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York, D. G.

Publications and source records attributed to York, D. G..

At least 91 records · Page 5
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1976

The interstellar medium in the line of sight to X Persei and 3U 0352+30

The X-ray absorption column of 3U 0352+30 obtained with the Copernicus X-ray telescopes is compared with the atomic and molecular hydrogen column densities in the line of sight to X Per, as measured with the Copernicus ultraviolet telescopes, and with the visible reddening of X Per, by means of reddening/X-ray absorption-column relationships. The results are consistent with both the star and X-ray source being equidistant. When comparing X-ray absorbing column densities with those derived by other means, it is necessary to include the effects of molecular hydrogen in the line of sight to X Per and, in particular, the related number of medium-weight elements. It is suggested that failure to do this in previous work may account for reported discrepancies between the X-ray and radio column densities to the Crab Nebula and other sources. The far-ultraviolet extinction curve of X Per is presented.

Mason, K. O.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Spectroscopic observations of the candidate star coincident with A0620-00

Several spectra of the optical object identified with the X-ray flare source A0620-00 have been obtained at 5 A/mm with the Cassegrain echelle spectrograph on the 4-m Mayall telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory. These spectra reveal no significant stellar lines, but the flux distribution in the range 4250-7400 A, dereddened for a color excess of 0.9 mag, is similar to that of an O star. The color excess, which is derived from the observed strength of the 5780-A diffuse interstellar band, and the velocities and strengths of the interstellar Na I D lines imply that the object is between 1.5 and 2.5 kpc from the sun. If a distance of 2 kpc is adopted, then the luminosity of the source in the observed wavelength region is roughly 5 by 10 to the 35th power erg/s. The possibility that this object is a slow nova is discussed.

Gull, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1976

On the existence of molecular hydrogen along lines of sight with low reddening

The existence of molecular hydrogen along lines of sight with low reddening (B-V color excesses not exceeding 0.03) is discussed for the stars HD 28497, Mu Col, Alpha Vir, Beta Cen, and Lambda Sco. The main observations are of the R(1) features, which for effective rotational temperatures above 200 K are the dominant source of H2 transitions. If the formation process for molecular hydrogen is similar to that for regions of greater reddening, the observations indicate that the neutral gas outside standard clouds may be partially in small clouds, though a more diffuse component seems to exist in some cases. Extremely high rotational temperatures are inferred for the H2 toward HD 28497. The possibility of formation of H2 through the reaction H(-) + H yields H2 + e(-) is briefly discussed. In any case, only small regions seem to contribute to the observed H2 column density.

York, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Catalogue of diffuse interstellar band measurements

Diffuse-band data have been collected from the literature and reduced statistically to a common measurement system, enabling correlation analyses to be made with a larger quantity of data than previously possible. A full listing of the catalogued data is presented, along with some discussion of the correlations. One important application of such studies is the identification of cases of peculiar diffuse-band behavior, and a table is given showing all cases of band strengths deviating by more than twice the mean dispersion from the best-fit correlations. This table may be useful in planning further observations.

Snow, T. P., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS1976

The abundance of deuterium relative to hydrogen in interstellar space

Copernicus satellite observations of the deuterium and hydrogen Lyman lines in the lines of sight to mu COl, gamma-2 Vel, alpha Cru AB, and alpha Vir AB are reported. Together with previously published data for beta Cen A, the results yield a value N(D)/N(H) of approximately 0.000018 (m.e.) or a total deuterium mass portion of approximately 0.000025. Values for all stars with their error bars are contained within a band ranging from 0.25 to 2.0 times the quoted mean ratio. These limits are probably representative of the region within 200 pc of the sun. The results for these stars are essentially independent of assumptions about the Doppler parameter describing the formation of the lines, although this value can be derived from the observations. The results are consistent with a maximum temperature of 6000 K for the lines of sight studied.

York, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

The interstellar medium near the sun - The line of sight to lambda Scorpii

Copernicus satellite spectrometric observations are used to determine column densities and ionization structure in the local interstellar medium in the line of sight to lambda Sco. Three, or possibly four, regions are identified by physical properties or velocity separations in the UV absorption line profiles, including a region with a temperature near 200,000 K containing O VI lines, one or two H II regions, and an H I region which may also contain S III and C III. Element abundances are tabulated, and abundances in the H I region are shown to have a depletion pattern similar to that for the line of sight to zeta Oph.

York, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Rocket-ultraviolet spectra of kappa, lambda, tau, and upsilon Scorpii

The present work describes high- and low-resolution rocket-ultraviolet spectra of kappa, lambda, tau, and upsilon Scorpii obtained in the range from 1160 to 1880 A. The Si IV resonance lines in tau Sco show asymmetries indicating outward mass motions of up to about 400 km/sec. The suitability of some of the lines observed for indication of luminosity or temperature is discussed. It is pointed out that the intrinsic strength and large changes of the lines of Si III and C IV may permit a more accurate spectral classification of stars between B0 and B3 than has been demonstrated in this same spectral type region using visible spectra.

Jenkins, E. B.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Highly ionized atoms observed with Copernicus

Based on high-resolution observations using the Princeton satellite/spectrometer on Copernicus the O VI doublet is discussed in detail, in conjunction with data for the resonance lines of N V, Si IV, and S IV reported in five stars. The temperature, density, and the possible extent of the O VI producing region are discussed. The ratio N(S IV)/N(O VI) is used to derive a lower limit to the temperature in the O VI producing region. In near pressure equilibrium with normal interstellar clouds and H II regions minimum densities are found to be consistent with a hot plasma.

York, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Physical state of interstellar atoms

Brief survey of the physical conditions along the lines of sight to reddened and unreddened stars, as determined from Copernicus observation of interstellar lines between 95 and 300 nm. Differences in ionization structure and density between clouds and the local intercloud medium are discussed. Some new data for beta Centauri is used to supplement the previously available data.

York, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Oscillator strengths for ionized iron and manganese

The observed strengths of interstellar absorption lines of Fe II and Mn II in the spectra of alpha Vir, beta Cen, pi Sco, and zeta Oph along with laboratory f values of some of these lines between 2343 and 2606 A have been used to determine curves of growth for these ions and the f-values of ten lines of Fe II and three lines of Mn II between 1055 and 1261 A. The Fe and Mn abundances are derived.

De Boer, K. S.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Orbiting astronomical observatory-Copernicus

Of the three observatories planned in NASA's OAO program, one, OAO-3, is still in orbit and producing scientifically useful data. The prime experiment is the Princeton telescope spectrometer. Following a brief history of the OAO program, a description is given of the Princeton telescope with its 80-cm primary mirror, and of the spectrometer, which yields a resolution of up to 0.05 A. The spacecraft guidance system is also described. This system initially points the observatory to within a few arc minutes of the target, places the 0.3-arc sec slit on the star in less than 3 minutes, and holds on the star for up to 50 minutes with errors less than 0.05 arc sec. The main scientific results are described under the following categories: (1) the widespread presence of molecular hydrogen; (2) the search for other molecules, including detection of CO; (3) the nature of the interstellar medium as inferred from the detection of various atomic lines; (4) the study of chromospheres in late type stars; and (5) the study of mass loss in binaries and single stars.

York, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Spectrophotometric results from the Copernicus satellite. I - Instrumentation and performance.

The Princeton telescope-spectrometer on the OAO spacecraft Copernicus scans stellar spectra with a resolution of about 0.05 A between 950 and 1450 A, and twice this in first order between 1650 and 3000 A. The pointing during several minutes is steady within .02 sec, and the measured photometric precision in the shorter wavelength range is limited only by the statistics of photon counts, with 14-sec counts of about 1000 on an unreddened B1 star, m(v) = 5.0, at 1100 A. In the 1650-3000 A wavelength range, phototube noise resulting from cosmic rays makes observations difficult on stars fainter than m(v) = 3.0.

Rogerson, J. B.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Spectrophotometric results from the Copernicus satellite. III - Ionization and composition of the intercloud medium.

Interstellar lines have been studied in the unreddened stars lambda Sco, upsilon Sco, alpha Leo, and alpha Eri, which are located between 20 and 150 pc from the sun. The lines are on the linear and saturated Doppler portions of the curve of growth. Preliminary analysis shows that processes producing large amounts of highly ionized species are not dominant. Doubly ionized C, N, Si, and S have been detected, but are all quite weak relative to the singly ionized species. Abundances relative to nitrogen are in the cosmic ratios or slightly lower, with some indication of general depletion of the heavier elements. Hydrogen number densities range from a measured value of 0.22 per cu cm for lambda Sco to a derived value of 0.02 per cu cm for alpha Leo assuming nitrogen to have its solar abundance relative to hydrogen.

Rogerson, J. B.↗