Dynamical study of the wide visual binary ADS 12815 (16 Cyg)

A homogeneous series of photographic position measurments of the visual binary ADS 12815 obtained on the 26-inch refractor of the Pulkovo Observatory (1960–2007) is analyzed. The Pulkovo observations allow for the existence of the planet around component B discovered by Cochran et al. based on radial-velocity measurements. The orbit of the planet must be steeply inclined to the plane of the sky (i ≥ 70°). Uniform series of position measurements obtained at the Dearborn Observatory, US Naval Observatory, and Pulkovo Observatory, the HIPPARCOS parallax, and the relative radial velocities obtained by Hauser and Marcy at the Lick Observatory are used to calculate the elements of possible orbits for the ADS 12815 stars using the apparent motion parameters method. The corresponding periods are more than 20 000 yr, the semi-major axes more than 900 AU, and the eccentricities more than 0.65. All possible orbits are steeply inclined to the Galactic plane. The obtained family of orbits is in better agreement with observations than the family calculated by Hauser and Marcy.     

Orbits of four visual binaries determined from observations along short arcs

The orbits of the four visual binaries ADS 246 (GL 15), ADS 7724 (γ Leo), ADS 10386 (GJ 659), and ADS 14909 (1 Peg) have been determined using the apparent motion parameters (AMP) method. The orbital periods of these stars are 1200, 550, 7500, and 18 000 yr, respectively. The orbits were calculated based on observations along short arcs obtained with the 26-inch refractor of the Pulkovo Observatory and Hipparcos parallaxes, supplemented with radial-velocity measurements for the components of these pairs taken from the literature. All visual and photographic observations of these stars after 1830 from the WDS catalog have been taken into consideration. The new orbits of ADS 246 and ADS 7724 are compared with the orbits computed in other studies. The orbits of ADS 10386 and ADS 14909 have been determined for the first time. The orientation of the planes of the computed orbits in Galactic coordinates have also been calculated.     

Accurate relative positions and motions of poorly studied binary stars

We have studied the relative motions of the components of 25 visual binary and multiple stars for which only a modest number of observations of various types had accumulated due to their small relative component motions. A uniform series of photographic observations obtained over many years on the 26-inch refractor of the Pulkovo Observatory are used to calculate the parameters of the apparent relative positions and motions, which can be used for further kinematic and dynamical studies of these stars. A comparison of the relative and proper motions of the components indicates that they are physically bound. Optical components are identified in six systems??for the first time in the three systemsWDS00082+6217, ADS 830, and ADS 7361. The relative motions in ADS 861 and ADS 12925 suggest the presence of perturbing invisible companions, but this requires confirmation based on more accurate observations. The apparent motion parameters method yields a family of orbits with a minimum period of 26 000 yrs for the nearby wide visual binary Gliese 745, for which the parallax and relative radial velocity of the components are known.     

A dynamical study of 12 wide visual binaries

We have carried out the first dynamical studies of the relative motions of the components of 12 wide binaries: ADS 497, ADS 2427 (GL 130.1), ADS 3593, ADS 5436, ADS 6646, ADS 6783, ADS 9559 (δ Boo), ADS 10329, ADS 10759 (ψ Dra), ADS 14878, ADS 15229, and ADS 16558. The analysis is based on series of photographic observations made with the 26-inch refractor of Pulkovo Observatory, supplemented by data from the WDS Catalog, radial velocities and HIPPARCOS parallaxes. We used the parameters of the apparent motions, which can yield the orbit and mass of a binary from observations over a short arc of the orbit of the order of 5°–10°. The orbits and masses for six stars with orbital periods from 500 to 20 000 years have been reliably determined. For five stars with periods from 2000 to 100 000 years, we obtained probable orbits and mass estimates. For ADS 497 and ADS 10329, the mass excesses in their systems are 1 and 3 M _⊙, respectively, relative to the masses expected from the mass-luminosity dependence. In three cases, for ADS 3593, ADS 14878, and ADS 16558, the obtained estimates of the total mass of the components are 46, 25, and 7300 M _⊙, respectively, if the parallaxes are correct. A perturbation with amplitude 0.3″ and period 40 yrs has been detected in the orbital motion of the system ADS 10759, possibly indicating the presence of an invisible satellite with a mass of the order of 0.4 M _⊙. The orientations of the orbits in the Galactic reference frame have been determined for all 12 binaries. The planes of most of the obtained orbits are steeply inclined to the plane of the Galaxy, as was noted in previous studies.     

Pulkovo catalog of relative positions and motions of visual double and multiple stars from photographic observations with the 26-inch refractor in 1960–2007

The results of long-term, uniform, photographic observations of visual double and multiple stars obtained on the Pulkovo 26″ refractor are presented. Relative positions are calculated for 259 pairs of visual double stars in 194 systems, with the relative motions also computed for 127 pairs. Lower limits for the total masses of the systems for which elliptical orbits possible are also found for 48 pairs with reliable parallaxes from the Hipparcos catalog. The accuracies of the three measuring machines used in the reduction of the photographic plates are compared. Component separations measured with different machines can differ by as much as 0.2″, demonstrating the advantages of using uniform observations.     

A dynamical study of the wide hierarchic triple star ADS 10288

We have performed the first dynamical study of the relative motions of the components of the wide hierarchic triple star system ADS 10288 (GL 649.1 = WDS 16579+4722), based on a 15-year series of photographic observations with the 26″ Pulkovo refractor, supplemented with data from the WDS catalog, HIPPARCOS parallaxes, and radial velocities of the components. The radial velocities were measured in Simeiz using the ILS stellar radial-velocity correlation spectrometer designed by A.A. Tokovinin. We applied the parameters of the apparent motion technique, which makes it possible to derive a binary’s orbit and mass from observations of a short arc, about 5°–10° in length. We derived preliminary orbits for the pairs AB and (AB)-C, whose orbital periods are 340 and 64 000 years, respectively. Mass estimates derived from the mass-luminosity relation are consistent with our dynamical estimates. We determined the orientation of the orbits in Galactic coordinates. The orbital planes are not coplanar, and are steeply inclined to the Galactic plane, as was the case in our earlier studies for most wide visual pairs we have studied.     

A dynamical study of the multiple system 17 Cygni ABFG

Adynamical study of the relative motions of the components of the inner pairs AB (ADS 12913) and FG (ADS 12889) of the quadruple heirarchical system 17 Cygni (WDS 19464+3344) is presented, as well as analysis of themotions of the outer pair AB–FG. The study is based on CCD observations obtained on the 26-inch refractor of the Pulkovo Observatory (2003–2013), position observations from the WDS catalog, Hipparcos parallaxes, and radial velocities of the components from literature data. A family of orbits for 17 Cyg AB is obtained for the first time, and has a most probable period of 6200 yrs. The apparent motion parameters (AMP) method is used, since the entire visible arc of the orbit over 1832–2013 is only ~4?. The AMP method is also used to calculate the orbit of the 17 Cyg FG pair, which has a period of 238 yrs, yielding results in good agreement with the orbits derived in other studies. The ephemerides of the obtained AMP orbits, the position data for the AF pair from the WDS catalog (11 positions during 1893–2002), and Pulkovo CCD observations for 2007–2013 are used to calculate the apparent motion parameters of AB–FG outer pair, as well as a family of close-to-parabolic orbits with periods of 3.7 million years ormore. All the orbits (for both the inner and the outer pairs) are steeply inclined to theGalactic plane. Monte Carlo simulations are used to compute the probability that the outer pair is gravitationally bound, which is 47%. The similarity of the proper motions and radial velocities of all the components provides evidence that they all belong to a single stellar stream. Data from the CNS3 catalog are used to compose a list of candidate members of this stream.     

A search for Keplerian periods in the brightness variations of T Tauri and Ae Herbig stars

Long-term, uniform series of U BV R observations of T Tauri and Ae Herbig stars obtained over 20 yr at the Maidanak Observatory as part of the ROTOR program are analyzed. We find a linear relationship between the characteristic variability time scale and the bolometric luminosity of the star+disk system: the higher the luminosity, the slower the brightness variations. This dependence is valid over a wide range of masses and luminosities, from T Tauri stars to Ae Herbig stars. On average, the variability time scale is one-quarter the Keplerian period at the dust-sublimation radius, which is known from interferometric observations. Some T Tauri stars have periods from 25 to 120 days, which are preserved over several observing seasons. These periods correspond to Keplerian orbits with semi-major axes from 0.14 to 0.52 AU. The results obtained provide indirect evidence for the existence of protoplanets in the gas-dust disks of stars in early stages of their evolution toward the main sequence.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">BV I</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">c</Emphasis></Subscript> photometry of RR Lyrae stars

We have obtained 26 372 CCD frames in the B, V, and I _c filters for 81 RR Lyrae stars in 2008–2010, using the 76-cm telescope of the South African Astronomical Observatory and the 40-cm telescope of the Cerro Armazones Observatory, North Catholic University (Chile) using an SBIG ST-10XME CCD camera. For 12 of these RR Lyrae stars, we also obtained 337 brightness measurements in the B and V bands in 2000–2001 using the 60-cm telescope of the High Altitude Mt. Maidanak Observatory (Republic of Uzbekistan). We present tables of observations, light curves, and improved light-curve elements for all these RR Lyrae stars. The Blazhko effect was detected for SU Hor.     

The multiple system ADS 9626: A quadruple star or an encounter of two binaries?

The parameters of the quadruple system ADS 9626 (µ Boo) are analyzed. The system consists of two double stars: the Aa pair with an angular separation of ρ = 0.08″ and the BC pair with an angular separation of ρ = 2.2″, separated by ρ = 107″ and having the same parallaxes and proper motions. Position observations with the Pulkovo 26″ refractor have yielded from direct astrometric measurements the difference in the apparent magnitudes and the component-mass ratio for the BC subsystem: Δm = 0.59 ± 0.06, M(B)/M(C) = 1.18 ± 0.02. Spectroscopy with the Russian-Turkish 1.5-m telescope has yielded the radial velocities and physical parameters of the Aa, B, and C components. Speckle-interferometric observations with the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory have provided the first measurements of the magnitude difference in the close Aa subsystem: Δm = 0.46 ± 0.03 (λ = 5500 Å) and Δm = 0.41 ± 0.03 (λ = 8000 Å). The new observations are consistent with the known orbits, which were used to find the radial velocities for the centers of mass of the inner subsystems. Themotion of the outer pair, Aa-BC, is studied using the apparent motion parameters (AMP) method. It is not possible to derive an elliptical orbit for this pair; the elements of a hyperbolic orbit have been estimated. The difference of the heavy-element abundances for the Aa and BC subsystems of 0.5 dex confirms that these pairs have a different origin. This suggests that we are observing here a close encounter of two binary stars.     

Polarization observations of circumstellar OH masers

Results of observations of circumstellar OH masers in lines with wavelengths near 18 cm are reported. The observations were carried out on the radio telescope of the Nan cay Radio Astronomy Observatory (France). In 2007–2009, 70 late-type stars were observed (including Mira and semi-regular variables). For 53 of these, emission was detected in at least one of three OH lines (1612, 1665, or 1667 MHz). Circular and linear polarization of the maser emission was measured, yielding all four Stokes parameters. Polarized emission features were detected in the OH line spectra of 41 stars. A summary of all the observations is given. The results obtained for T Lep, R LMi, and R Crt are discussed. Emission in the 1665 and 1667 MHz OH lines was detected in T Lep for the first time. Features probably due to Zeeman splitting were detected in the OH line profiles of all three stars. Estimates of the magnetic-field strengths in the maser sources were obtained (0.46–2.32 mG). Variability of the polarization characteristics of the maser emission of the stars on time intervals of several months was found.     

The Problem of Spectral Mimicry of Supergiants

The phenomenon of spectral mimicry refers to the fact that hypergiants and post-AGB supergiants—stars of different masses in fundamentally different stages of their evolution—have similar optical spectra, and also share certain other characteristics (unstable extended atmospheres, expanding dust–gas envelopes, high IR excesses). As a consequence, it is not always possible to distinguish post-AGB stars from hypergiants based on individual spectral observations in the optical. Examples of spectral mimicry are analyzed using uniform, high-quality spectral material obtained on the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory in the course of long-term monitoring of high-luminosity stars. It is shown that unambiguously resolving the mimicry problem for individual stars requires the determination of a whole set of parameters: luminosity, wind parameters, spectral energy distribution, spectral features, velocity field in the atmosphere and circumstellar medium, behavior of the parameters with time, and the chemical composition of the atmosphere.     

Observations of stellar objects at a shell boundary in the star-forming complex in the galaxy IC 1613

The single region of ongoing star formation in the galaxy IC 1613 has been observed in order to reveal the nature of compact emission-line objects at the edges of two shells in the complex, identified earlier in Hα line images. The continuum images show these compact objects to be stars. Detailed spectroscopic observations of these stars and the surrounding nebulae were carried out with an MPFS spectrograph mounted on the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory. The resulting stellar spectra were used to determine the spectral types and luminosity classes of the objects. Of star we identified the only object of this spectral type in IC 1613. The results of optical observations of the multishell complex are compared to 21-cm radio observations. The shells harboring the stars at their boundaries constitute the most active part of the star-forming region. There is evidence that shocks have played an important role in the formation of the shells.     

Long-term variations in the spottedness of BY Dra M dwarfs

The results of a spottedness study for twelve red dwarf stars covering several decades and based on a vast amount of photometric observations are presented. The analysis makes use of multicolor (UBV RI) photometric monitoring of ten of these stars since 1991 at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, as well as data from the literature. The spottedness parameters for selected active BY Dra red dwarfs have been refined using an improved zonal model for the spotted stellar atmospheres to allow for the possible presence of two active longitudes on the stars. Time variations in the spot activity of these systems are analyzed in order to look for possible cycles. Three of the stars show a drift of their spots in the latitude towards the stellar poles; however, the magnitude of this latitude drift is a factor of two to three lower than the analogous value for sunspots. All the stars except for YZ CMi display relationships between the area of the spots and their latitude, with correlation coefficients R from 0.67 to 0.97. Evidence for the presence of activity cycles with durations from 25 to 40 years is found for six stars, which are characterized by synchronous variations in the areas and latitudes of their spots, as well as of the overall photometric brightness.     

Peculiarities of the abundances of neutron-capture elements in Galactic open clusters

The properties of the relative abundances of rapid and slow neutron-capture elements are studied using a catalog containing spectroscopic abundance determinations for 14 elements produced in various nuclear-synthesis processes for 90 open clusters. The catalog also contains the positions, ages, velocities, and elements of the Galactic orbits of the clusters. The relative abundances of both r-elements (Eu) and s-elements (Y, Ba, La, and Ce) in clusters with high, elongated orbits and in field stars of the Galactic thin disk display different dependences on metallicity, age, Galactocentric distance, and the elements of the Galactic orbits, supporting the view that these objects have different natures. In young clusters, not only barium, but also the three other studied s-elements display significantly higher relative abundances than field stars of the same metallicity. The relative abundances of Eu are lower in highmetallicity clusters ([Fe/H] > -0.1) with high, elongated orbits than in field giants, on average, while the [Eu/Fe] ratios in lower-metallicity clusters are the same as those in field stars, on average, although with a large scatter. The metallicity dependence of the [O, Mg/Eu] ratios in clusters with high, elongated orbits and in field stars are substantially different. These and other described properties of the Eu abundances, together with the properties of the abundances of primary a-elements, can be understood in a natural way if clusters with high, elongated orbits with different metallicities formed as a result of interactions of two types of high-velocity clouds with the interstellar medium of the Galactic disk: low-metallicity highvelocity clouds that formed from “primordial” gas, and high-metallicity clouds with intermediate velocities that formed in “Galactic fountains.”     

The flux deficits in star spots

The bolometric flux deficits of the photospheres of spotted stars are derived for the first time in the framework of zonal spottedness models for red dwarfs computed at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. The resulting flux deficits are compared to the estimated radiative losses from the chromospheres and coronas measured during quasi-simultaneous observations. A linear correlation is found between the logarithms of these quantities, with the Sun fitting these relations. Radiative losses from the outer stellar atmospheres in quiescence and during individual sporadic flares are significantly lower than the bolometric deficits of the spotted photospheres of active stars. This suggests that the flux deficit due to spots leads to global reconstruction of the atmospheres of red dwarfs, analogous to the local atmospheric reconstruction that occurs during solar and stellar flares. This process may be realized via the superposition of a large number of weak impulsive flares and other dynamic events, which develop on these stars and heat their coronas (i.e., in this view, microflaring is favored as the principal coronal heating mechanism for these stars). A brief analysis of the long-term variations in the chromospheric and photospheric radiation of F-K stars from the HK project and of the Sun suggests that such dynamical reconstruction of the outer atmosphere by energy associated with the flux deficit of the spotted photosphere occurs at times of increased surface activity in all F-M stars.     

Photometric activity of UX Ori stars and related objects in the near infrared and visual. BF Ori, CQ Tau, WW Vul, and SV Cep

We have analyzed the activity of four UX Ori stars in the near-IR (JHKL) and visual (V) using the results of long-term photometric observations. For comparison, we also obtained IR (JHKLM) photometric observations of two visually quiet young stars of close spectral types (AB Aur and HD 190073). For the photometrically most active UX Ori stars BF Ori, CQ Tau, and WW Vul, the Algol-like declines of brightness in the visual, which are due to sporadic enhancements of the circumstellar extinction, are also observed (with decreasing amplitude) in the IR bands. A strict correlation between the V and J brightness variations is observed for all the stars except for SV Cep. For some of the UX Ori stars, a strong correlation between the visual and IR activity is observed up to L, where the main contribution to the emission is made by circumstellar dust. In the case of SV Cep, the visual variability is not correlated with the variability of the IR fluxes. On one occasion, a clear anti-correlation was even observed: a shallow, but prolonged decrease of the visual brightness was accompanied by an increase in the IR fluxes. This indicates that circumstellar clouds themselves can become powerful sources of IR emission. Our results provide evidence that the photometric activity of UX Ori stars is a consequence of instability of the deepest layers of their gas-dust accretion disks. In some cases (SV Cep), fluctuations of the density in this region are global, in the sense that they occur along a significant part of the circle marking the inner boundary of the dust disk. It is interesting that AB Aur, which is the quietest in the visual, appeared to be the most active in the IR. In contrast to UX Ori stars, the amplitude of its brightness variations increases from the J to the M band. It follows from analysis of the IR colors of this star that their variability cannot be described by models in which the variable IR emission has a temperature close to the sublimation temperature of silicate grains (about 1500 K). This means that the photometric activity of AB Aur must be due to both the dust and gas components of the circumstellar disk.     

The chemical composition of stars in the globular clusters M 10, M 12, and M 71

The abundances of 19 chemical elements in the atmospheres of five stars belonging to three globular clusters have been determined by applying the model-atmospheremethod to 430.0–790.0 nm spectra obtained with the échelle spectrometer of the 6-m telescope of the Special Astrophysical Observatory. The abundances of silicon, calcium, iron-peak elements, copper, zinc, and neutron-capture elements follow the abundance patterns for halo stars. The abundance of sodium in M 10 giants provides evidence that different mixing mechanisms operate in halo and cluster stars or that light elements are enriched in different ways in the pre-stellar matter from which some globular clusters and halo stars were formed.     

The copper and zinc abundances in stars of galactic sub-structures

We have determined abundances of copper, zinc, sodium, and aluminum in the atmospheres of 172 F, G, and K dwarf stars (−1.0 < [Fe/H] < 0.3) belonging to the Galaxy’s thin and thick disks and to the Hercules moving group. Our observations were performed with the ELODIE échelle spectrometer on the 1.93-m telescope of the Haute Provence Observatory, with a resolving power of R = 42 000 and signal-to-noise ratio S/N > 100. The Na, Al, Cu, and Zn abundances were derived in an LTE approximation; the synthetic spectrum for the copper lines was calculated taking into account super-fine structure of the lines. We analyzed the abundances of these elements as a function of metallicity [Fe/H] for stars of the thin and thick disks of the Galaxy and the Hercules moving group. The Cu abundances and their trends with metallicity are essentially the same in the three studied sub-structures. The mean Al and Zn abundances for stars of the thin and thick disks differ significantly.     

Analysis of errors in the tracking mechanisms of the 1.25-m telescope of the Crimean Laboratory of the SAI and the 1.5-m telescope of the Maidanak Observatory

Low-frequency (0–0.5 Hz) errors in the positions of stars in the focal plane of the ZTE 1.25-m telescope of the Crimean Laboratory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute and the AZT-22 1.5-m telescope of the Maidanak Observatory in Uzbekistan are analyzed using data obtained during the operation of two optical compensators designed to correct the tilt of incoming wave fronts. A spectral analysis is used to identify possible origins of these errors. The amplitudes of periodic errors in the main worm-and-worm gears of the tracking mechanisms have been measured to be 1.5″ (a period of 240 s) for the 1.25-m telescope and 0.15″ (167 s) for the 1.5-m telescope. The rates of constant drifts have also been determined.