Catalog of stars with high proper motions (version 3.0)

We compiled a catalog (containing astrometric and astrophysical characteristics) of 4 302 200 stars with high proper motions (no less than 40 mas/year) using original measurements of proper motions of stars from the catalogs FONAK 1.1, HIPPARCOS, ??Tycho-2,?? UCAC2,3, CMC (STAR 11), PPM, PPMX, NPM1, NPM2, XZ80Q, Pul-3, Pul2, NLTT, GCVS, LHS, ??Lowell Proper Motion,?? and ??Bruce Proper Motion,?? as well as some data from approximately 800 other published sources. The location of our catalog is ftp://ftp.mao.kiev.ua/pub/astro/h-pms3.dat.     

Catalog of stars with the big proper motion

The catalogue (astrometric and astrophysical parameters) of 555200 stars with high proper motions (more than 0.04″/year) was compiled on the basis of original definitions from the catalogues FONAK1.1, Hipparcos, Tycho-2, UCAC2, CMC (STAR 11), PPM, NPM1, NPM2, XZ80Q, Pul-3, Pul2, NLTT, GCVS, LHS, Lowell Proper Motion Service, and Bruce Proper Motion Service as well as of the information from about 770 other published sources—ftp://ftp.mao.kiev.ua/pub/astro/h-pms2.dat.     

Prairie Network Fireballs: Data of motion and ablation offireball bodies obtained by local-ballistic method applied tovariably-sliding path-segment

The electronic version of an extensive catalogue of the results of the fireball physics inverse problem solution for the precise observational data of the Prairie Network Fireballs (DTHM-values) obtained by local-ballistic method of a variably-sliding path-segment contains a set of the physical parameters for the 480 fireball images of the 248 cosmic body entries into the Earth's atmosphere (PNVK-values). The parameters are: the fireball velocity with the corresponding values of the mass to cross-section area ratio for the fireball-generating body a teach measured point of the fireball path, the ablation factor and the ratio of the luminous fireball energy to the drag work for the body in the Earth's atmosphere using a factor inversely proportional to the density of the body. The catalogue of all PNVK-values, about 3.1 Mbytes in ASCII is accessible from ftp://ftp2.mao.kiev.ua/pub/astro/pnvk, files pnvk.cat and pnvks.cat This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

GOCK-2005: Catalog of positions and orbital elements of geosynchronous space objects

We describe the GOCK-2005 catalog (Geosynchronous Objects Catalog: Kyiv) which contains the topocentric equatorial coordinates and orbital elements of geosynchronous satellites obtained by the photographic technique at the Main Astronomical Observatory NASU in 2002 (http://www.mao.kiev.ua/ast/astron.htm). On the whole, there are 176 observations of 57 objects, among which 20 objects were identified from 98 observations.     

Kyiv meridian axial circle with CCD camera

We describe the modifications made in the design of the Kyiv meridian axial circle (MAC) and in the observation technique after the instrument was equipped with a CCD camera with an array of 1040×1160 pixels. The observations are performed in the drift-scan mode (time-delay imaging) with an effective exposure time of 108 s for equatorial stars. The MAC photometric system reproduces the standard V system; the limiting magnitude is V = 17 ^m . The observations made with the modified MAC in 2001–2003 served as the basis for the KMAC1 catalog which contains positions, proper motions, and magnitudes B, V, R, r′, J for 100 000 stars in the sky areas with the ICRF objects. The errors of positions and V magnitudes in the catalog are 50–90 mas and 0.1 ^m , respectively, for stars with V = 15 ^m . Stars in the equatorial sky areas and radio stars are presently observed with the aim to determine their exact positions, proper motions, and magnitudes. The catalogs are available in the data base of the Centre de Données Astronomiques de Strasbourg (ftp.cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr) and on the site of the Main Astronomical Observatory (http://www.mao.kiev.ua).     

Catalog of positions and orbital elements of the Intelsat 6 F-4 Geosynchronous Satellite observed in Kyiv in 1983–1989

We describe the Geosynchronous Satellite Intelsat 6 F-4 Catalog: Kyiv 1983–1989 (GSI Catalog) which contains the topocentric equatorial coordinates and orbital elements of the satellite obtained from 390 photographic observations made at the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the course of 53 nights in 1983–1989 (http://www.mao.kiev.ua/ast/astrom.htm).     

Reduction of photographic observations of asteroids to the reference frame of a single catalog

In 2000, the last international program of photographic observations of selected asteroids aimed at the determination of the mutual orientation of the dynamic and stellar coordinate systems came to an end. The Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences collected more than 25 000 observations for 15 asteroids spanning from 1949 through 1995. These observations were reduced to the reference frame of the Hipparcos catalog using dependencies published along with observations. The accuracy of observations of selected asteroids was 0.30 arcsec, which is comparable to that of modern CCD observations of minor planets. The observations are available at ftp://quasar.ipa.nw.ru/pub/SMP. An important advantage of these observations is that they are already reduced to the reference frame of a single catalog. Our criteria for the quality of the reduction methods and the accuracy of the observations are based on estimating the parameters of the orientation of the reference frames of the PPM and Hipparcos catalogs with respect to DE200/LE200. The most reliable results are those obtained when reducing old optical observations along with modern ground-based and space-borne observations.     

EXOTIME: searching for planets around pulsating subdwarf B stars

In 2007, a companion with planetary mass was found around the pulsating subdwarf B star V391 Pegasi with the timing method, indicating that a previously undiscovered population of substellar companions to apparently single subdwarf B stars might exist. Following this serendipitous discovery, the EXOTIME (http://www.na.astro.it/~silvotti/exotime/) monitoring program has been set up to follow the pulsations of a number of selected rapidly pulsating subdwarf B stars on time scales of several years with two immediate observational goals:

1. determine $\dot{P}$ of the pulsational periods P
2. search for signatures of substellar companions in O–C residuals due to periodic light travel time variations, which would be tracking the central star’s companion-induced wobble around the centre of mass

These sets of data should therefore, at the same time, on the one hand be useful to provide extra constraints for classical asteroseismological exercises from the $\dot{P}$ (comparison with “local” evolutionary models), and on the other hand allow one to investigate the preceding evolution of a target in terms of possible “binary” evolution by extending the otherwise unsuccessful search for companions to potentially very low masses. While timing pulsations may be an observationally expensive method to search for companions, it samples a different range of orbital parameters, inaccessible through orbital photometric effects or the radial velocity method: the latter favours massive close-in companions, whereas the timing method becomes increasingly more sensitive toward wider separations. In this paper we report on the status of the on-going observations and coherence analysis for two of the currently five targets, revealing very well-behaved pulsational characteristics in HS?0444+0458, while showing HS?0702+6043 to be more complex than previously thought.     

Sakurai's Object: the web page Open Discussion

At the end of the workshop the contributors bounced some ideas aroundand shared their thoughts about maximizing the advancement thata study of Sakurai's Object can provide. In particular it was resolvedto set up a web site http://astro.uibk.ac.at/sakurai, witha finding chart and a record of data obtained, and to maintain theoriginal workshop web site at http://www.astro.keele.ac.uk/sakurai. Observers and theoreticians are urged to consult,and to contribute to, this resource.     

He,C, N,and O abundances in an ensemble of galactic planetary nebulae

The He, C, N, and O abundances in more than 120 planetary nebulae (PNe) of our Galaxy and the Magellanic Clouds have been redetermined by analyzing new PNe observations. The characteristics of PNe obtained by modeling their spectra have been used to compile a new catalog of parameters for Galactic and extragalactic PNe, which is accessible at http://www.astro.spbu.ru/staff/afk/GalChemEvol.html. The errors in the parameters of PNe and their elemental abundances related to inaccuracies in the observational data have been analyzed. The He abundance is determined with an accuracy of 0.06 dex, while the errors in the C, N, and O abundances are 0.1–0.2 dex. Taking into account the inaccuracies in the corrections for the ionization stages of the elements whose lines are absent in the PNe spectra increases the errors in the He abundance to 0.1 dex and in the C, N, and O abundances to 0.2–0.3 dex. The elemental abundances in PNe of various Galactic subsystems and the Magellanic Clouds have been analyzed. This analysis suggests that the Galactic bulge objects are similar to type II PNe in Peimbert’s classification, whose progenitor stars belong to the thin-disk population with ages of at least 4–6 Gyr. A similarity between the elemental abundances in PNe of the Magellanic Clouds and the Galactic halo has been established.     

IAU MDC Photographic Meteor Orbits Database: Version 2013

A new 2013 version of the IAU MDC photographic meteor orbits database which is an upgrade of the current 2003 version (Lindblad et al. 2003, EMP 93:249–260) is presented. To the 2003 version additional 292 orbits are added, thus the new version of the database consists of 4,873 meteors with their geophysical and orbital parameters compiled in 41 catalogues. For storing the data, a new format enabling a more simple treatment with the parameters, including the errors of their determination is applied. The data can be downloaded from the IAU MDC web site: http://www.astro.sk/IAUMDC/Ph2013/     

Development of planetary ephemerides EPM and their applications

This paper outlines the progress in development of the numerical planet ephemerides EPM—Ephemerides of Planets and the Moon. EPM was first created in the 1970s in support of Russian space flight missions and constantly improved at IAA RAS. Comparison between various available EPM ephemerides (EPM2004, EPM2008, EPM2011) is shown. The first results of the updated EPM2013 version which takes into account the two-dimensional annulus of small asteroids are presented. Currently two main factors drive the progress of planet ephemerides: dynamical models of planet motion and observational data, with the crucial role of spacecraft ranging. EPM ephemerides are the basis for the Russian Astronomical and Nautical Astronomical Yearbooks, are planned to use in the GLONASS and LUNA-RESOURCE programs, and are being used for determination of physical parameters: masses of asteroids, planet rotation parameters and topography, the \(GM_\odot \) and its secular variation, the PPN parameters, and the upper limit on the mass of dark matter in the Solar System. The files containing polynomial approximation for EPM ephemerides (EPM2004, EPM2008, EPM2011) along with TT–TDB and ephemerides of Ceres, Pallas, Vesta, Eris, Haumea, Makemake, and Sedna are available from ftp://quasar.ipa.nw.ru/incoming/EPM/. Files are provided in IAA’s binary and ASCII formats, as well as in the SPK format.     

Embedded star clusters and the formation of the Oort Cloud

Observations suggest most stars originate in clusters embedded in giant molecular clouds [Lada, C.J., Lada, E.A., 2003. Annu. Rev. Astron. Astrophys. 41, 57-115]. Our Solar System likely spent 1-5 Myrs in such regions just after it formed. Thus the Oort Cloud (OC) possibly retains evidence of the Sun's early dynamical history and of the stellar and tidal influence of the cluster. Indeed, the newly found objects (90377) Sedna and 2000 CR₁₀₅ may have been put on their present orbits by such processes [Morbidelli, A., Levison, H.F., 2004. Astron. J. 128, 2564-2576]. Results are presented here of numerical simulations of the orbital evolution of comets subject to the influence of the Sun, Jupiter and Saturn (with their current masses on orbits appropriate to the period before the Late Heavy Bombardment (LHB) [Tsiganis, K., Gomes, R., Morbidelli, A., Levison, H.F., 2005. Nature 435, 459-461]), passing stars and tidal force associated with the gas and stars of an embedded star cluster. The cluster was taken to be a Plummer model with 200-400 stars, with a range of initial central densities. The Sun's orbit was integrated in the cluster potential together with Jupiter and Saturn and the test particles. Stellar encounters were incorporated by directly integrating the effects of stars passing within a sphere centred on the Sun of radius equal to the Plummer radius for low-density clusters and half a Plummer radius for high-density clusters. The gravitational influence of the gas was modeled using the tidal force of the cluster potential. For a given solar orbit, the mean density, 〈ρ〉, was computed by orbit-averaging the density of material encountered. This parameter proved to be a good measure for predicting the properties of the OC. On average 2-18% of our initial sample of comets end up in the OC after 1-3 Myr. A comet is defined to be part of the OC if it is bound and has q>35 AU. Our models show that the median distance of an object in the OC scales approximately as 〈ρ〉^−1/2 when . Our models easily produce objects on orbits like that of (90377) Sedna [Brown, M.E., Trujillo, C., Rabinowitz, D., 2004. Astrophys. J. 617, 645-649] within ∼1 Myr in cases where the mean density is or higher; one needs mean densities of order to create objects like 2000 CR₁₀₅ by this mechanism, which are reasonable (see, e.g., Guthermuth, R.A., Megeath, S.T., Pipher, J.L., Williams, J.P., Allen, L.E., Myers, P.C., Raines, S.N., 2005. Astrophys. J. 632, 397-420). Thus the latter object may also be part of the OC. Close stellar passages can stir the primordial Kuiper Belt to sufficiently high eccentricities (e?0.05; Kenyon, S.J., Bromley, B.C., 2002. Astron. J. 123, 1757-1775) that collisions become destructive. From the simulations performed it is determined that there is a 50% or better chance to stir the primordial Kuiper Belt to eccentricities e?0.05 at 50 AU when . The orbit of the new object 2003 UB₃₁₃ [Brown, M.E., Trujillo, C.A., Rabinowitz, D.L., 2005. Astrophys. J. 635, L97-L100] is only reproduced for mean cluster densities of the order of , but in the simulations it could not come to be on its current orbit by this mechanism without disrupting the formation of bodies in the primordial Kuiper Belt down to 20 AU. It is therefore improbable that the latter object is created by this mechanism.     

Differential rotation of some HK-Project stars and the butterfly diagrams

We analyze the long-term variability of the chromospheric radiation of 20 stars monitored in the course of the HK-Project at the Mount Wilson Observatory. We apply the modified wavelet algorithm for this set of gapped time series. Besides the mean rotational periods for all these stars, we find reliable changes of the rotational periods from year to year for a few stars. Epochs of slower rotation occur when the activity level of the star is high, and the relationship repeats again during the next maximum of an activity cycle. Such an effect is traced in two stars with activity cycles that are not perfectly regular (but labeled “Good” under the classification in [Baliunas, S.L., Donahue, R.A., Soon, W.H., Horne, J.H., Frazer, J., Woodard-Eklund, L., Bradford, M., Rao, L.M., Wilson, O.C., Zhang, Q. et al., 1995. ApJ 438, 269.]) but the two stars have mean activity levels exceed that of the Sun. The averaged rotational period of HD 115404 is 18.5 days but sometimes the period increases up to 21.5 days. The sign of the differential rotation is the same as the Sun’s, and the value ΔΩ/Ω=-0.14. For the star HD 149661, this ratio is −0.074. Characteristic changes of rotational periods occur over around three years when the amplitude of the rotational modulation is large. These changes can be transformed into latitude-time butterfly diagrams with minimal a priori assumptions. We compare these results with those for the Sun as a star and conclude that epochs when surface inhomogeneities rotate slower are synchronous with the reversal of the global magnetic dipole.