Photoelectric photometry of the stars HD 29647 and HDE 283809 in the Taurus dark cloud

Photoelectric Vilnius photometry of the B-type stars HD 29 647 and HDE 283 809 in the direction of the Taurus molecular cloud indicates their brightness and energy distribution to be constant within 1–2%. The interstellar extinction law is determined for the star HDE 283 809 from the photometry data in the Vilnius andUBVRJHKL systems, which yield the ratioR=A _V/E_B-V=3.5 and grain sizes exceeding the average by approximately 10%. The interstellar extinction law for the two stars is found to be the same in the infrared, however, it is very different in the near ultraviolet. The new spectra of HDE 283 809 confirm the earlier classification and indicate an absence of emission in the hydrogen lines. The interstellar band at 443 nm is observed but its intensity is a half of what is expected forE _B-V=1.61. The observed peculiarities of the energy distribution in the spectrum of HDE 283 809 apparently originate in interstellar or circumstellar dust, not in the star itself.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Interstellar extinction in the vicinity of the reflection nebula NGC 1333 in Perseus

The dependence of interstellar extinction on distance in the direction of a dark cloud around the reflection nebula NGC 1333 is determined on the basis of photoelectric Vilnius photometry and photometric classification of 78 stars. Two dust clouds are noted at distances 160 and 220 pc. The first one with mean extinction of 0.4 mag is concluded to belong to the Taurus cloud complex and the second cloud with mean extinction of 1.8 mag belongs to the chain of dark clouds and other young objects which is almost perpendicular to the spiral arm but lies 80 pc below the galactic plane. The star BD +30°549 which illuminates the NGC 1333 nebula is at distance 212 pc from the Sun. No extinction increase behind the Perseus cloud is detected.     

A photometric study of 11 massive stars in the Magellanic Clouds

We present and discuss V BLUW photometry of eleven massive stars in the Magellanic Clouds: the SMC stars AzV121, AzV136 = HD5277 = R10, AzV197, AzV310 = R26 and AzV 369; the LMC stars GV80 = HD32034 = R62, GV91 = HDE 268 819, GV346 = HDE 269661 = R111, GV352 = HDE 269697, GV423 = HDE 269953 = R150 and GV460 = HDE 270111. Only one G0 Ia SMC supergiant is found to be variable, whereas all members of the LMC sample show definite variability. We find that roughly above M /M_⊙ = 25, supergiants become photometrically unstable. The reddening‐independent metal‐index [B –L ] is used to investigate the metallicity of the late‐type supergiants in both galaxies relative to similar supergiants in the solar neighbourhood. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Ice in the Southern Coalsack

To better understand the conditions under which ice mantles form on grains in molecular clouds, three globules in the Southern Coalsack have been searched for the presence of H₂O ice. Given the total lack of star formation in the Coalsack, it is an ideal site for studying unprocessed icy molecular mantles. In our sample of eight field stars lying behind the Coalsack we detect strong H₂O ice absorption in the lines of sight to two stars and possible weak absorption in four others. We estimate H₂O ice column densities or upper limits for these lines of sight. Compared to dark clouds such as Taurus, the Coalsack H₂O ice column densities are lower than expected given the quiescent nature of the Coalsack region. It is possible that the chemical evolution of the Coalsack may simply be at too early a stage for significant ice mantles to appear on the grains, except perhaps in the densest parts of some of the globules. Alternatively, the presence or absence of ice absorption may be related to the distribution of dust along each line of sight, specifically, the relative contributions of dense globules and a more extended diffuse component. For example, our observations are consistent with an ice threshold extinction similar to that observed in the Taurus dark cloud if extinction amounting to   A _V∼5  towards Globules 2 and 3 arises in the extended component. Globule 1 appears to have no extended component.     

Observations of the bright-rimmed molecular clouds near the Cepheus OB2 association

Massive stars have significant influence on the evolution of the interstellar medium. Bright rims, cometary morphology of clouds, as well as their motion are some examples of the influence of massive stars on nearby molecular clouds. The cometary clouds in the Gum-Vela region are very good examples. In an attempt to understand the kinematics of the clouds in such regions we have carried out CO line observations towards bright-rimmed clouds near the OB Association Cep OB2. The radial velocities of the clouds are consistent with an expansion of the system at ≈ 4kms^?1 away from the dominant O6.5V star in the association, HD206267. We find the rocket mechanism to be the most likely cause for expansion as found for both the Gum-Vela and the Rosette globules. We conclude that such expanding motions are quite common in regions near massive stars and make a brief comparison of the Cepheus system with the Gum-Vela system.     

Ultraviolet observations in Puppis with the space telescope ‘Glazar’

The results of observations of 159 stars at 1640 Å in Puppis made with the space telescope Glazar are presented. It is shown that the observed stars are members of different groups of stars situated at distances of about 120, 370, 700, 1250, 2400, and 4000 pc. The last two groups belong to the Pup OB1 and the Pup OB2 stellar associations.There is relatively little absorption in the observed region. The absorbing matter is mainly concentrated in small clouds.It is suggested that three stars — CP –27°4197, HD 60479, and HD 61672-are embedded in a dust envelope and that the star HD 60057 has a hot subdwarf companion.Forty-four of the observed stars are new OB or early A-type stars, spectral types of which were not known.     

Star formation in taurus

Data with the 2MASS prototype camera were obtained in a 2.3 sq. deg region in Taurus containing Heiles Cloud 2, a region known from IRAS observations to contain a number of very young solar type stars. Data at 1.25 (J), 1.65 (H), and 2.2 (K _s )µm are presented. These data are representative of the type and quality of data expected from the planned near-IR surveys, 2MASS and DENIS. Near-IR surveys will be useful for determining the large scale variation of extinction with clouds, for determining the luminosity function in nearby clouds down to ranges of 0.1–1.0 L, and for finding highly extincted T Tauri stars missed by IRAS because the bulk of their luminosity is emitted shortward of 12µm.     

Studies of the chamaeleon star-forming region III. The distance to the dark cloud and the spectral energy distribution of HD 97048 and HD 97300

Using a method which will be explained in detail by Steenman and Thé (1989) the extinction law towards several stars indicating the distance of the Chamaeleon dark cloud was determined. This has also been done for HD 97048 and HD 97300, which turn out to be anomalous with a ratio of total to selective extinctionR5.0. In studies involving the distance of the Chamaeleon dark cloud we propose to use 150±15 pc. The extinction-free spectral energy distribution of HD 97300 does not show the presence of a hot dust shell of 2750 K, which was found by Théet al. (1986) in a previous study.Based in part on observations made at the ESO, La Silla, Chile.     

New magnetic chemically peculiar stars

Our observations with the 6-m telescope revealed six new magnetic chemically peculiar (CP) stars among objects with large depressions in the continuum: HDE 293764, BD+17°3622, HD 169887, HDE 231054, HDE 338226, and HDE 343872. The presence of a magnetic field is suspected in several other CP stars. The maximum longitudinal field component B _e exceeds 1.5 kG for all six stars; in HDE 293764 and HDE 343872, it reaches 3.8 kG. For each object, we present our magnetic-field measurements and published data on previous studies. The method of searching for magnetic stars based on an analysis of spectrophotometry shows its efficiency.     

ISO Observations of Wolf-Rayet Dust Shells

Observations of circumstellar dust clouds of Wolf-Rayet stars made with the Short Wavelength Spectrometer on ISO reveal a subtle variety of spectral energy distributions not evident from ground-based observations. The modelling of these using the radiative transfer code "Dusty" by Ivezić, Nenkova & Elitzur is reported. The results are used to examine the contributions by different possible grain types to the emission and of circumstellar and interstellar components to the reddening. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

X-ray emission from O-type stars: DH Cep and HD 97434

We present X-ray emission characteristics of the massive O-type stars DH Cep and HD 97434 using archival XMM-Newton observations. There is no convincing evidence for short-term variability in the X-ray intensity during the observations. However, the analysis of their spectra reveals X-ray structure being consistent with two-temperature plasma model. The hydrogen column densities derived from X-ray spectra of DH Cep and HD 97434 are in agreement with the reddening measurements for their corresponding host clusters NGC 7380 and Trumpler 18, indicating that the absorption by stellar wind is negligible. The X-ray emission from these hot stars is interpreted in terms of the standard instability-driven wind-shock model.     

Far-infrared observations of main sequence stars surrounded by dust shells

We present 50 and 100µm photometry and size information for several main sequence stars surrounded by dust shells. The observations from NASA's Kuiper Airborne Observatory include the Vega-like stars, Beta Pic, Fomalhaut, as well as four stars suggested by Walker and Wolstencroft to belong possibly to the same class. The results of our observations are best interpreted as upper limits to the far-infrared sizes of the dust clouds around all of the stars except Fomalhaut and Beta Pic. We have also fit simple, optically thin models to the Beta Pic data to explore the range of shell parameters consistent with our limits and with previous observations.     

Hydrogen-line profiles of six λ Bootis stars

Based on high resolution spectroscopic observations hydrogen-line profiles of six Bootis stars: HD 31295, HD 101108, HD 105058, HD 106223, HD 142703 and HD 183324 are presented. Peculiar line profiles with weak cores and broad but shallow wings are found for four of the stars. Influence of metallicity parameter [Z/H] and effective temperature on the appearance of the observed hydrogen lines is discussed.     

On the interstellar extinction law toward young stars

We have determined the atomic hydrogen column density N _HI toward all of the young stars from the Taurus-Auriga-Perseus star-forming complex for which the corresponding spectra are available in the Hubble Space Telescope archive (nine stars) by analyzing the Lyα line profile. We show that the stars studied, except DR Tau, lie not far from the edge of the gaseous cloud of the star-forming region closest to us or, more precisely, inside the outer H I shell of the cloud. This shell with a column density of N _HI ? 6 × 10²⁰ cm^?2 surrounds the molecular gas of the cloud composed of a diffuse component (the so-called diffuse screen) in which dense, compact TMC-1 cores are embedded. The properties of the dust grains toward the stars that lie at the front edge of the cloud most likely differ only slightly from those of the interstellar dust outside star-forming regions. This casts doubt on the validity of the hypothesis that the extinction curve toward young stars has an anomalously low amplitude of the 2175 Å bump—such an extinction curve is observed for the field stars HD 29647 and HD 283809 toward which the line of sight passes through the TMC-1 core.     

Eight new magnetic stars with large continuum depressions

Observations with the 6-m telescope revealed eight new magnetic, chemically peculiar stars: HD 29925, HD 40711, HD 115606, HD 168796, HD 178892, HD 196691, HD 209051, and BD+32°2827. Zeeman observations of all these objects have been carried out for the first time. We selected candidates by analyzing the depression profile at a wavelength of λ5200 Å. This technique for selecting candidate magnetic stars was shown to be efficient: we found magnetic fields in 14 of the 15 objects that we selected for our observations with a Zeeman analyzer. A maximum longitudinal field strength B _e exceeding 8 kG was found in HD 178892; in HD 209051 and HD196691, B _e reaches 3.3 and 2.2 kG, respectively. For the remaining stars, we obtained lower limits of the longitudinal field (more than several hundred G).     

Stellar contents of two young open clusters: NGC 663 and 654

UBVRI CCD photometry in a wide field around two young open clusters, NGC 663 and 654, has been carried out. Hα and polarimetric observations for the cluster NGC 654 have also been obtained. We use the photometric data to construct colour–colour and colour–magnitude diagrams, from which we can investigate the reddening, age, mass and evolutionary states of the stellar contents of the these clusters. The reddening across the cluster regions is found to be variable. There is evidence for anomalous reddening law in both clusters; however, more infrared and polarimetric data are needed to conclude about the reddening law. Both clusters are situated at about a distance of 2.4 kpc. Star formation in both clusters is found to be a continuous process. In the case of NGC 663, star formation seems to have taken place sequentially, in the sense that formation of low-mass stars precedes the formation of most massive stars. Whereas, in the case of NGC 654, formation of low-mass stars did not cease after the formation of most massive stars in the cluster.     

Effects of rotation on colours and line indices of stars

We have analysed the broad-bandUBV colours and the intermediate banduvby colours of Persei, Pleiades, and the Scorpio-Centaurus association for rotation effects. An attempt was made to see if we can discriminate normal single stars from that of binary and peculiar stars after taking the observed rotation effects into account. It is found that the spread in the observed colours does not allow in general such a discrimination except that the objects with large reddening are double-lined binaries, peculiar stars or emission-lined objects. The few normal stars in these three clusters with such large reddening are listed as they are likely to belong to one of the above classes.On leave of absence from Assumption College, Changanacherry, Kerala.     

3D stellar reddening map from 2MASS photometry: An improved version

An improved version of the 3D stellar reddening map in a space with a radius of 1200 pc around the Sun and within 600 pc of the Galactic midplane is presented. As in the previous 2010 and 2012 versions of the map, photometry with an accuracy better than 0.05 ^m in the J and Ks bands for more than 70 million stars from the 2MASS catalogue is used in the new version. However, the data reduction technique is considerably more complicated. As before, an analysis of the distribution of stars near the main-sequence turnoff on the (J ? Ks)?Ks diagram, where they form a distribution maximum, provides a basis for the method. The shift of this maximum, i.e., the mode (J ? Ks), along (J ? Ks) and Ks, given the spatial variations of the mean dereddened color (J ? Ks)₀ of these stars, is interpreted as a growth of the reddening with increasing distance. The main distinction of the new method is that instead of the fixed mean absolute magnitude, dereddened color, distance, and reddening for each cell, the individual values of these quantities are calculated for each star by iterations when solving the system of equations relating them. This has allowed one to increase the random accuracy of the map to 0.01 ^m and its spatial resolution to 20 pc in coordinates and distance and to 1° in longitude and latitude. Comparison with other reddening estimates for the same spatial cells and Gaia DR1 TGAS stars shows that the constructed map is one of the best maps for the space under consideration. Its systematic errors have been estimated to be σ(E(J ? Ks)) = 0.025 ^m , or σ(E(B ? V)) = 0.04 ^m . The main purpose of the map is to analyze the characteristics of Galactic structures, clouds, and cloud complexes. For this purpose, the reddening map within each spatial cell has also been computed by analyzing the reddening along each line of sight.     

Interstellar reddening in the direction of the globular cluster M71

Interstellar reddening as a function of distance in the direction of the globular cluster M71 is determined by two-dimensional quantification of 96 foreground stars observed in the Vilnius photometric system. In concentric areas with the radii 30 and 10 centered on the cluster the reddening shows the same variations ranging fromE _B-V=0.12 to 0.32. The cluster stars are likely to have variable extinction too, at least in the outer regions of the cluster.     

Star formation in the Cepheus Flare region – II. A-type stars associated with IRAS sources

In order to reveal the star-forming history of the molecular cloud complex we studied the intermediate mass stellar population in the Cepheus Flare region. (Paper I dealt with the distance and the young stellar object candidates of the region.) Correlating the IRAS Point Source Catalogue and Faint Source Catalogue positions with those of 1214 B8–A8 and 1760 F0–F5 type stars brighter than     and classified during an objective prism survey, we identified 19 stars showing far-infrared excess emission in the Cepheus Flare region. In addition to the 16 stars whose counterparts are given in the IRAS catalogues, we found three more stars with infrared excess not recognized before. In order to identify the young medium-mass stars associated with the Cepheus Flare molecular clouds we observed the optical spectra of the IR-excess stars, and using published optical photometry and the IRAS data we examined their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) and IRAS two-colour diagram. The observations resulted in the discovery of a new Herbig Ae/Be star, BD +68°1118, coinciding with IRAS 21169+6842. More evolved HAe/Be stars may be SAO 19953, BD +67°1314 and BD +69°1231, whose H α lines showed weak emission components. Possible β Pictoris- or Vega-type stars may be HD 203854, HD 212826 and HD 216486, whereas the far-infrared fluxes at the positions of BD +72°1018, HD 210806 and HD 217903 can be attributed to the heating of the interstellar environment. We used distances and radial velocities of the stars derived from the spectroscopy and published optical photometry as indicators of their relations to the clouds. Information on the environment of the observed stars deduced from the diffuse interstellar band at λ 6613 is briefly discussed.