For the classical Cepheid U Sgr, we have constructed an O-C diagram spanning a time interval of 144 years. The O-C diagram has the shape of a parabola, which has made it possible to determine for the first time the quadratic light elements and to calculate the rate of evolutionary increase in the period, dP/dt=0.39(+/-0.10)s/yr, in agreement with the results of theoretical calculations for the third crossing of the instability strip. The available data reduced by the Eddington-Plakidis method reveal small random period fluctuations that do not distort the evolutionary trend in the O-C residuals.
Trigonometric parallaxes, relative proper motions, and photometry are presented for 122 stars in 111 systems. Of these stars, 70 are brighter than V = 10.0.
We present UBVR photometric observations of the 96-day binary system UU Cancri (K4 III) obtained in 1972-1994. A relatively large scatter in the orbital light curves turned out to be intrinsic with a modulating cycle lasting at least 8000 days. Using all available archived photographic and visual observations covering nearly 100 years, we find the orbital period of the system to be constant. This fact, together with the pattern of the colour curves, makes the existence of a powerful accretion disk in the system improbable.
We present multiband ultraviolet and optical light curves, as well as visual-wavelength and near-infrared spectroscopy of the Type II linear (IIL) supernova (SN) 2013by. We show that SN 2013by and other SNe IIL in the literature, after their linear decline phase that start after maximum, have a sharp light-curve decline similar to that seen in SNe IIP. This light-curve feature has rarely been observed in other SNe IIL due to their relative rarity and the intrinsic faintness of this particular phase of the light curve. We suggest that the presence of this drop could be used as a physical parameter to distinguish between subclasses of SNe II, rather than their light-curve decline rate shortly after peak. Close inspection of the spectra of SN 2013by indicate asymmetric line profiles and signatures of high-velocity hydrogen. Late (~90d after explosion) near-infrared spectra of SN 2013by exhibit oxygen lines, indicating significant mixing within the ejecta. From the late-time light curve, we estimate that 0.029 M_{sun}_ of ^56^Ni was synthesized during the explosion. It is also shown that the V-band light-curve slope is responsible for part of the scatter in the luminosity (V magnitude 50d after explosion) versus ^56^Ni relation. Our observations of SN 2013by and other SNe IIL through the onset of the nebular phase indicate that their progenitors are similar to those of SNe IIP.
We present a catalog of 97 (*) spectroscopic redshifts of z<1 galaxies in the Hubble Deep Field South (HDF-S) and its flanking fields (FFs). In the HDF-S proper we observed approximately half the galaxies brighter than I_814_(AB)=24 and obtained redshifts for 76% of them. Targets in our HDF-S sample were preselected to be at z<1 based on photometric redshifts, while in the FFs a simple magnitude cut was used. The photometric redshift preselection in the HDF-S resulted in a spectroscopic success rate that is significantly higher than in the FFs, where no preselection was applied. The rms precision of our redshift measurements, determined from repeat observations, is {delta}z=0.0003. We present the photometry and redshifts for the 97 objects for which we secured spectroscopic redshifts and describe the basic properties of this sample. The photometry was derived from the HST observations; the spectroscopy was obtained at the VLT using the FORS2 spectrograph on the Kueyen (UT2) and Yepun (UT4) 8.2m telescopes. (*) Actually, 103 redshifts in table1.
We investigate the UV-brightest sources in the nearby galaxy M33. Our catalog of 356 sources is constructed from far-ultraviolet (FUV; 1500A) and near-ultraviolet (NUV; 2400A) images obtained with the Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (UIT) matched with ground-based UBV data. We find that our survey is limited by the FUV flux and is complete to F_1500=2.5x10^-15ergs/cm^2^/s/A, other than in the most crowded regions; this corresponds roughly to Mbol=-9.2 to -10.0 (or masses of 40-60M_{sun}_), for Teff=50,000{deg} to 10,000{deg}. We use Hubble Space Telescope (HST) WFPC2 images of several M33 fields to conclude that at least one-half of our sample is uncontaminated by unresolved neighbors, at least at the 0.1" (0.4pc) level, a resolution similar to that achieved in the LMC from the ground. Spectral types have been obtained for 131 of our objects. We discuss the spatial distribution of the UIT sources, finding that they provide an excellent tracer of the spiral arm pattern and confirm that star formation continues in the nuclear region to the present day. Our survey has found a large number of O and early B-type supergiants, including stars as early as O6, but the optical spectroscopic sample is dominated by later type B supergiants, as these are the visually brighter. Among the brightest stars (both at 1500A and at V) are the "superluminous" Wolf-Rayet stars first discovered by Conti & Massey in the largest H II regions of M33; these objects are now known to be small groups of stars in modest analog to R136 in 30 Dor. In general, our survey has failed to detect the known W-R stars, as they are too faint, but we did find several new late-type WN stars and composite systems, which are brighter. Two stars of high absolute visual magnitude (M_v~-9.0) are found to be B I + WN binaries, similar to HDE 269546 in the LMC; one of these is multiple at HST resolution. Most interesting, perhaps, is our finding six Ofpe/WN9 "slash" stars, five of them newly discovered. These stars show properties intermediate between those of Of and WN stars and are believed to be a quiescent form of luminous blue variables (LBVs). Our spectroscopy found five additional stars that are spectroscopically similar to the known LBVs of M33. One of these stars has recently been shown to be spectroscopically variable, and we suggest that all of these stars deserve continued scrutiny. The nucleus of M33 is the visually brightest object in our survey, and its UV colors are indicative of a hotter component than its optical photometry or spectral type would suggest. We discuss the possibility that the pointlike nucleus may contain a few interesting hot stars that dominate the light in the UV, and we make the comparison to the cluster of He I emission-line stars found near the center of the Milky Way. We comment on which color-magnitude and color-color plots make the best diagnostic tools for studying the hot, massive star population of a galaxy like M33.
Photometric UBVri observations of the symbiotic star AG Dra in Piwnice Observatory, Torun, Poland, are presented in tables 2 and 3. The 60cm telescope and a single-channel photoelectric photometer have been used. Table 2 lists observations with the EMI9558B photomultiplier tube from March 1996 to September 1999. Table 3 lists observations with the cooled C31034 photomultiplier tube from October 2001 to May 2003. Table 4 lists equivalent widths (EW) of the four emission lines in the spectrum of AG Dra: The Raman scattered line at 6825{AA}, H{alpha}, H{beta} and He II 4686{AA}. The spectroscopic observations have been performed in Tartu Observatory, Estonia, using the 1.5m telescope and a Cassegrain spectrograph. The time interval extends from September 1997 to March 2003.
WW Aurigae is a detached eclipsing binary composed of two metallic- lined A-type stars orbiting each other every 2.5 days. We have determined the masses and radii of both components to accuracies of 0.4% and 0.6%, respectively. From a cross-correlation analysis of high-resolution spectra we find masses of 1.964+/-0.007M_{sun}_ for the primary star and 1.814+/-0.007M_{sun}_ for the secondary star. From an analysis of photoelectric uvby and UBV light curves we find the radii of the stars to be 1.927+/-0.011R_{sun}_ and 1.841+/-0.011R_{sun}_, where the uncertainties have been calculated using a Monte Carlo algorithm. Fundamental effective temperatures of the two stars have been derived, using the Hipparcos parallax of WW Aur and published ultraviolet, optical and infrared fluxes, and are 7960+/-420 and 7670+/-410K. The masses, radii and effective temperatures of WW Aur are only matched by theoretical evolutionary models for a fractional initial metal abundance, Z, of approximately 0.06 and an age of roughly 90Myr. This seems to be the highest metal abundance inferred for a well-studied detached eclipsing binary, but we find no evidence that it is related to the metallic-lined nature of the stars. The circular orbit of WW Aur is in conflict with the circularization timescales of both the Tassoul and the Zahn tidal theories and we suggest that this is due to pre-main-sequence evolution or the presence of a circular orbit when the stars were formed.
We describe the results of a survey for moderately bright quasars performed in a 20.6-square-degree field around the galaxy NGC 450. The quasar candidates we re-selected on the basis of their ultraviolet excess: by comparative visual inspection of the double image of each single object on a U/B dual-exposure Schmidt photographic plate, 95 primary and 45 secondary quasar candidates were selected on the basis of their U image being too bright. The spectroscopic identification of the primary candidates led to the discovery of 59 bona fide quasars (out of which 6 were previously known). The Palomar Schmidt plate was digitised using the MAMA measuring machine and the outcoming data reduced using ad hoc procedures. A photometric calibration allowed us to derive values for the limiting magnitudes and for the U-B index selection threshold of the survey. A catalogue containing 60 quasars is presented with accurate positions, magnitudes and additional information such as redshifts. We studied the spatial distribution of the objects and detected, for the quasars of our sample, a significant deviation from randomness in the form of a propensity to cluster in pairs on the celestial sphere with a typical scale of about 10arcmin. We also formally detected a tendency towards a 3-D clustering, but this result is induced by a single pair of quasars. A forthcoming paper will deal with a similar work performed in a field around NGC 520; the latter field is located directly to the North of the present one and slightly overlaps it.
