167 research outputs found
Long-term variability survey of the old open cluster NGC 6791
We present the results of a long-term variability survey of the old open
cluster NGC 6791. The BVI observations, collected over a time span of 6 years,
were analyzed using the ISIS image subtraction package. The main target of our
observations were two cataclysmic variables B7 and B8. We have identified
possible cycle lenghts of about 25 and 18 days for B7 and B8, respectively. We
tentatively classify B7 as a VY Scl type nova-like variable or a Z Cam type
dwarf nova. B8 is most likely an SS Cygni type dwarf nova. We have also
extracted the light curves of 42 other previously reported variable stars and
discovered seven new ones. The new variables show long-period or non-periodic
variability. The long baseline of our observations has also allowed us to
derive more precise periods for the variables, especially for the short period
eclipsing binaries.Comment: 13 pages LaTeX, including 8 PostScript figures and 4 tables. To
appear in June 2003 issue of The Astronomical Journa
The eclipsing massive X-ray binary M33 X-7: New X-ray observations and optical identification
The eclipsing X-ray binary M33 X-7 was in the field of view during several
observations of our XMM-Newton M33 survey and in the archival Chanfdra
observation 1730 which cover a large part of the 3.45 d orbital period. We
detect emission of M33 X-7 during eclipse and a soft X-ray spectrum of the
source out of eclipse that can best be described by bremsstrahlung or disk
blackbody models. No significant regular pulsations of the source in the range
0.25-1000 s were found. The average source luminosity out of eclipse is 5E37
erg/s (0.5-4.5 keV). In a special analysis of DIRECT observations we identify
as optical counterpart a B0I to O7I star of 18.89 mag in V which shows the
ellipsoidal heating light curve of a high mass X-ray binary with the M33 X-7
binary period. The location of the X-ray eclipse and the optical minima allow
us to determine an improved binary period and ephemeris of mid-eclipse as HJD
(2451760.61+-0.09)+- N * (3.45376+-0.00021). The mass of the compact object
derived from orbital parameters and the optical companion mass, the lack of
pulsations, and the X-ray spectrum of M33 X-7 may indicate that the compact
object in the system is a black hole. M33 X-7 would be the first detected
eclipsing high mass black hole X-ray binary.Comment: 9 pages including 6 figures, A&A accepte
The DIRECT project: Catalogs of stellar objects in nearby galaxies. II. Eastern arm and NGC 206 in M31
DIRECT is a project to directly obtain the distances to two important
galaxies in the cosmological distance ladder, M31 and M33, using detached
eclipsing binaries and Cepheids. As part of our search for these variables, we
have obtained photometry and positions for thousands of stellar objects within
the monitored fields, covering an area of 557.8 arcmin^2. In this research note
we present the equatorial coordinates and BVI photometry for 26712 stars in the
M31 galaxy, along the eastern arm and in the vicinity of the star forming
region NGC206.Comment: 2 LaTeX pages, 2 Postscript figures, submitted to Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Optical flares from the faint mid-dM star 2MASS J00453911+4140396
We present and light curves of a large stellar flare obtained with
the Wide Field Camera at the Isaac Newton 2.5-m telescope (La Palma). The
source object is a faint () foreground star in the field of the
Andromeda galaxy, with its most probable spectral type being dM4. We provide an
estimate of the total flare energy in the optical range and find it to be of
the order of erg. The cooling phase of the large flare shows three
additional weak flare-like events, which we interpret as results of a
triggering mechanism also observed on the Sun during large coronal mass
ejections.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
DIRECT Distances to Nearby Galaxies Using Detached Eclipsing Binaries and Cepheids. V. Variables in the Field M31F
We undertook a long term project, DIRECT, to obtain the direct distances to
two important galaxies in the cosmological distance ladder -- M31 and M33 --
using detached eclipsing binaries (DEBs) and Cepheids. While rare and difficult
to detect, DEBs provide us with the potential to determine these distances with
an accuracy better than 5%. The extensive photometry obtained in order to
detect DEBs provides us with good light curves for the Cepheid variables. These
are essential to the parallel project to derive direct Baade-Wesselink
distances to Cepheids in M31 and M33. For both Cepheids and eclipsing binaries,
the distance estimates will be free of any intermediate steps.
As a first step in the DIRECT project, between September 1996 and October
1997 we obtained 95 full/partial nights on the F. L. Whipple Observatory 1.2 m
telescope and 36 full nights on the Michigan-Dartmouth-MIT 1.3 m telescope to
search for DEBs and new Cepheids in the M31 and M33 galaxies. In this paper,
fifth in the series, we present the catalog of variable stars found in the
field M31F [(\alpha,\delta)= (10.\arcdeg10, 40.\arcdeg72), J2000.0]. We have
found 64 variable stars: 4 eclipsing binaries, 52 Cepheids and 8 other
periodic, possible long period or non-periodic variables. The catalog of
variables, as well as their photometry and finding charts, is available via
anonymous ftp and the World Wide Web. The complete set of the CCD frames is
available upon request.Comment: submitted to the Astronomical Journal, 31 pages, 18 figures; paper
and data available at ftp://cfa-ftp.harvard.edu/pub/kstanek/DIRECT/ and
through WWW at http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~kstanek/DIRECT
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