Galaxy Rotation Parameters from OB2 Stars with Proper Motions and Parallaxes from the Gaia EDR3 Catalog

Astronomy Reports - We have analyzed the kinematics of OB2 stars with proper motions and parallaxes selected by Xu et al. from the Gaia EDR3 catalog. The relative parallax errors for all the stars...     

Kinematic analysis of solar-neighborhood stars based on RAVE4 data

We consider stars with radial velocities, proper motions, and distance estimates from the RAVE4 catalogue. Based on a sample of more than 145 000 stars at distances r < 0.5 kpc, we have found the following kinematic parameters: \({\left( {U,{\kern 1pt} V,{\kern 1pt} W} \right)_ \odot }\) = (9.12, 20.80, 7.66) ± (0.10, 0.10, 0.08) km s^?1, Ω₀ = 28.71 ± 0.63 km s^?1 kpc^?1, and Ω₀ ^’ = ?4.28 ± 0.11 km s^?1 kpc^?2. This gives the linear rotation velocity V ₀ = 230 ± 12 km s^?1 (for the adopted R ₀ = 8.0 ± 0.4 kpc) and the Oort constants A = 17.12 ± 0.45 km s^?1 kpc^?1 and B = ?11.60 ± 0.77 km s^?1 kpc^?1. The 2D velocity distributions in the UV, UW, and VW planes have been constructed using a local sample, r < 0.25 kpc, consisting of ~47 000 stars. A difference of the UV velocity distribution from the previously known ones constructed from a smaller amount of data has been revealed. It lies in the fact that our distribution has an extremely enhanced branch near the Wolf 630 peak. A previously unknown peak at (U, V) = (?96, ?10) km s^?1 and a separate new feature in the Wolf 630 stream, with the coordinates of its center being (U, V) = (30, ?40) km s^?1, have been detected.     

Galactic kinematics from data on open star clusters from the MWSC catalogue

Open star clusters from the MWSC (Milky Way Star Clusters) catalogue have been used to determine the Galactic rotation parameters. The circular rotation velocity of the solar neighborhood around the Galactic center has been found from data on more than 2000 clusters of various ages to be V ₀ = 236 ± 6 km s^?1 for the adopted Galactocentric distance of the Sun R ₀ = 8.3 ± 0.2 kpc. The derived angular velocity parameters are Ω ₀ = 28.48 ± 0.36 km s^?1 kpc^?1, Ω’₀ = ?3.50 ± 0.08 km s^?1 kpc_?2, and Ω″₀ = 0.331 ± 0.037 km s^?1 kpc^?3. The influence of the spiral density wave has been detected only in the sample of clusters younger than 50 Myr. For these clusters the amplitudes of the tangential and radial velocity perturbations are f ^θ = 5.6 ± 1.6 km s^?1 and f _R = 7.7 ± 1.4 km s^?1, respectively; the perturbation wavelengths are λ _θ = 2.6 ± 0.5 kpc (i _θ = ^?11? ± 2?) and λ _R = 2.1 ± 0.5 kpc (i _R = ?9? ± 2?) for the adopted four-armed model (m = 4). The Sun’s phase in the spiral density wave is (χ_⊙)_θ = ?62? ± 9? and (χ_⊙)_R = ?85? ± 10? from the residual tangential and radial velocities, respectively.     

Hercules and Wolf 630 stellar streams and galactic bar kinematics

We have identified the four most significant features in the UV velocity distribution of solarneighborhood stars: H1, H2 in the Hercules stream and W1, W2 in the Wolf 630 stream. We have formulated the problemof determining several characteristics of the centralGalactic bar independently from each of the identified features by assuming that the Hercules and Wolf 630 streams are of a bar-induced dynamical nature. The problem has been solved by constructing 2: 1 resonant orbits in the rotating bar frame for each star in these streams. Analysis of the resonant orbits found has shown that the bar pattern speed is 45–55 km s^?1 kpc^?1, while the bar angle lies within the range 40°?60°. The results obtained are consistent with the view that the Hercules andWolf 630 streams could be formed by a long-term influence of the Galactic bar leading to a characteristic bimodal splitting of the UV velocity plane.     

Search for Stellar Streams Based on Data from the RAVE5 and Gaia TGAS Catalogues

We have analyzed the space velocities of stars with the proper motions and trigonometric parallaxes from the Gaia TGAS catalogue in combination with the line-of-sight velocities from the RAVE5 catalogue. In the V, \(\sqrt {{U^2} + 2{V^2}} \) velocity plane we have identified three clumps, BB17-1, BB17-2, and BB17-3, in the region of large velocities (V<?150 km s^?1). The stars of the BB17-1 and BB17-2 clumps are associated with the kinematic groups VelHel-6 and VelHel-7 detected previously by Helmi et al. We give the greatest attention to the BB17-3 clump. The latter is shown to be most closely linked with the debris of the globular cluster ω Cen. In the BB17-3 clump we have identified 28 stars with a low velocity dispersion with respect to the center of their distribution. All these stars have very close individual age estimates: log t ≈ 10. The distribution of metallicity indices in this sample is typical for the stars of the globular cluster ω Cen. In our opinion, the BB17-3 clump can be described as a homogeneous stream in the debris of the cluster ω Cen.     

Vertical distribution and kinematics of planetary nebulae in the milky way

Based on published data, we have produced a sample of planetary nebulae (PNe) that is complete within 2 kpc of the Sun. We have estimated the total number of PNe in the Galaxy from this sample to be 17 000±3000 and determined the vertical scale height of the thin disk based on an exponential density distribution to be 197 ± 10 pc. The next sample includes PNe from the Stanghellini–Haywood catalog with minor additions. For this purpose, we have used ~200 PNe with Peimbert’s types I, II, and III. In this case, we have obtained a considerably higher value of the vertical scale height that increases noticeably with sample radius. We have experimentally found that it is necessary to reduce the distance scale of this catalog approximately by 20%. Then, for example, for PNe with heliocentric distances less than 4 kpc the vertical scale height is 256 ± 12 kpc. A kinematic analysis has confirmed the necessity of such a reduction of the distance scale.     

Analysis of peculiarities of the stellar velocity field in the solar neighborhood

Based on a new version of the Hipparcos catalogue and an updated Geneva-Copenhagen survey of F and G dwarfs, we analyze the space velocity field of ≈17 000 single stars in the solar neighborhood. The main known clumps, streams, and branches (Pleiades, Hyades, Sirius, Coma Berenices, Hercules, Wolf 630-α Ceti, and Arcturus) have been identified using various approaches. The evolution of the space velocity field for F and G dwarfs has been traced as a function of the stellar age. We have managed to confirm the existence of the recently discovered KFR08 stream. We have found 19 Hipparcos stars, candidates for membership in the KFR08 stream, and obtained an isochrone age estimate for the stream, 13 Gyr. The mean stellar ages of the Wolf 630-α Ceti and Hercules streams are shown to be comparable, 4–6 Gyr. No significant differences in the metallicities of stars belonging to these streams have been found. This is an argument for the hypothesis that these streams owe their origin to a common mechanism.     

Multifrequency method for mapping active galactic nuclei with allowance for the frequency-dependent image shift

We consider the problem of multifrequency VLBA image synthesis and spectral-index mapping for active galactic nuclei related to the necessity of taking into account the frequency-dependent image shift. We describe our generalized multifrequency synthesis algorithm with a spectral correction based on the maximum entropy method. The results of our processing of multifrequency VLBI data for the radio sources J2202+4216, J0336+3218, and J1419+5423 are presented.     

Kinematics of Tycho-2 red giant clump stars

Based on the Ogorodnikov-Milne model, we analyze the proper motions of 95 633 red giant clump (RGC) stars from the Tycho-2 Catalogue. The following Oort constants have been found: A = 15.9 ± 0.2 km s^?1 kpc^?1 and B = ?12.0±0.2 km s^?1 kpc^?1. Using 3632 RGC stars with known proper motions, radial velocities, and photometric distances, we show that, apart from the star centroid velocity components relative to the Sun, only the model parameters that describe the stellar motions in the XY plane differ significantly from zero. We have studied the contraction (a negative K effect) of the system of RGC stars as a function of their heliocentric distance and elevation above the Galactic plane. For a sample of distant (500–1000 pc) RGC stars located near the Galactic plane (|z| < 200 pc) with an average distance of d = 0.7 kpc, the contraction velocity is shown to be Kd = ?3.5 ±0.9 km s^?1; a noticeable vertex deviation, l _xy = 9 _· ^o 1 ± 0 _· ^o 5, is also observed for them. For stars located well above the Galactic plane (|z| ≥200 pc), these effects are less pronounced, Kd = ?1.7 ± 0.5 km s^?1 and l _xy = 4 _· ^o 9 ± 0 _· ^o 6. Using RGC stars, we have found a rotation around the Galactic X axis directed toward the Galactic center with an angular velocity of ?2.5 ± 0.3 km s^?1 kpc^?1, which we associate with the warp of the Galactic stellar-gaseous disk.