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS-I) and its first extension (SDSS-II/SEGUE) are used to determine atmospheric parameter and RV estimates for stars in these clusters.
We report high-resolution spectroscopy of 125 field stars previously observed as part of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and its program for Galactic studies, the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration (SEGUE). These spectra are used to measure radial velocities and to derive atmospheric parameters, which we compare with those reported by the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP). The SSPP obtains estimates of these quantities based on SDSS ugriz photometry and low-resolution (R~2000) spectroscopy.
Spectroscopic and photometric data for likely member stars of five Galactic globular clusters (M3, M53, M71, M92, and NGC 5053) and three open clusters (M35, NGC 2158, and NGC 6791) are processed by the current version of the SEGUE Stellar Parameter Pipeline (SSPP), in order to determine estimates of metallicities and radial velocities (RVs) for the clusters. These results are then compared to values from the literature.
107 semiregular variables of spectral type M have been observed in the H2O 6(16)-5(23) line at 22.235GHz with the 100m Effelsberg radio telescope and maser emission has been detected in 23 objects, of which 10 are new detections.
The magnitude-limited catalog of the Southern Sky Redshift Survey (SSRS2, Cat. <J/AJ/116/1>) is used to characterize the properties of galaxies hosting active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Using emission-line ratios, we identify a total of 162 (3%) Seyfert galaxies out of the parent sample with 5399 galaxies. The sample contains 121 Seyfert 2 galaxies and 41 Seyfert 1 galaxies. The SSRS2 Seyfert galaxies are predominantly in spirals of types Sb and earlier or in galaxies with perturbed appearance as the result of strong interactions or mergers. Seyfert galaxies in this sample are twice as common in barred hosts as the non-Seyfert galaxies. By assigning galaxies to groups using a percolation algorithm, we find that the Seyfert galaxies in the SSRS2 are more likely to be found in binary systems when compared with galaxies in the SSRS2 parent sample. However, there is no statistically significant difference between the Seyfert and SSRS2 parent sample when systems with more than two galaxies are considered. The analysis of the present sample suggests that there is a stronger correlation between the presence of the AGN phenomenon with internal properties of galaxies (morphology, presence of bar, luminosity) than with environmental effects (local galaxy density, group velocity dispersion, nearest neighbor distance).
We present spectra of 1142 colour-selected stars in the direction of the Sagittarius Dwarf Spheroidal (Sgr dSph) galaxy, of which 1058 were taken with VLT/FLAMES multi-object spectrograph and 84 were taken with the SAAO Radcliffe 1.9-m telescope grating spectrograph. Spectroscopic membership is confirmed (at >99 per cent confidence) for 592 stars on the basis of their radial velocity, and spectral types are given. Very slow rotation is marginally detected around the galaxy's major axis. We identify five S stars and 23 carbon stars, of which all but four carbon stars are newly determined and all but one (PQ Sgr) are likely Sgr dSph members. We examine the onset of carbon richness in this metal-poor galaxy in the context of stellar models. We compare the stellar death rate (one star per 1000-1700yr) with the known planetary nebula dynamical ages and find that the bulk population produce the observed (carbon-rich) planetary nebulae. We compute average lifetimes of S and carbon stars as 60-250 and 130-500kyr, compared to a total thermal-pulsing asymptotic giant branch lifetime of 530-1330kyr. We conclude by discussing the return of carbon-rich material to the interstellar medium.