Galactic orbits of stars

1966 ◽  
Vol 25 ◽  
pp. 93-97
Author(s):  
Richard Woolley

It is now possible to determine proper motions of high-velocity objects in such a way as to obtain with some accuracy the velocity vector relevant to the Sun. If a potential field of the Galaxy is assumed, one can compute an actual orbit. A determination of the velocity of the globular clusterωCentauri has recently been completed at Greenwich, and it is found that the orbit is strongly retrograde in the Galaxy. Similar calculations may be made, though with less certainty, in the case of RR Lyrae variable stars.

1978 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 273-276
Author(s):  
Sidney van den Bergh

A quarter of a century ago Keenan and Keller (1953) showed that the majority of high-velocity stars near the Sun outline a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram similar to that of old Population I. This result, which did not appear to fit into Baade's (1944) two-population model of the Galaxy was ignored (except by Roman 1965) for the next two decades. Striking confirmation of the results of Keenan and Keller was, however, obtained by Hartwick and Hesser (1972). Their work appears to show that high-velocity field stars with an ultraviolet excess (which measures Fe/H) of δ(U-B) ≃ +0m.11 lie on a red giant branch that is more than a magnitude fainter than the giant branch of the strong-lined globular cluster 47 Tuc for which δ(U-B) ≃ +0m.10. Furthermore Demarque and McClure (1977) show that the red giants in the old metal poor [δ(U-B) ≃ +0m.11] open cluster NGC 2420 are significantly fainter than are those in 47 Tuc. Calculations by these authors show that the observed differences between the giants in 47 Tuc and in NGC 2420 can be explained if either (1) 47 Tuc is richer in helium than NGC 2420 by ΔY ≃ 0.1 or (2) if 47 Tuc has a ten times lower value of Z(CNO) than does NGC 2420.


1984 ◽  
Vol 108 ◽  
pp. 223-224
Author(s):  
Horace A. Smith ◽  
Leo Connolly

The Small Magellanic Cloud is known to contain types of short period Cepheid variable stars not yet discovered in either the Large Magellanic Cloud or, with the exception of a single star, in the Galaxy. These variables can be divided into two categories: anomalous Cepheids and Wesselink-Shuttleworth (WS) stars. The former, which have also been found in dwarf spheroidal systems and in the globular cluster NGC 5466, have periods of 0.4–3 days, but average 0.7–1.0 mag. brighter than RR Lyrae and BL Her stars of equal period. The stars we call WS stars have periods less than about 1.1 day and, at MV = −1 to −2, are brighter than anomalous Cepheids of equal period.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (S351) ◽  
pp. 478-481
Author(s):  
M. I. Moretti ◽  
I. Musella ◽  
M. Marconi ◽  
V. Ripepi ◽  
R. Molinaro

AbstractIn the context of the STRucture and Evolution of the GAlaxy survey, we describe the preliminary results obtained for the fields around the globular cluster Pal 3 (about 2.75 square degrees), by exploiting the obtained g, r, i time series photometry. The final aim is to use variable stars as tools to verify and study the presence of streams around Pal 3. We found 20 candidate variable stars of which 7 RR Lyrae stars possibly belonging to Pal 3, also at large distance from the center. The distribution of the candidate RR Lyrae seems to confirm a preferential distribution in the north-east direction, confirming previous results in literature.


Author(s):  
S. Akhter ◽  
G. S. Da Costa ◽  
S. C. Keller ◽  
B. P. Schmidt ◽  
M. S. Bessell ◽  
...  

AbstractOne of the major science goals of the SkyMapper survey of the Southern Hemisphere sky is the determination of the shape and extent of the halo of the Galaxy. In this paper, we quantify the likely efficiency and completeness of the survey as regards the detection of RR Lyrae variable stars, which are excellent tracers of the halo stellar population. We have accomplished this via observations of the RR Lyrae-rich globular cluster NGC 3201. We find that for single-epoch uvgri observations followed by two further epochs of g, r imaging, as per the intended three-epoch survey strategy, we recover known RR Lyraes with a completeness exceeding 90%. We also investigate boundaries in the gravity-sensitive single-epoch two-colour diagram that yield high completeness and high efficiency (i.e., minimal contamination by non-RR Lyraes) and the general usefulness of this diagram in separating populations.


1994 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 453-459 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Odenkirchen ◽  
R.-D. Scholz ◽  
M.J. Irwin

We present results from orbit integrations for the globular clusters M 3 and M 92. Absolute proper motions recently measured from Tautenburg Schmidt plates and a three-component mass model for the Galaxy have been used to derive the galactic orbits of these clusters. Orbital parameters and the influence of observational uncertainties on the determination of the orbits are discussed.


1989 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 285-285
Author(s):  
H.A. Smith ◽  
J.R. Kuhn ◽  
J. Curtis

AbstractBVR observations of the relatively metal-rich globular cluster NGC 6388 have been obtained with a CCD on the CTIO 0.9 m telescope. Eighteen possible short period variable stars have been discovered in or near the cluster. At least 10 of these are probable RR Lyrae members of NGC 6388. We confirm the finding of Hazen and Hesser that this cluster is one of the most metal-rich to contain a significant number of RR Lyraes. A program of CCD photometry of field and cluster variable stars has been initiated on the 0.6m telescope of the Michigan State University Observatory.


1977 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 293-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Palouš

The basic model of our Galaxy, like the Schmidt (1965) model, obeys the density law ρ(R) for the Galaxy based on divers evidence, less or better known from observation. The interpretation of the interstellar hydrogen radio profiles yields the rotation curve and the run of the force component in the radial direction. The Oort constants A, B known from radial velocities and proper motions of nearby stars, the distance from the Sun to the galactic center Roestablished from the distances of RR Lyrae stars, the local density and density gradients in the vicinity of the Sun, known from the star counts, are involved in this basic model of the Galaxy. The r.m.s. velocity component in the z direction yields the approximate mass distribution in this direction. The model surface density is computed by integrating the density along the z direction in the model. The local surface density in the Schmidt model is 114 solar masses per pc2; it depends rather strongly on the assumed density variation in the outer part of the Galaxy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 494 (3) ◽  
pp. 3212-3226 ◽  
Author(s):  
M A Yepez ◽  
A Arellano Ferro ◽  
D Deras

ABSTRACT We present an analysis of VI CCD time-series photometry of the Oo II type globular cluster M92. The variable star population of the cluster is studied with the aim of revising their classifications, identifications, frequency spectra, and to select indicators of the parental cluster metallicity and distance. The Fourier decomposition of RR Lyrae light curves lead to the estimation of mean [Fe/H]spec = −2.20 ± 0.18 and distance of 8.3 ± 0.2 kpc. Four new variables are reported: one RRd (V40), a multimode SX Phe (V41), an SR (V42), and one RRc (F1) that is most likely not a cluster member. The AC nature of V7 is confirmed. The double mode nature of the RRc star V11 is not confirmed and its amplitude modulations are most likely due to the Blazhko effect. Two modes are found in the known RRc variable V13. It is argued that the variable V30, previously classified as RRab is, in fact, a BL Her-type star not belonging to the cluster. Using the Gaia-DR2 proper motions, we identified 5012 stars in the field of the cluster, which are very likely cluster members, and for which we possess photometry, enabling the production of a refined colour–magnitude diagram. This also allowed us to identify a few variable stars that do not belong to the cluster. The RR Lyrae pulsation modes on the HB are cleanly separated by the first overtone red edge, a common feature in all Oo II-type clusters.


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