Spots and activity of solar-type stars from Kepler observations

The spot coverages S for 2846 solar-type stars with effective temperatures from 5700 K to 5800 K and gravities from 4.4 to 4.5 have been measured. An analysis based on the MAST catalog, which presents photometric measurements obtained with the Kepler Space Telescope during Q9 is presented. The existence of two groups of solar-type stars, with S values between 0.001 and 0.007 and with S > 0.007, is inferred. The second group (active stars) contains 279 stars (about 10% of the total number of stars analyzed). The mean S parameter for the entire sample is 0.004, comparable to the mean spot coverage of the Sun. In general, the dependence of S on the rotation period for solar-type stars has characteristics similar to those found earlier for stars with exoplanets. For the vast majority of the stars in the sample, the activity is constant, and independent of age. The activity of the small number of active stars with S > 0.007 decreases with age. The age variations of the chromospheric activity index R′_HK are compared to variations of the spot coverage S. The relations analyzed have common characteristic features. It is likely that both the spot activity level and the chromospheric activity level abruptly decrease for stars older than 4 billion yrs.     

Kinematic Properties of Young Intermediate- and Low-Mass Stars from the Gaia DR2 Catalogue

Astronomy Reports - We have studied the kinematic properties of young pre-main-sequence stars. We have selected these stars based on data from the Gaia DR2 catalogue by invoking a number of...     

Spots and the Activity of Stars in the Hyades Cluster from Observations with the Kepler Space Telescope (K2)

Observations of the K2 mission (continuing the program of the Kepler Space Telescope) are used to estimate the spot coverage S (the fractional area of spots on the surface of an active star) for stars of the Hyades cluster. The analysis is based on data on the photometric variations of 47 confirmed single cluster members, together with their atmospheric parameters, masses, and rotation periods. The resulting values of S for these Hyades objects are lower than those stars of the Pleiades cluster (on average, by ΔS ~ 0.05?0.06). A comparison of the results of studies of cool, low-mass dwarfs in the Hyades and Pleiades clusters, as well as the results of a study of 1570 M stars from the main field observed in the Kepler SpaceMission, indicates that the Hyades stars are more evolved than the Pleiades stars, and demonstrate lower activity. The activity of seven solar-type Hyades stars (S = 0.013 ± 0.006) almost approaches the activity level of the present-day Sun, and is lower than the activity of solar-mass stars in the Pleiades (S = 0.031 ± 0.003). Solar-type stars in the Hyades rotate faster than the Sun (〈P〉 = 8.6 ^d ), but slower than similar Pleiades stars.     

Spots and activity of Pleiades stars from observations with the Kepler Space Telescope (K2)

Observations of the K2 continuation of Kepler Space Telescope program are used to estimate the spot coverage S (the fractional spotted area on the surface of an active star) for stars of the Pleiades cluster. The analysis is based on data on photometric variations of 759 confirmed clustermembers, together with their atmospheric parameters, masses, and rotation periods. The relationship between the activity (S) of these Pleiades stars and their effective temperatures shows considerable change in S for stars with temperatures T _eff less than 6100 K (this can be considered the limiting value for which spot formation activity begins) and a monotonic increase in S for cooler objects (a change in the slope for stars with Teff ~ 3700 K). The scatter in this parameter ΔS about its mean dependence on the (V ?Ks)0 color index remains approximately the same over the entire (V?K _s )0 range, including cool, fully convective dwarfs. The computated S values do not indicate differences between slowly rotating and rapidly rotating stars with color indices 1.1 < (V?K _s )0 < 3.7. The main results of this study include measurements of the activity of a large number of stars having the same age (759 members of the Pleiades cluster), resulting in the first determination of the relationship between the spot-forming activity and masses of stars. For 27 stars with masses differing from the solarmass by nomore than 0.1M⊙, themean spot coverage is S = 0.031±0.003, suggesting that the activity of candidate young Suns is more pronounced than that of the present-day Sun. These stars rotate considerably faster than the Sun, with an average rotation period of 4.3^d. The results of this study of cool, low-mass dwarfs of the Pleiades cluster are compared to results from an earlier study of 1570 M stars.     

Spots and the activity of M dwarfs from observations with the Kepler Space Telescope

A method for estimating the spottedness parameter S (the spotted area as a fraction of the surface of an active star) proposed earlier is applied to an analysis of activity in 1570 M dwarf stars. The analysis is based on observational material obtained with the Kepler Space Telescope, as well as data on the fluxes of the studied objects in the near and far ultraviolet (NUV and FUV) based on data from the GALEX space telescope. The variations of S with the ages of the stars are studied (four groups with different ages are distinguished), as well as variations of S with their rotational periods. A diagram characterizing the relationship between S and the Rossby number Ro resembles the classical dependence of the X-ray luminosities of active stars on Ro, and a saturation regime is attained at the same value, Ro = 0.13. Moreover, objects with ages of more than 100 million years do not form a single sequence (and stars older than 900 million years possess surface spottednesses of order 1%). The S?Ro dependence obtained could expand possibilities for analyzing the dependence of the X-ray luminosities of active stars on their Rossby numbers, and could also be applied to refine parameters characterizing the action of dynamo mechanisms, such as the dynamo number N _D . A comparison of the GALEX NUV and FUV brightness estimates with the activity parameters of the stars suggests that younger, more rapidly rotating active stars are brighter in the NUV, and that the FUV flux grows and the difference of the FUV and NUV brightnesses decreases with increasing spottedness S.     

Orbits of the visual binaries ADS 8814 and ADS 8065 from observations along a short arc

The orbits of the visual binaries ADS 8814 and ADS 8065 are determined for the first time. The orbits were calculated using the parameters of the apparent motion, based on position observations along short arcs obtained on the 26-inch refrector of the Pulkovo Observatory, supplemented with radial-velocity observations for the stellar components in both pairs obtained on the 1-m telescope of the Simeiz Section of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. All previous visual and photographic observations of these stars after 1832 were also taken into account. The orbit of ADS 8814 was refined using the differential-correction method. The orbital periods of these two stars are about 800 and 6000 years, respectively. The mass estimates derived for the known parallaxes from the Hipparcos catalog correspond to the spectral types of these stars. The polar vectors of the obtained orbits in Galactic coordinates are also given.     

A method for determining stellar parameters from multicolor photometry

Amethod for determining the most probable spectral types, color excesses E _B-V , and distances of stars from multicolor photometry is described. The main idea of the method is modeling the photometric data using various models for the stellar spectra and the interstellar extinction law, and applying the maximum likelihood method. The reliability of the method is estimated using stars with known spectral types and WBVR photometry, based on the empirical library of stellar spectra of Pickles and the model for the interstellar extinction law developed by Fluks et al.     

Determining basic characteristics of stars from evolutionary computations

A technique for determining a star’s radius from its atmospheric characteristics (effective temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity) is realized based on modernmodel computations of the stellar internal structure and evolution. The atmospheric characteristics can also be used to find the mass and luminosity of the star. The star’s rate of evolution and the initial mass function are taken into account when determining the stellar characteristics, increasing the correctness of the results. Computations of stellar evolution of with and without the stellar rotation taken into account make it possible to remove ambiguity due to missing data on the star’s rotational velocity. The results are checked and uncertainties estimated using stars occupying two heavily populated regions in the Hertzsprung–Russell diagram that have been well studied using various methods: the main sequence and red giant branch. Good agreement with the observations is achieved; there are almost no systematic deviations of the derived point estimates of the fundamental characteristics. The metallicities of the individual components of eclipsing variable stars are estimated using observational data on for such stars displaying lines of both components in their spectra. These metallicities were determined as a function of the stellar masses in a way that eliminates systematic deviations in the derived fundamental characteristics.     

A study of rare earth elements in the atmospheres of chemically peculiar stars. Pr III and Nd III lines

We determine the abundances of Pr and Nd in the atmospheres of magnetic and non-magnetic chemically peculiar stars from the lines of rare earth elements in the first and second ionization states. The computations for the magnetic stars take into account the influence of the magnetic field on line formation. We studied the influence of errors in the stellar-atmosphere parameters and the atomic parameters of the spectral lines on the accuracy of abundance determinations. Within the derived accuracy, ionization equilibrium is satisfied in the atmospheres of non-pulsating magnetic and non-magnetic stars (so that abundances derived separately from lines of first and second ions agree). For all the pulsating magnetic (roAp) stars studied, the abundances derived from lines of second ions are 1.0 to 1.7 dex higher than those derived from first ions. The violation of ionization equilibrium in the atmospheres of pulsating stars is probably due to, first, considerable enrichment of Pr and Nd in the uppermost atmospheric layers, and second, a higher location for the layer of enhanced elemental abundance in roAp stars than in non-pulsating stars. Two objects from the list of non-pulsating magnetic stars, HD 62140 and HD 115708, exhibit anomalies of their Pr and Nd lines characteristic of roAp stars. The differences in the rare earth anomalies for the pulsating and non-pulsating peculiar stars can be used as a selection criterion for candidate roAp stars.     

The effects of deviations from LTE in sulphur lines for late-type stars

We analyze the formation of lines of neutral sulfur in the spectra of F-K stars taking into account the effects of deviations from local thermodynamical equilibrium (LTE). Our calculations were carried out for Kurucz model atmospheres with T _eff = 5000–6500 K, log g = 2?4 and [Fe/H] = ?4?0, using a 65-level model of the SI atom. Deviations from LTE affect lines of different multiplets of the sulfur atom differently. Non-LTE corrections, which are relatively small (to ?0.10 dex) for the 6543–6557 Å lines, increase to ?0.26 dex for the 8694 Å line, and reach ?1.1 dex for the 9212–9237 Å IR triplet. The model of the atom was verified by modeling the sulfur lines of the studied multiplets in the spectra of the Sun, two main sequence stars, and two supergiants. Good consistency with the observed line profiles was obtained. Failure to take into account strong non-LTE-effects may explain the large sulfur excesses detected in stars with very low metal abundances.     

Presolar grains from meteorites: Remnants from the early times of the solar system

This review provides an introduction to presolar grains - preserved stardust from the interstellar molecular cloud from which our solar system formed - found in primitive meteorites. We describe the search for the presolar components, the currently known presolar mineral populations, and the chemical and isotopic characteristics of the grains and dust-forming stars to identify the grains’ most probable stellar sources.     

A Catalog of Variable Stars based on the new name list

We present a new electronic version of the General Catalog of Variable Stars (GCVS) based on the new IAU name list of confirmed variable stars. The catalog contains 1270 stars, most of them contained earlier in the New Catalog of Suspected Variable Stars or its supplement. A number of recent studies—including those by authors of the catalog, who investigated many stars using data from modern automatic surveys, determined light-curve elements for periodic stars, and plotted numerous light curves—have made it possible to move these stars to the GCVS. Among the catalog objects, 24 stars are novae or other unusual variable stars that acquired their GCVS names out of the usual order, upon communication from the Bureau of Astronomical Telegrams of the International Astronomical Union. We present the GCVS names, coordinates, classifications (in two forms: the GCVS system and a new, proposed system), brightness-variation limits, and light-curve elements for the catalog stars, as well as bibliographic references and remarks when necessary. We discuss several catalog stars that are of astrophysical interest or caused problems during the compilation of the catalog.     

The lower temperature limit of accretors

There should be a universal correlation between the main observational parameters of magnetized accreting stars (neutron stars, white dwarfs, and possibly T Tauri stars): their luminosities, periods, and temperatures. To first approximation, such a dependence is obeyed reasonably well for X-ray pulsars, intermediate polars, and T Tauri stars. In contrast, the parameters of anomalous pulsars (so-called “magnetars”) and soft gamma-ray repeaters differ sharply from this dependence, and even occupy a “forbidden” region in the parameter space. This presents a serious argument against the idea that these are accretingneutron stars.     

Search for close stellar encounters with the solar system from data on nearby dwarfs

Trigonometric parallaxesmeasuredwith ground-based telescopes of the RECONS consortium as part of the CTIOPI program are used to search for stars that have either had an encounter with the solar system in the past or will have such an encounter in the future, at distances of less than a few parsecs. These are mainly low-mass dwarfs and subdwarfs of types M, L, and T currently at distances of less than 30 pc from the Sun. Six stars for which encounters with the solar orbit at distances of less than 1 pc are possible have been identified for the first time. For example, the minimum distance for the star **SOZ 3A will be 0.72 ± 0.11 pc at an epoch of 103 ± 44 thousand years in the future.     

Relationship between the Elemental Abundances and the Kinematics of Galactic-Field RR Lyrae Stars

Data of our compiled catalog containing the positions, velocities, and metallicities of 415 RR Lyrae variable stars and the relative abundances [el/Fe] of 12 elements for 101 RR Lyrae stars, including four α elements (Mg, Ca, Si, and Ti), are used to study the relationships between the chemical and spatial–kinematic properties of these stars. In general, the dependences of the relative abundances of α elements on metallicity and velocity for the RR Lyrae stars are approximately the same as those for field dwarfs. Despite the usual claim that these stars are old, among them are representatives of the thin disk, which is the youngest subsystem of the Galaxy. Attention is called to the problem of lowmetallicity RR Lyrae stars. Most RR Lyrae stars that have the kinematic properties of thick disk stars have metallicities [Fe/H] < ?1.0 and high ratios [α/Fe] ≈ 0.4, whereas only about 10% of field dwarfs belonging to the so-called “low-metallicity tail” have this chemical composition. At the same time, there is a sharp change in [α/Fe] in RR Lyrae stars belonging just to the thick disk, providing evidence for a long period of formation of this subsystem. The chemical compositions of SDSS J1707+58, V455 Oph, MACHO176.18833.411, V456 Ser, and BPSCS 30339–046 do not correspond to their kinematics.While the first three of these stars belong to the halo, according to their kinematics, the last two belong to the thick disk. It is proposed that they are all most likely extragalactic, but the possible appearance of some of them in the solar neighborhood as a result of the gravitational action of the bar on field stars cannot be ruled out.     

The Spots and Activity of Stars in the Beehive Cluster Observed by the Kepler Space Telescope (K2)

The spottedness parameters S (the fraction of the visible surface of the star occupied by spots) characterizing the activity of 674 stars in the Beehive Cluster (age 650 Myr) are estimated, together with variations of this parameter as a function of the rotation period, Rossby number Ro and other characteristics of the stars. The activity of the stars in this cluster is lower than the activity of stars in the younger Pleiades (125 Myr). The average S value for the Beehive Cluster stars is 0.014, while Pleiades stars have the much higher average value 0.052. The activity parameters of 61 solar-type stars in the Beehive Cluster, similar Hyades stars (of about the same age), and stars in the younger Pleiades are compared. The average S value of such objects in the Beehive Cluster is 0.014± 0.008, nearly coincident with the estimate obtained for solar-type Hyades stars. The rotation periods of these objects are 9.1 ± 3.4 day, on average, in agreement with the average rotation period of the Hyades stars (8.6 ^d ). Stars with periods exceeding 3–4 ^d are more numerous in the Beehive Cluster than in the Pleiades, and their periods have a larger range, 3–30 ^d . The characteristic dependence with a kink at Ro (saturation) = 0.13 is not observed in the S–Rossby number diagram for the Beehive and Hyades stars, only a clump of objects with Rossby numbers Ro > 0.7. The spottedness data for the Beehive Cluster and Hyades stars are in good agreement with the S values for dwarfs with ages of 600–700 Myr. This provides evidence for the reliability of the results of gyrochronological calibrations. The data for the Beehive and Pleiades stars are used to analyze variations in the spot-forming activity for a large number of stars of the same age that are members of a single cluster. A joint consideration of the data for two clusters can be used to draw conclusions about the time evolution of the activity of stars of different masses (over a time interval of the order of 500 Myr).     

The activity of late-type stars: the Sun among stars with cyclic activity

The coronal and chromospheric emission of several hundred late-type stars whose activity was recently detected are analyzed. This confirms the previous conclusion for stars of HK project that there exist three groups of objects: active red M dwarfs, G-K stars with cyclic activity, and stars exhibiting high but irregular activity. The X-ray fluxes, EUV-spectra, and X-ray cycles can be used to study the main property of stellar coronas—the gradual increase in the number of high-temperature (T ≥ 10 MK) regions in the transition from the Sun to cyclically active K dwarfs and more rapidly rotating F and G stars with irregular activity. The level of X-ray emission is closely related to the spottedness of the stellar surface. The correlation between the chromospheric and coronal emission is weak when the cycles are well-defined, but becomes strong when the activity is less regular. Unexpectedly, stars whose chromospheric activity is even lower than that of the Sun are fairly numerous. Common and particular features of solar activity among the activity of other cyclically active stars are discussed. Our analysis suggests a new view of the problem of heating stellar coronas: the coronas of stars with pronounced cycles are probably heated by quasistationary processes in loops, while prolonged nonstationary coronal events are responsible for heating the coronas of F and G stars with high but irregular activity.     

Analysis of the Distance Scales by Cepheids from the Gaia EDR3 Catalogue Data

Astronomy Reports - We study the kinematics of a sample of classical Cepheids younger than 120 Myr. For these stars, the estimates of distances taken from Skowron et al., which are based on the...     

Photometric activity of UX orionis stars and related objects in the near infrared and optical: CO Ori,RR Tau,UX Ori,and VV Ser

This paper continues a study of the photometric activity of UX Ori stars in the optical and near-infrared (JHKLM bands) initiated in 2000. For comparison, the list of program stars contains two Herbig Ae stars that are photometrically quiet in the optical: MWC480 andHD179218. Fadings ofUXOri stars in the optical (V band) due to sporadic increases of the circumstellar extinction are also observed in the infrared (IR), but with decreasing amplitude. Two stars, RR Tau and UX Ori, displayed photometric events when V -band fadings were accompanied by an increase in IR fluxes. Among the two Herbig Ae stars that are photometrically quiet in the optical, MWC 480 proved to be fairly active in the IR. Unlike the UX Ori stars, the variation amplitude of MWC 480 increases from the J band to the M band. In the course of the observations, no deep fadings in the IR bands were detected. This indicates that eclipses of the program stars have a local nature, and are due to extinction variations in the innermost regions of the circumstellar disks. The results presented testify to an important role of the alignment of the circumstellar disks relative to the direction towards the observer in determining the observed IR variability of young stars.     

Some problems in determining elemental abundances in the atmospheres of giants and dwarfs of the HR 1614 moving cluster

The atmospheric abundances of various chemical elements and other atmospheric parameters of four stars belonging to the HR 1614 moving cluster are determined and analyzed using a single technique. For three of the stars, the derived atmospheric parameters are typical of stars of their types, and their elemental abundances are close to those determined earlier for these and other stars of the moving cluster. However, the atmospheric parameters derived for the red dwarf HD 32147 would be more typical of a giant, and its metallicity is much lower than is characteristic of stars of this moving group.