Table 1 gives 1182 measurements of 682 binaries observed with the 74 and 50 cm refractors. Table 2 lists 26 new binaries discovered with the 50 cm refractor.
We present (table 1) the measurements of 167 visual double stars, made in 2000 and 2001 with the 50 cm refractor of the Nice Observatory and attached CCD camera, using an algorithm based on the adjustment of a tridimensional mathematical surface. Position angle, angular separation and magnitude difference are given. 33 new binaries (discovered by HIPPARCOS (HDS) or newly determined from Tycho-2 database (TDS)) discovered by Hipparcos were measured.
Measures and discoveries of visual double stars made at the Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur at Nice, between 1988 and 1994, with the 50 cm refractor equipped with a filar micrometer and electronic recording device. The programs proposed by J. Dommanget involve the complement of the C.C.D.M. (resolving problems of identification of double stars and of coherency in the Index) and the INput CAtalog Hipparcos (resolution of ambiguities on the binarity and on the position of certain double stars which have seldom or never been observed again from the epoch or their discovery)
We present recent measurements of visual double stars made at the Nice Observatory (3rd series). We also report the discovery of a new double star: JCT 4. Moreover we give a more precise position of the double star DOO 35.
Position angle and separation measures of 482 primarily southern binary stars are presented. These were obtained from speckle observations taken at the Carlos U. Cesco Observatory, El Leoncito, Argentina, using a multianode microchannel array detector during the period 1994 July to 1996 July.
The astrometric ground-based observations of latitude / universal time variations, covering the interval 1899.7-2003.0, were used in combination with Hipparcos / Tycho positions and some older ground-based catalogs to construct a family of catalogs, tailored for long-term Earth rotation studies. These catalogs, called Earth Orientation Catalogs (EOC-1 through EOC-3) yielded more accurate proper motions than the original Hipparcos Catalogue, and its latest version, EOC-3, even periodic motions for a large portion of the stars. About 4.5 million observations made at 33 observatories are combined with the catalogs ARIHIP, TYCHO-2 etc... in order to obtain EOC-4. Spectral analysis of ground-based data and comparison with the USNO Sixth Catalog of Orbits of Visual Binary Stars are used to discover which of the observed objects display periodic motions, and improved combination procedures are used. The catalog contains 4418 different objects (i.e., stars, components of double stars, photocenters), out of which 599 have significant orbital motions.
Several authors predicted an outburst of the Draconid meteor shower in 2018, but with an uncertain level of activity. Optical meteor observations were used to derive the population and mass indices, flux, and radiant positions of Draconid meteors. We performed 90 minutes of multi-station observations after the predicted peak of activity were performed using highly sensitive Electron Multiplying Charge Coupled Device (EMCCD) cameras. The data calibration is discussed in detail. A novel maximum likelihood estimation method of computing the population and mass index with robust error estimation was developed. We apply the method to observed Draconids and use the values to derive the flux. Meteor trajectories are computed and compared to predicted radiant positions from meteoroid ejection models. We find a mass index of 1.74+/-0.18 in the 30 min bin after the predicted peak, and 2.32+/-0.27 in the subsequent 60 min. The location and the dispersion of the radiant are a good match to modeled values, but there is an offset of 0.4{deg} in solar longitude.
This paper presents new positions for 689 FK5 stars determined directly in the extragalactic reference system from CCD scan observations made with the Flagstaff Astrometric Scanning Transit Telescope (FASTT). All the observations were made in 1994-1996 with an accuracy of ~+/-40mas in each coordinate. When these positions are compared with their counterparts in the FK5 catalog, systematic errors in the FK5 are found that vary in both right ascension and declination and can be as large as 100 mas in magnitude. No magnitude-dependent errors in the FK5 were found. Moreover, the true error in FK5 star positions is determined to be ~+/-80mas in both coordinates or two times the expected catalog positional errors. There is an excellent agreement between the systematic errors in the FK5 found in this paper and those presented in Lindegren et al. (1995A&A...304...44L) comparing FK5 and Hipparcos 30-month star positions. By comparing corresponding FASTT and FK5 star positions, the link between the optical and extragalactic reference frames was determined and is given by the following rotations ({omega}_x_,{omega}_y_,{omega}_z_) = (3+/-5, 25+/-5, 16+/-4) (s.e.) mas, which agree well with previous determinations made by other investigators. Two of the rotations ({omega}_y_,{omega}_z_) are significantly larger than their standard errors and, therefore, presumably real. Finally, since these rotations are small (<=25mas), the FK5 and extragalactic reference frames must be closely aligned to one another.