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CN column densities and excitation temperatures
We analyse abundances and rotational temperatures of the interstellar CNmolecule. We have calculated the column densities and excitationtemperatures of the molecule along 73 lines of sight basing on ouroriginal measurements of the B 2?+ -X2?+ (0,0) vibrational band recorded in highsignal-to-noise ratio spectra and also for 88 directions based onmeasurements already available in literature. We compare the columndensities obtained from different bands of CN molecule available toground-based instruments. The obtained excitation temperatures in theanalysed directions show always an excess over the cosmic microwavebackground radiation (CMBR) temperature.
| An Analysis of the Shapes of Interstellar Extinction Curves. V. The IR-through-UV Curve Morphology
We study the IR-through-UV interstellar extinction curves towards 328Galactic B and late-O stars. We use a new technique which employsstellar atmosphere models in lieu of unreddened "standard" stars. Thistechnique is capable of virtually eliminating spectral mismatch errorsin the curves. It also allows a quantitative assessment of the errorsand enables a rigorous testing of the significance of relationshipsbetween various curve parameters, regardless of whether theiruncertainties are correlated. Analysis of the curves gives the followingresults: (1) In accord with our previous findings, the central positionof the 2175 A extinction bump is mildly variable, its width is highlyvariable, and the two variations are unrelated. (2) Strong correlationsare found among some extinction properties within the UV region, andwithin the IR region. (3) With the exception of a few curves withextreme (i.e., large) values of R(V), the UV and IR portions of Galacticextinction curves are not correlated with each other. (4) The largesightline-to-sightline variation seen in our sample implies that anyaverage Galactic extinction curve will always reflect the biases of itsparent sample. (5) The use of an average curve to deredden a spectralenergy distribution (SED) will result in significant errors, and arealistic error budget for the dereddened SED must include the observedvariance of Galactic curves. While the observed largesightline-to-sightline variations, and the lack of correlation among thevarious features of the curves, make it difficult to meaningfullycharacterize average extinction properties, they demonstrate thatextinction curves respond sensitively to local conditions. Thus, eachcurve contains potentially unique information about the grains along itssightline.
| New Estimates of the Solar-Neighborhood Massive Star Birthrate and the Galactic Supernova Rate
The birthrate of stars of masses >=10 Msolar is estimatedfrom a sample of just over 400 O3-B2 dwarfs within 1.5 kpc of the Sunand the result extrapolated to estimate the Galactic supernova ratecontributed by such stars. The solar-neighborhood Galactic-plane massivestar birthrate is estimated at ~176 stars kpc-3Myr-1. On the basis of a model in which the Galactic stellardensity distribution comprises a ``disk+central hole'' like that of thedust infrared emission (as proposed by Drimmel and Spergel), theGalactic supernova rate is estimated at probably not less than ~1 normore than ~2 per century and the number of O3-B2 dwarfs within the solarcircle at ~200,000.
| High-Resolution Observations of Interstellar Ca I Absorption-Implications for Depletions and Electron Densities in Diffuse Clouds
We present high-resolution (FWHM~0.3-1.5 km s-1) spectra,obtained with the AAT UHRF, the McDonald Observatory 2.7 m coudéspectrograph, and/or the KPNO coudé feed, of interstellar Ca Iabsorption toward 30 Galactic stars. Comparisons of the column densitiesof Ca I, Ca II, K I, and other species-for individual componentsidentified in the line profiles and also when integrated over entirelines of sight-yield information on relative electron densities anddepletions (dependent on assumptions regarding the ionizationequilibrium). There is no obvious relationship between the ratio N(CaI)/N(Ca II) [equal to ne/(Γ/αr) forphotoionization equilibrium] and the fraction of hydrogen in molecularform f(H2) (often taken to be indicative of the local densitynH). For a smaller sample of sight lines for which thethermal pressure (nHT) and local density can be estimated viaanalysis of the C I fine-structure excitation, the average electrondensity inferred from C, Na, and K (assuming photoionizationequilibrium) seems to be independent of nH andnHT. While the electron density (ne) obtained fromthe ratio N(Ca I)/N(Ca II) is often significantly higher than the valuesderived from other elements, the patterns of relative nederived from different elements show both similarities and differencesfor different lines of sight-suggesting that additional processesbesides photoionization and radiative recombination commonly andsignificantly affect the ionization balance of heavy elements in diffuseinterstellar clouds. Such additional processes may also contribute tothe (apparently) larger than expected fractional ionizations(ne/nH) found for some lines of sight withindependent determinations of nH. In general, inclusion of``grain-assisted'' recombination does reduce the inferred ne,but it does not reconcile the ne estimated from differentelements; it may, however, suggest some dependence of ne onnH. The depletion of calcium may have a much weakerdependence on density than was suggested by earlier comparisons with CHand CN. Two appendices present similar high-resolution spectra of Fe Ifor a few stars and give a compilation of column density data for Ca I,Ca II, Fe I, and S I.
| Catalog of Galactic OB Stars
An all-sky catalog of Galactic OB stars has been created by extendingthe Case-Hamburg Galactic plane luminous-stars surveys to include 5500additional objects drawn from the literature. This work brings the totalnumber of known or reasonably suspected OB stars to over 16,000.Companion databases of UBVβ photometry and MK classifications forthese objects include nearly 30,000 and 20,000 entries, respectively.
| Classification and properties of UV extinction curves
The catalog of Savage et al. (\cite{ref27}) reporting colour excesses of1415 stars from ANS photometry offers the opportunity to deeplyinvestigate the characteristics of UV extinction curves which differfrom the standard extinction of the diffuse interstellar medium. To thisaim we have selected a sample of 252 curves, which have been comparedwith the relations derived by Cardelli et al. (\cite{ref4}; CCM in thefollowing) for a variety of R_V values in the range 2.4-5 and have beenclassified as normal if they fit at least one of the CCM curves oranomalous otherwise. We find that normal curves with small R_V are justas numerous as those with large R_V. The anomalous objects are arrangedinto two groups according to the strength of the bump at 0.217 mu . Fora given value of c_2 this increases along the sequence: type Aanomalous, normals and type B anomalous, suggesting that this sequenceshould correspond to an increase of the amount of small grains along thesightline. Considerations concerning the environmental characteristicsindicate that the anomalous behaviour is not necessarily tied to theexistence of dense gas clouds along the line of sight.
| Stars with ISM Polarization Observed with HPOL
Polarization data are given for stars whose polarizations are mostlyinterstellar which were observed for various programs with theUniversity of Wisconsin spectropolarimeter (HPOL) during 1989-1994.
| A HIPPARCOS Census of the Nearby OB Associations
A comprehensive census of the stellar content of the OB associationswithin 1 kpc from the Sun is presented, based on Hipparcos positions,proper motions, and parallaxes. It is a key part of a long-term projectto study the formation, structure, and evolution of nearby young stellargroups and related star-forming regions. OB associations are unbound``moving groups,'' which can be detected kinematically because of theirsmall internal velocity dispersion. The nearby associations have a largeextent on the sky, which traditionally has limited astrometricmembership determination to bright stars (V<~6 mag), with spectraltypes earlier than ~B5. The Hipparcos measurements allow a majorimprovement in this situation. Moving groups are identified in theHipparcos Catalog by combining de Bruijne's refurbished convergent pointmethod with the ``Spaghetti method'' of Hoogerwerf & Aguilar.Astrometric members are listed for 12 young stellar groups, out to adistance of ~650 pc. These are the three subgroups Upper Scorpius, UpperCentaurus Lupus, and Lower Centaurus Crux of Sco OB2, as well as VelOB2, Tr 10, Col 121, Per OB2, alpha Persei (Per OB3), Cas-Tau, Lac OB1,Cep OB2, and a new group in Cepheus, designated as Cep OB6. Theselection procedure corrects the list of previously known astrometricand photometric B- and A-type members in these groups and identifiesmany new members, including a significant number of F stars, as well asevolved stars, e.g., the Wolf-Rayet stars gamma^2 Vel (WR 11) in Vel OB2and EZ CMa (WR 6) in Col 121, and the classical Cepheid delta Cep in CepOB6. Membership probabilities are given for all selected stars. MonteCarlo simulations are used to estimate the expected number of interloperfield stars. In the nearest associations, notably in Sco OB2, thelater-type members include T Tauri objects and other stars in the finalpre-main-sequence phase. This provides a firm link between the classicalhigh-mass stellar content and ongoing low-mass star formation. Detailedstudies of these 12 groups, and their relation to the surroundinginterstellar medium, will be presented elsewhere. Astrometric evidencefor moving groups in the fields of R CrA, CMa OB1, Mon OB1, Ori OB1, CamOB1, Cep OB3, Cep OB4, Cyg OB4, Cyg OB7, and Sct OB2, is inconclusive.OB associations do exist in many of these regions, but they are eitherat distances beyond ~500 pc where the Hipparcos parallaxes are oflimited use, or they have unfavorable kinematics, so that the groupproper motion does not distinguish it from the field stars in theGalactic disk. The mean distances of the well-established groups aresystematically smaller than the pre-Hipparcos photometric estimates.While part of this may be caused by the improved membership lists, arecalibration of the upper main sequence in the Hertzsprung-Russelldiagram may be called for. The mean motions display a systematicpattern, which is discussed in relation to the Gould Belt. Six of the 12detected moving groups do not appear in the classical list of nearby OBassociations. This is sometimes caused by the absence of O stars, but inother cases a previously known open cluster turns out to be (part of) anextended OB association. The number of unbound young stellar groups inthe solar neighborhood may be significantly larger than thoughtpreviously.
| UBV beta Database for Case-Hamburg Northern and Southern Luminous Stars
A database of photoelectric UBV beta photometry for stars listed in theCase-Hamburg northern and southern Milky Way luminous stars surveys hasbeen compiled from the original research literature. Consisting of over16,000 observations of some 7300 stars from over 500 sources, thisdatabase constitutes the most complete compilation of such photometryavailable for intrinsically luminous stars around the Galactic plane.Over 5000 stars listed in the Case-Hamburg surveys still lackfundamental photometric data.
| Chemical transitions for interstellar C2 and CN in cloud envelopes
Observations were made of absorption from CH, C2, and CN towardmoderately reddened stars in Sco, OB2, Ceo OB3, and Taurus/Auriga. Forthese directions, most of the reddening is associated with a singlecloud complex, for example, the rho Ophiuchus molecular cloud, and as aresult, the observations probe moderately dense material. When combinedwith avaliable data for nearby directions, the survey provides the basisfor a comprehensive analysis of the chemistry for these species. Thechemical transitions affecting C2 and CN in cloud envelopes wereanalyzed. The depth into a cloud at which a transition takes place wascharacterized by tauuv, the grain optical depth at 1000 A.One transition at tauuv approx. = 2, which arises from, theconversion of C(+) into CO, affects the chemistries for both moleculesbecause of the key role this ion plays. A second one involvingproduction terms in the CN chemistry occurs at tauuv ofapprox. = 3; neutral reactions which C2 and CH is more important atlarger values for tauuv. The transition fromphotodissociation to chemical destruction takes place attauuv approx. = 4.5 for C2 and CN. The observational data forstars in Sco OB2, Cep OB3, and Taurus/Auriga were studied with chemicalrate equations containing the most important production and destructionmechanisms. Because the sample of stars in Sco OB2 includes sight lineswith Av ranging from 1-4 mag, sight lines dominated byphotochemistry could be analyzed separately from those controlled bygas-phase destruction. The analysis yielded values for two poorly knownrate constants for reactions involved in the production of CN; thereactions are C2 + N yields CN + C and C(+) + NH yields all products.The other directions were analyzed with the inferred values. Thepredicted column densities for C2 and CN agree with the observed valuesto better than 50%, and in most instances 20%. When combining theestimates for density and temperature derived from chemical modeling andmolecular excitation for a specific cloud, such as the rho Ophiuchusmolecular cloud, the portion of the cloud envelope probed by C2 and CNabsorption was found to be in pressure equilibrium.
| CO J = 3-2 observations of translucent and high-latitude molecular clouds
Measurements were carried out on the CO J = 3-2 emission line at 345 GHzfrom a number of translucent and high-latitude molecular clouds, as wellas on the J = 2-1 and J = 1-0 lines of both the (C-12)O and (C-13)O. Itis shown that the physical conditions in the high-latitude clouds arevery similar to those in the translucent clouds. The densities derivedfrom measured (C-12)O 1-0/3-2 ratios were often found to be higher thanthose based on the C2 excitation, while densities derived from measured3-2/(C-13)O 1-0 ratios were similar to those based on C2.
| Predicting peculiar interstellar extinction from gaseous abundances
Molecular and atomic abundances are examined for 19 lines of sightthrough dense clouds, each with a peculiar selective extinction curve.The interstellar clouds appear to fall into two distinct categories:CN-rich, with relatively small amounts of neutral iron, or CN-poor, withlarge amounts of neutral iron. Lines of sight having a CN/(Fe I)abundance ratio about two or greater, are found to have a shallow 2175 Afeature relative to the underlying extinction, while the strength ofbump is 3.60 + or - 0.36 for the other dense clouds in the presentstudy. The difference is the strength of the extinction bump betweenthese two ensembles is 1.03 + or - 0.23. Several atomic abundances areexamined as potential indicators of peculiar extinction. The Mn I upperlimits in the present study support that Mn is being preferentiallydepleted. Fe I is underabundant relative to K I by 0.7 (dex) in thelarge (CN)/(Fe I) compared to the small (CN)/(Fe I) lines of sight.
| A search for interstellar and circumstellar C60
It has recently been suggested that the diffuse interstellar bands maybe formed by ionized polyhedral carbon molecules such as C60(+). Whilespecific laboratory measurements of absorption bands of this molecularion have not been made, a feature due to the neutral molecule C60 hasbeen discovered at 3860A. Examination of spectra of several reddenedstars, as well as one star known to have circumstellar carbonaceousdust, shows no sign of the feature, leading to upper limits of the orderof 10 to the 14th/sq cm for the column density of C60. These limits arenot yet sensitive enough to violate the expectations of crudepredictions.
| Merged log of IUE observations.
Not Available
| The interstellar 217 NM band - A third catalogue of equivalent widths
A catalog of equivalent widths of the 217 nm interstellar absorptionband as well as other parameters characterizing the extinction curve inthe ultraviolet has been compiled for 790 O and B stars. A relativelytight correlation between the equivalent width of the 217 nm band andE(B-V) indicates that the absorber of this band is connected with thepopulation of larger interstellar grains responsible for the visualextinction. The parameter characterizing the amount of extinction in thefar UV is only weakly correlated with E(B-V), a result in accord withthe assumption that a second population of very small grains causes therapid increase of the far-UV extinction.
| The variation of interstellar extinction in the ultraviolet
One hundred and fifty-four reddened stars that are apparently normal inthe visible were selected from the S2/68 Ultraviolet Sky Survey. Theultraviolet data for 92 of these cannot be explained in terms of a fixedinterstellar extinction law. Between 1400 and 2740 A, the extinctioncurve for each star can be well represented by two parts; astraight-line scattering component and a Lorentzian 2200 A absorptionfeature. Independent variations are found in both parts and these cannotbe explained by photometric or spectral classification errors. Bothparts vary smoothly, implying that there is no fixed extinction law, andone star in three is found to depart from the mean law by more than 1mag at either 1500 or 2200 A. The two variations allow not only all 154stars to be explained but also anomalous stars reported by otherauthors. These are not special but merely situated towards the limits ofthe variations. A variation in the relative proportions of graphite andsilicate grains goes some way towards explaining the observations. Theprofile of the 2200 A feature is determined, the symmetrical shape isconfirmed, and the profile fits a Lorentzian very closely.
| Observations of interstellar diffuse absorption band at 4430 A
Observations of the interstellar diffuse absorption band at 4430 A for800 O and B stars in Neckel's (1967) catalog are being carried out, and482 spectra obtained up to September 1983 have been reduced. It isconfirmed that the strength of the interstellar diffuse absorption bandat 4430 A does not simply relate to the abundance of interstellar grainson the line of sight. The relation between the color excess E(B-V) andthe equivalent width of the band to the direction of l = 130-140 deg andb = -5 to +5 deg shows that some parameter(s) other than E(B-V) is (are)needed to understand the cause of this band.
| Catalog of O-B stars observed with Tokyo Meridian Circle
A catalog of the O-B stars, selected from 'Blaauw-Parenago' list andRubin's catalog, has been compiled on the FK4 system by the observationsmade with Gautier 8-inch Meridian Circle at the Tokyo AstronomicalObservatory during the period, 1971 to 1979. It contains 1059 stars andwas compiled for the future establishment of high precision propermotions of O-B stars.
| A catalog of ultraviolet interstellar extinction excesses for 1415 stars
Ultraviolet interstellar extinction excesses are presented for 1415stars with spectral types B7 and earlier. The excesses with respect to Vare derived from Astronomical Netherlands Satellite (ANS) 5-channel UVphotometry at central wavelengths of approximately 1550, 1800, 2500, and3300 A. A measure of the excess extinction in the 2200-A extinction bumpis also given. The data are valuable for investigating the systematicsof peculiar interstellar extinction and for studying the character of UVinterstellar extinction in the general direction of stars for which theextinction-curve shape is unknown.
| Ultraviolet extinction and diffuse band strength correlations
Correlations between UV extinction parameters and diffuse band strengthsare south, using a data base of 50 stars with recently measuredextinction curves. A novel aspect of this study is that the basicdependence of most interstellar parameters on E(B-V) (or, nearlyequivalently, on the total hydrogen column density) has been largelycanceled out. After this cancellation, a weak correlation is foundbetween the 4430 A diffuse band and the 2175 A extinction feature. Noother correlations are found. These results support a molecular originfor the 5780 A and 6284 A bands. It is speculated that the correlationpattern found for the 4430 A band can be explained if this bandoriginates in reactions on disordered grain surfaces.
| Peculiar ultraviolet interstellar extinction
In connection with investigations of the physical characteristics ofinterstellar dust, a study of objects with peculiar extinction mightprovide new insights about the composition, size distribution,formation, and destruction of the particulate matter. Meyer and Savage(1981) have found that the dust toward many stars exhibits peculiar UVextinction. The present investigation is concerned with InternationalUltraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectrophotometric measurements for a sampleof stars judged by Meyer and Savage to have highly anomalous UVextinction as inferred from the broad-band Astronomical NetherlandsSatellite (ANS) data. The reported IUE measurements provide theopportunity to determine if the ANS photometry measurements of Meyer andSavage are anomalous because of peculiar extinction.
| Dust in galaxies
The manifestations of dust in the Galaxy, in normal galaxies, activenuclei galaxies (ANGs), and in QSOs are discussed. Findings on thecomposition, abundance, size distribution, and global properties of theGalaxy's dust obtained with absorption and emission studies arereviewed. The properties of dust in other galaxies, the variation ofthose properties among galaxies, and the effect of the dust on theappearance of galaxies are considered, discussing the LMC, M51, and M82as examples. Evidence for the existence of dust in the nuclei of ANGsand in QSOs is examined with regard to reddening, dust emission andabsorption, and polarization. The question of the existence ofintergalactic dust is briefly addressed.
| IUE observations of lines of sight with peculiar ultraviolet extinction
Low resolution IUE data were used to derive UV extinction curves for agroup of stars known to have peculiar extinction parameters from ANSdata. The resulting curves have a wide range of appearances. Althoughthe ratio E(BUMP)/E(B-V) differs by a factor of three in the extremecases, the wavelength of maximum absorption does not appear to change.No evidence for new fine structure in UV extinction was found. Thestructure near 62 micrometers in the existing mean extinction curvesappears to be the result of luminosity mismatch errors. The newextinction curves have shapes that separate into two distinct classes;those associated with clear field extinction and those associated withextinction in dense nebular environments. The range of variation in thecurves is so large, the common practice of ironing out the bump canproduce enormous errors in the resultant UV energy distributions whenE(B-V) 0.3.
| SKYMAP : a new catalog of stellar data.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1978ApJS...38..287G&db_key=AST
| Correlations of the band at 2175 A with other interstellar features
Using published spectrophotometric and filter-photometric data from theOAO-2 and TD-1A satellites, equivalent widths of the ultraviolet 2175-Aband are determined for 194 stars. This list of data is used to studycorrelations between the 2175-A band and the diffuse 4430-A, 5780-A, and5797-A bands as well as the hydrogen column density and the equivalentwidth of the sodium D2 line.
| The correlation between the ultraviolet lambda 2200 feature and the diffuse lambda 4430 band.
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1975MNRAS.173..237N&db_key=AST
| Galactic structure in the direction of Cepheus
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1973A&A....27..421B
| Spiral arms
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1967MNRAS.137..337D&db_key=AST
| Catalogue d'etoiles O et B.
Not Available
| Photoelectric 4430 A observations of 506 O, B and A stars.
Not Available
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Observation and Astrometry data
| Constellation: | Cepheus |
| Right ascension: | 22h06m17.67s |
| Declination: | +55°14'48.4" |
| Apparent magnitude: | 7.65 |
| Distance: | 847.458 parsecs |
| Proper motion RA: | -2.8 |
| Proper motion Dec: | -5.6 |
| B-T magnitude: | 7.951 |
| V-T magnitude: | 7.675 |
Catalogs and designations:
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