The isolated dSph galaxy KKs3 in the local Hubble flow

We present SALT spectroscopy of a globular cluster in the center of the nearby isolated dSph galaxy KKs3 situated at a distance of 2.12 Mpc. Its heliocentric radial velocity is 316 ± 7 km s^–1 that corresponds to V_LG = 112 km s^–1 in the Local Group (LG) reference frame. We use its distance and velocity along with the data on other 35 field galaxies in the proximity of the LG to trace the local Hubble flow. The following basic properties of the local field galaxies are briefly discusse: morphology, absolute magnitudes, average surface brightnesses, specific star formation rates, and hydrogen mass‐to‐stellar mass ratios. Surprisingly, the sample of the neighboring isolated galaxies displays no signs of compression under the influence of the expanding Local Void. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

HS 2134+0400—a new very metal-poor galaxy, a representative of the void population?

We present the 6-m SAO telescope spectroscopy of HS 2134+0400, a blue compact galaxy (BCG) discovered within the framework of a dedicated Hamburg/SAO survey for low-metallicity BCGs (HSS-LM). Its very low abundance of oxygen (12 + log(O/H) = 7.44) and other heavy elements (S, N, Ne, Ar) allows this dwarf galaxy to be assigned to the group of eight lowest-metallicity BCGs among the several thousand BCGs known in the nearby Universe. The measured heavy-element abundance ratios (S/O, Ne/O, N/O, and Ar/O) are in good agreement with the typical values found for other very metal-poor BCGs. The spatial location of HS 2134+0400 is atypical of the majority of BCGs: it lies in the Pegasus void, a large region with a very low density of galaxies with normal or higher luminosities. In addition to HS 2134+0400, we found a dozen more very metal-poor galaxies in voids. Therefore, we discuss the hypothesis that this type of objects may be representative for the population of dwarf galaxies in voids.     

Study of galaxies in the Lynx-Cancer void. IV. Photometric properties

We present the results of a photometric study of 85 objects from the updated sample of galaxies residing in the nearby Lynx-Cancer void. We perform our photometry on u, g, r, and i-band images of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We determine model-independent galaxy parameters such as the integrated magnitudes and colors, effective radii and the corresponding surface brightness values, optical radii and Holmberg radii. We analyze the radial surface brightness profiles to determine the central brightness values and scale lengths of the model disks. We analyze the colors of the outer parts of the galaxies and compare them with model evolutionary tracks computed using the PEGASE 2 software package. This allowed us to estimate the time T _SF elapsed since the onset of star formation, which turned out to be on the order of the cosmological time T ₀ for the overwhelming majority of the galaxies studied. However, for 13 galaxies of the sample the time T _SF does not exceed T ₀/2 ～ 7 Gyr, and for 7 of them T _SF ? 3.5 Gyr. The latter are mostly unevolved objects dominated by low-luminosity galaxies with M _B > ?13.2. We use the integrated magnitudes and colors to estimate the stellar masses of the galaxies.We estimate the parameter M(H I)/L _B and the gas mass fractions for void galaxies with known HI-line fluxes. A small subgroup (about 10%) of the gas-richest void galaxies with M(H I)/L _B ? 2.5 has gas mass fractions that reach 94–99%. The outer regions of many of these galaxies show atypically blue colors. To test various statistical differences between void galaxies and galaxies from the samples selected using more general criteria, we compare some of the parameters of void galaxies with similar data for the sample of 195 galaxies from the Equatorial Survey (ES) based on a part of the HIPASS blind HI survey. The compared samples have similar properties in the common luminosity interval ?18.5<M _g < ?13.5. The faintest void galaxies differ appreciably from the ES survey galaxies. However, the ES survey also contains about 7% of the so-called “inchoate” galaxies with highM(H I)/L _B ratios, most of which are located far from massive neighbors and are probably analogs of void galaxies.     

SDSS J160043.6+074802.9: a very rapid sdO pulsator

We report the serendipitous discovery of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) star SDSS J160043.6+074802.9 to be a very rapid pulsator. The variation is dominated by a frequency near 8380 μHz (period = 119.33 s) with a large amplitude (0.04 mag) and its first harmonic at 16760 μHz (59.66 s; 0.005 mag). In between these frequencies, we find at least another eight variations with periods between 62 and 118 s and amplitudes between about 0.007 and 0.003 mag; weaker oscillations might also be present. Preliminary spectrograms from the performance verification phase of the Southern African Large Telescope indicate that SDSS J160043.6+074802.9 is a spectroscopic binary consisting of an sdO star and a late-type main-sequence companion. This makes it the first unambiguous detection of such an sdO star to pulsate, and certainly the first found to exhibit multifrequency variations.     

Conceptual approach to astronomical problems

New technical capabilities have brought about the sweeping growth of the amount of data acquired by the astronomers from observations with different instruments in various parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. We consider conceptual approach to be a promising tool to efficiently deal with these data. It uses problem domain knowledge to formulate the tasks and develop problem-solving algorithms and data analysis methods in terms of domain concepts without reference to particular data sources, and thereby allows solving certain problems in general form. We demonstrate the benefits of conceptual approach by using it to solve problems related to search for secondary photometric standard candidates, determination of galaxy redshifts, creation of a binary and multiple star repository based on inhomogeneous databases, and classification of eclipsing binaries.We formulate and solve these problems over specifications of astronomical knowledge units such as photometric systems, astronomical objects, multiple stars, etc., and define them in terms of the corresponding problem domains independently of the existing data resources.     

Spectroscopic studies of southern-hemisphere Cepheids: Six objects in Centaurus (V Cen, V737 Cen) and Sagittarius (BB Sgr, W Sgr, X Sgr, Y Sgr)

This paper is the next one in the series of our works aimed at determining the atmospheric parameters and chemical composition of southern-hemisphere Cepheids. We present the results of our study for six bright Cepheids: V Cen, V737 Cen, BB Sgr, W Sgr, X Sgr, and Y Sgr. We have analyzed 14 high-resolution spectra taken with the 1.9-m telescope at the South African Astronomical Observatory. In addition to determining the chemical composition and atmospheric parameters, we point out and discuss several features in the spectra of individual Cepheids. In particular,we have detected emission in the cores of the Hβ and Hα lines forWSgr near its maximum light, while X Sgr shows the splitting of metal absorption lines into individual components without any change of the hydrogen lines. These peculiarities can be explained by different manifestations of shock waves in the Cepheid atmospheres and by the presence of circumstellar envelopes around X Sgr and W Sgr. The chemical composition has been estimated for V737 Cen, BB Sgr, and X Sgr for the first time. On the whole, our abundance estimates for α-elements, iron-peak elements, and r- and s-process elements are close to the solar ones for all objects, carbon is underabundant, the oxygen abundance is nearly solar, the “odd” elements, Na and Al, are overabundant (except X Sgr), magnesium is underabundant for V Cen and X Sgr and overabundant for the remaining objects. Such a chemical composition is typical of yellow supergiants after the first dredge-up. Keywords: Cepheids, spectra, atmospheric parameters, chemical composition.     

Spectroscopic studies of southern-hemisphere cepheids: WW Car,SX Car,UZ Car,UY Car,GX Car,HW Car,YZ Car

For seven faint southern Cepheids (WW Car, SX Car, UZ Car, UY Car, GX Car, HW Car, YZ Car), we have determined their atmospheric parameters and chemical composition for the first time based on ten high-resolution (R = 50 000) spectra taken with the 1.5-m Hexapod telescope at the Joint Observatory of the Northern Catholic University (Antofagasta, Chile) and the Ruhr University (Bochum, Germany). Six objects from the list demonstrate atmospheric parameters and chemical composition typical of Cepheids that have passed through the first dredge-up phase, while WW Car is probably an anomalous Cepheid. According to our preliminary estimates, it has an overabundance of CNO, a deficit of sodium and aluminum, and a slight deficit of magnesium, with iron and other elements being underabundant relative to the Sun.     

Spectroscopy of planetary nebulae in the region of Canis Major

We present the results of a pilot project of spectroscopic observations for planetary nebulae (PNe) and PN candidates in Canis Major, a sky region where the remnant of a disrupted dwarf galaxy cannibalized by the Milky Way may be located. The spectra of seven objects were taken while testing the SALT spectrograph (South African Astronomical Observatory). All elemental abundances have been obtained by the T _e method, where the electron temperature is calculated directly using the measured weak auroral [OIII] ?? 4363 ? and/or [NII] ?? 5755 ? lines. We have measured the intensities of all the detected emission lines and determined the abundances of oxygen and several other elements (N, Ne, S, Cl, C, and He) in all PNe. The radial velocity for one PN has been measured for the first time and the velocities for all of the remaining PNe have been measured with a considerably better accuracy than that of the previously published ones. The elemental abundances for three PNe have been calculated for the first time and the accuracies of determining the abundances for three others have been improved. The measured heavy-element abundance ratios (S/O, Ne/O, Cl/O) are in good agreement with their typical values for HII regions. Among the PNe studied, ESO 428-05 is the first and so far the most likely candidate for belonging to the remnants of a possible dwarf galaxy disrupted by the tidal interaction with the Milky Way.     

The structure of the stellar disks of southern S0 galaxies in sparse environments

Surface photometry data are presented for 12 southern lenticular galaxies located in regions of low density. Digital images in the gri bands were obtained on the LCOGT network of meter-class telescopes. Structural parameters of the global stellar disks of the galaxies are calculated—the exponential scale and relative thickness. The presence of substructure in the disks is noted; in particular, more than half the studied galaxies possess ring structures, sometimes more than one. The color maps presented indicate complex evolution of the substructure of the disks of lenticular galaxies: they can be classified as blue (ongoing star formation) or red (concentration of dust). The rings do not always lie in the main plane of the disk; there are cases of clearly inclined, or even polar, compact rings.     

Variability and possible rapid evolution of the hot post-AGB stars Hen 3-1347, Hen 3-1428, and LSS 4634

We present the results of spectroscopic and photometric observations for three hot southern-hemisphere post-AGB objects, Hen 3-1347 = IRAS 17074-1845, Hen 3-1428 = IRAS 17311-4924, and LSS 4634 = IRAS 18023-3409. In the spectrograms taken with the 1.9-m telescope of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) in 2012, we have measured the equivalent widths of the most prominent spectral lines. Comparison of the new data with those published previously points to a change in the spectra of Hen 3-1428 and LSS 4634 in the last 20 years. Based on ASAS data, we have detected rapid photometric variability in all three stars with an amplitude up to 0 _· ^m 3-0 _· ^m 4 in the V band. A similarity between the patterns of variability for the sample stars and other hot protoplanetary nebulae is pointed out. We present the results of UBV observations for Hen 3-1347, according to which the star undergoes rapid irregular brightness variations with maximum amplitudes ΔV = 0 _· ^m 25, ΔB = 0 _· ^m 25, and ΔU = 0 _· ^m 30 and shows color-magnitude correlations. Based on archival data, we have traced the photometric history of the stars over more than 100 years. Hen 3-1347 and LSS 4634 have exhibited a significant fading on a long time scale. The revealed brightness and spectrum variations in the stars, along with evidence for their enhanced mass, may be indicative of their rapid post-AGB evolution.