Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate: IV. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2005

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries made during the second semester of 2005, with the speckle camera PISCO at the 102 cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our sample contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. The purpose of this long term program is to improve the accuracy of the orbits and determine the masses of the components. We performed 130 new observations of 120 objects, with most of the angular separations in the range 0″.1–4″, and with an average accuracy of 0″.01. Most of the position angles could be determined without the usual 180. ambiguity with the application of triple‐correlation techniques, and their mean error is 0°8. We have found a possible new triple system: ADS 11077. The measurements of the closest binaries were made with a new data reduction procedure, based on model fitting of the background of the auto‐correlations. As this procedure proved to be very efficient, we have re‐processed the old observations of close binaries made with PISCO in Merate since 2004. We thus improved 20 measurements already published and obtained 7 new measurements for observations that were previously reported as “unresolved”. We finally present revised orbits for ADS 684, MCA 55Aac (in the Beta 1 Cyg–Albireo multiple system) and ADS 14783 for which the previously published orbits led to large residuals with our measurements and for which the new observations made since their computation allowed a significant improvement of those old orbits. The sum of the masses that we derived for those systems are consistent with the spectral type of the stars and the dynamic parallaxes are in good agreement with the parallaxes measured by Hipparcos. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate: X. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2009

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries, made in 2009 with the speckle camera PISCO at the 102 cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our observing list contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 345 new measurements of 259 objects, with angular separations in the range 0.″18–4.″6, and an average accuracy of 0.″011. The mean error on the position angles is 0.°6. Most of the position angles were determined without the usual 180° ambiguity with the application of triple‐correlation techniques and/or by inspection of the long integration files. We have found a possible new close component for ADS 2377, which would be a new quadruple star system. We also present new revised orbits for ADS 8035, 9982, 11484, and MLR 198, partly derived from those observations, and infer estimated values for the masses of those systems that are compatible with the spectral types (© 2011 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate (Italy): XIV. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2013 and new orbits for ADS 1097, 5871, 7203, 7775, 9378, 9578, and 11186

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries made in 2013 with the speckle camera PISCO at the 102‐cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our observing list contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 134 new measurements of 129 visual binary stars, with angular separations in the range 0.≈23–5 and an average accuracy of 0.≈01. The mean error on the position angles is 0.°5. Most of the position angles were determined without the usual 180° ambiguity with the application of triple‐correlation techniques and/or by inspection of the long integration files. We also present new revised orbits for ADS 1097, 5871, 7203, 7775, 9378, 9578, and 11186, partly derived from PISCO observations. The corresponding estimated values for the masses of those systems are compatible with the spectral types. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Orbital elements of six visual binary stars

Revised orbital elements of the visual binary stars STT 515, BU 4 AB, STF 183 AB, A 207, STT 43 and A 2413 are given. Dynamical parallaxes and total masses of the systems have been calculated.     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate: XIII. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2012, and new orbits for ADS 10786 BC, 12144, 12515, 16314 and 16539

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries, made in 2012 with the speckle camera PISCO at the 102‐cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our observing list contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 355 new measurements of 344 visual binary stars, with angular separations in the range 0′.14–6′.9, and an average accuracy of 0.′02. The mean error on the position angles is 0°.5. Most of the position angles were determined without the usual 180° ambiguity with the application of triple‐correlation techniques and/or by inspection of the long integration files. We also present new revised orbits for ADS 10786 BC, 12144, 12515, 16314, and 16539, partly derived from PISCO observations. The corresponding estimated values for the masses of those systems are compatible with the spectral types. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate – VII. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2007

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries made during the first semester of 2007, with the Pupil Interferometry Speckle camera and COronagraph (PISCO) at the 102-cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our sample contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 226 new measurements of 214 objects, with angular separations in the range 0.15–4.5 arcsec, and an average accuracy of 0.013 arcsec. The mean error on the position angles is     . Most of the position angles could be determined without the usual 180° ambiguity with the application of triple-correlation techniques and/or by inspection of the long integration files. We also present the new orbits we have computed for ADS 7871, 7982 and 8128, for which our measurements lead to large residuals and/or for which the revision is justified by the significant number of observations made since the publication of the previous orbit.     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate: VI. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2006

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries made during the second semester of 2006, with the speckle camera PISCO at the 102 cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our sample contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 175 new measurements of 169 objects, with angular separations in the range 0″.1–4″.2, and an average accuracy of 0″.01. The mean error on the position angles is 0°.6. Most of the position angles could be determined without the usual 180° ambiguity with the application of triplecorrelation techniques and/or by inspection of the long integration files.We also present the new orbits we have computed for ADS 11479, 11584 and 16538, for which our measurements lead to large residuals and/or for which the revision was justified by the significant number of observations made since the last orbit computation (© 2009 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate: VIII. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2007 and new orbits of the multiple system Zeta Aqr

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries made during the second semester of 2007, with the speckle camera PISCO at the 102 cm Zeiss telescope of Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our sample contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 283 new measurements of 279 objects, with angular separations in the range 0″.17–4″.4, and an average accuracy of 0″.014. The mean error on the position angles is 0°.6. Most of the position angles were determined without the usual 180° ambiguity with the application of triple‐correlation techniques and/or by inspection of the long integration files. We also present the new orbit we have computed for Zeta Aqr AB (ADS 15971), for which our measurements lead to large residuals with the previously computed orbit. We were also able to compute the elements of the perturbation orbit Bb‐P caused by an invisible companion, whose mass is estimated at 0.7 M_⊙ (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Speckle observations with PISCO in Merate – V. Astrometric measurements of visual binaries in 2006

We present relative astrometric measurements of visual binaries made during the first semester of 2006, with the Pupil Interferometry Speckle camera and COronagraph at the 102-cm Zeiss telescope of the Brera Astronomical Observatory, in Merate. Our sample contains orbital couples as well as binaries whose motion is still uncertain. We obtained 217 new measurements of 194 objects, with angular separations in the range 0.1–4.2 arcsec, and an average accuracy of 0.01 arcsec. The mean error on the position angles is 05. About half of those angles could be determined without the usual 180° ambiguity by the application of triple-correlation techniques. We also present a revised orbit for ADS 277 for which the previously published orbit resulted in a large residual from our measurements.     

Dynamical study of wide pairs of stars based on data from the WDS catalog

Using the method of apparent motion parameters, we have studied the relative motion of the components in 561 pairs of wide (ρ > 2″) and relatively nearby (Hipparcos parallaxes > 0.01″) visual double stars based on data from the WDS catalog. The minimum masses of the double stars have been calculated at given parallaxes. We have identified 358 optical pairs. For 11 stellar pairs, we have found the minimum mass to exceed the estimate corresponding to their spectral types and luminosities. This excess is 5–7 M _⊙ for two stars, ADS 7446 and 9701.     

Absolute magnitudes of OB and Be stars based on Hipparcos parallaxes – II

A new method of determining absolute visual magnitudes of early-type stars, based on averaging Hipparcos parallaxes ( ESA 1997 ) inside samples of the same spectrum and luminosity (Sp/L) classes, is proposed. The used sample consists of 6262 unreddened and reddened OB stars as well as 430 Be stars of luminosity classes Ia, Iab, Ib, II, III, IV and V. The colour excesses of the reddened stars have been calculated using the mean colour indices, according to the SIMBAD data base and the intrinsic ( B − V ) values calibrated for given Sp/L classes by Papaj, Wegner & Krełowski . The values of the total-to-selective extinction   R_V = A_V / E ( B − V )  for all reddened stars were calculated from the published near-infrared photometric measurements. The calculated visual magnitudes M_V of OB and Be stars are compared to those published by Wegner in Paper I, and the earlier determinations of Schmidt-Kaler. Generally, the new values of M_V agree well with those given in Paper I, except those for O stars which are systematically brighter than the earlier estimates. The mean absolute magnitudes published by Schmidt-Kaler are generally brighter (except OB stars of luminosity class V) than those determined in this paper.     

Globular clusters and the Mira period–luminosity relation

A globular cluster distance scale based on Hipparcos parallaxes of subdwarfs has been used to derive estimates of M _K for cluster Miras, including one in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) globular cluster NGC 121. These lead to a zero-point of the Mira infrared period–luminosity (PL) relation, PL( K ), in good agreement with that derived from Hipparcos parallaxes of nearby field Miras. The mean of these two estimates together with data on LMC Miras yields a Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) distance modulus of     in evident agreement with a metallicity-corrected Cepheid modulus     .
The use of luminous asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars as extragalactic population indicators is also discussed.     

AGB variables and the Mira period–luminosity relation

Published data for large-amplitude asymptotic giant branch variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are re-analysed to establish the constants for an infrared ( K ) period–luminosity relation of the form   M _K =ρ[log  P − 2.38]+δ  . A slope of  ρ=−3.51 ± 0.20  and a zero-point of  δ=−7.15 ± 0.06  are found for oxygen-rich Miras (if a distance modulus of 18.39 ± 0.05 is used for the LMC). Assuming this slope is applicable to Galactic Miras we discuss the zero-point for these stars using the revised Hipparcos parallaxes together with published very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) parallaxes for OH masers and Miras in globular clusters. These result in a mean zero-point of  δ=−7.25 ± 0.07  for O-rich Galactic Miras. The zero-point for Miras in the Galactic bulge is not significantly different from this value.
Carbon-rich stars are also discussed and provide results that are consistent with the above numbers, but with higher uncertainties. Within the uncertainties there is no evidence for a significant difference between the period–luminosity relation zero-points for systems with different metallicity.     

Astrometric study of the relative motion of three stars with possible invisible companions based on homogeneous series obtained at Pulkovo with a 26-inch refractor

We investigate the relative motion of three stars, ADS 7446, 9346, and 9701, based on long-term observations with the Pulkovo 26-inch refractor. The relative motion of all three stars shows a perturbation that could be produced by the gravitational influence of an invisible companion. For ADS 7446, we have determined the orbit of the photocenter with a period of 7.9 yr; the mass of the companion is more than 0.4M _⊙. For ADS 9346, we have determined the radial velocities of the components: −14.60 km s⁻¹ for A and −13.94 km s⁻¹ for B. For ADS 9346 and 9701, we have determined the dynamical parallaxes, 24 and 20 mas, respectively, which are larger than those in the Hipparcos catalog by 5 mas, and calculated the orbits by the apparent motion parameter (AMP) method. The new orbit of ADS 9346 is: a = 5″.2, P = 2035 yr, and e = 0.46 at the system’s mass M = 2.5M _⊙. The new orbits of ADS 9701 are: (a = 2″.9, P = 829 yr, e = 0.54, M = 4.3M _⊙) and (a = 3″.8, P = 1157 yr, e = 0.53, M = 5.0M _⊙).     

Observations of double stars at Pulkovo with 65 cm Zeiss refractor

Some results of the photographic observations of double stars with 65 cm refractor of Pulkovo observatory are presented. We use the apparent motion parameters (AMP) method which allows to determine the orbits and to carry out the dynamical investigation of wide binaries on the basis of a short arc of their orbital motion. We have determined more than 40 orbits for wide pairs and also the sum of masses and in some cases—the mass-ratio of components. The references to our works and the basic results of observations are contained in Kisselev et al. [2004. Catalogue of relative positions of visual double stars made on the observations with 26^″ refractor of Pulkovo observatory. Strassbourg, I/297]. We apply two ways of revealing the hidden mass of our stars, namely: revealing of possible perturbations from comparison of observational and calculated positions using differences O-C (for instance, perturbations in the orbital motion of ADS 15571) and also by means of comparison of the sum of the masses obtained by us and the sum of the masses obtained by means of the mass-luminosity relation. An excess of masses of about 1-3 solar masses is detected for binaries: ADS 497, ADS 8450 and ADS 10329 by means of last method.The estimations of the masses for some binaries are discussed. Also we justify the necessity of precise parallaxes and relative radial velocities of stars, which could be measured by space telescopes such as the GAIA as the additional parameters for determination of orbits of binaries.     

On the nature of the purported common proper motion companions to the exoplanet host star 51 Peg

Greaves (2006) proposed that three red, high proper motion stars within 10° of 51 Peg (NLTT 54007, 54064, and 55547) are co‐moving companions to this famous exoplanet host star. While the stars clearly have proper motions similar to 51 Peg, the inferred kinematic parallaxes for these stars produce extremely inconsistent color‐magnitude positions 2 to 4 magnitudes below the main sequence. All three stars are likely to be background stars unrelated to 51 Peg (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Lutz–Kelker bias in trigonometric parallaxes

The theoretical prediction that trigonometric parallaxes suffer from a statistical effect has become topical again now that the results of the Hipparcos satellite have become available. This statistical effect, the so-called Lutz–Kelker bias, causes observed parallaxes to be too large. This has the implication that inferred distances, and hence inferred luminosities are too small. Published analytic calculations of the Lutz–Kelker bias indicate that the inferred luminosity of an object is, on average, 30 per cent too small when the error in the parallax is only 17.5 per cent. Yet, this bias has never been determined empirically. In this paper we investigate whether there is such a bias by comparing ground-based measurements with the best Hipparcos parallaxes. We find that there is indeed a large bias with an average and scatter comparable to predictions. We propose a simple method to correct for the LK bias, and apply it successfully to a subsample of our stars. We then analyse the sample of the 26 'best' Cepheids used by Feast & Catchpole to derive the zero-point of the period–luminosity relation. The final result is based on the 20 fundamental mode pulsators and leads to a distance modulus to the Large Magellanic Cloud — based on Cepheid parallaxes — of 18.56 ± 0.08, consistent with previous estimates.     

Hipparcos parallaxes for Mira-like long-period variables

This paper concerns the calibration of the K period–luminosity relation for Mira variables using Hipparcos parallaxes. K magnitudes are available for 255 Mira-like variables which were observed by Hipparcos . Period–luminosity zero-points are evaluated for various subgroups of data. The best solution for oxygen-rich Miras, which uses 180 stars, omitting the short-period red group (which had different kinematics from the short-period blue stars) and the low-amplitude variables, provides a zero-point of     which implies a distance modulus for the Large Magellanic Cloud of     or perhaps slightly greater if a metallicity correction is required, in good agreement with the value derived from Cepheids. The zero-point of the period–luminosity relation for carbon stars is briefly discussed.
Linear diameters are derived for red variables with measured angular diameters and parallaxes, and are used to examine the long-standing question of the pulsation mode(s) of these stars. Evidence is presented to suggest that most of them are pulsating in the same mode and, if published model atmospheres are correct, this is probably the first overtone. Some discussion is given of sequences in the period–luminosity and period–colour diagrams and their bearing on the pulsation mode problem.     

The orbit of the visual binary ADS 8630 (γ Vir)

We present a new orbit for the visual binary ADS 8630 = γ Vir. Although it is one of the first visual double stars discovered, its orbital elements were still poorly known. Indeed the very high eccentricity of the orbit and the difficulty of observing the pair at periastron passage in 1836 has meant that it is only now that sufficient measures of the recent close approach in 2005 have allowed an orbital analysis which predicts the angular motion to an acceptable degree of accuracy. We present a series of 35 speckle measurements of ADS 8630 obtained with PISCO in Merate between 2004 and 2006. Those measures have been crucial for determining the new orbital elements since they cover an arc of 130 degrees in the apparent orbit and include the periastron passage of 2005. The masses of the individual F0V components of the binary are found to be 1.40 M_⊙ with an accuracy of about 3%. We also investigate in detail the possibility of the presence of a third body in the system, that was proposed by other authors. The high‐angular resolution infra‐red image of γ Vir that we obtained in June 2006 with the LuckyCam instrument on the ESO NTT shows the absence of any companion as faint as a M0V star at a distance larger than 0.4″. Combined with the analysis of the residuals of our orbit, the values found for the masses of the individual components and the radial velocity measurements, this observation rules out the presence in the system of a third companion with a mass larger than 0.3 M_⊙. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Activity and kinematics of members of the TW Hydrae association

We present high-resolution echelle spectroscopy of 20 stars in 16 systems catalogued as members of the TW Hydrae association, and 16 stars identified as possible new members. We have calibrated the range of coronal and chromospheric activity expected for such young stars as a function of spectral type by combining our observations with literature data for field and open cluster stars. We also compute space motions for TWA members and candidate members with proper motion measurements, using two techniques to estimate distances to stars lacking direct trigonometric parallax measurements. The mean space motion of the four TWA members with known parallaxes is  ( U , V , W : −10.0, −17.8, −4.6) km s⁻¹  . 14 of the candidates have properties inconsistent with cluster membership; the remaining two are potential new members, although further observations are required to confirm this possibility.