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At least 829 records · Page 46
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NASA NTRS1981

Two young stars in L 43

Optical and infrared photometry has been obtained for the two stars (RNO 90 and RNO 91) illuminating reflection nebulae in the small, filamentary dust cloud L 43. Spectrograms of RNO 90 in the blue and red have also been obtained, which show that it is a T Tauri star. Both stars have strong infrared excesses, placing them firmly in the 'dust' position of the H - K, K - L diagram. The absorption reversals superimposed on the Balmer lines from H-alpha to H-delta in RNO 90 display an interesting effect. They appear to move progressively redward from a position near the blue edge of the emission line at H-alpha to a nearly central location at H-delta. L 43 is located near the star-forming end of the Sco OB2 association, but is relatively isolated from the major center of activity, the Rho Oph cloud. There are a large number of similar-looking small clouds in its vicinity, only one of which is known to have an associated T Tauri star (AS 209). The complexity of this, the nearest star-forming region in an OB association, is illustrated.

Herbst, W.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Discovery of three X-ray luminous pre-main-sequence stars

Three X-ray sources found serendipitously in Einstein images of the Taurus-Auriga cloud complex were observed at the McGraw-Hill Observatory and are found to be associated with stars of approximately 12 mag with weak H-alpha emission. The stars lie on the edges of dark clouds and are spectroscopically similar to the least active emission-line pre-main-sequence stars. Although they lie well above the ZAMS in the H-R diagram, they do not exhibit ultraviolet excess, strong optical variability, or evidence for mass outflow/inflow characteristics of the more active T Tauri stars. Their only unusual property is high X-ray luminosity (approximately 10 to the 30th ergs/s). It is suggested that the X-ray emission from pre-main-sequence stars is not closely linked to the conditions giving rise to their unusual spectroscopic properties. The emission may instead represent an enhanced form of the coronal activity producing X-rays observed in late-type main-sequence stars.

Feigelson, E. D.↗
NASA NTRS1982

An ultraviolet view of Be stars

Several types of ultraviolet observations of Be stars are briefly summarized, with a view towards identifying the characteristics, if any, that distinguish Be stars from other early type objects. The present weight of the evidence is that, from the point of view of ultraviolet data, Be stars are nearly indistinguishable from normal B stars. Both groups have similar characteristics, with differences only in degree. Further comparative studies of Be and nonBe stars have the potential to reveal the causes of the Be phenomenon, and possibly also the origins of winds in early type stars. Several areas for future ultraviolet research are suggested.

Snow, T. P.↗
NASA NTRS1982

R associations. VI - The reddening law in dust clouds and the nature of early-type emission stars in nebulosity from a study of five associations

Positions, identification charts, UBVRIKLMN photometry and spectral types are given for stars, illuminating reflection nebulae that are visible on the POSS prints, which have been identified in five associations. With a ratio of total to selective extinction of 4.2, the reddening law applicable to the dust clouds in which the stars are embedded is steeper than normal. The five associations exhibit 18 early-type stars with circumstellar shells, of which those with spectral types earlier than B5 characteristically have weak IR excesses, in contrast to the strong excesses indicative of circumstellar dust, of later-type stars. Color-magnitude charts show a distribution lying above the ZAMS by up to about 2 mag for both the circumstellar shell stars and those classified as rapid rotators. It is suggested that (1) rapid rotation accounts for the scatter in the color-magnitude diagram, and (2) many of the nebulous early-type emission-line stars are rapid rotators rather than pre-main sequence objects.

Herbst, W.↗
NASA NTRS1982

10830 A He I observations of 455 stars

A comparison with K line, X-ray and other data, of 10830 A equivalent widths (EW) measurements in 890 image tube spectra of 455 stars shows that for the case of G stars, the EW correlates well with K line intensity. Good correlation is also found between 10830 A EW and soft X-ray fluxes, confirming the excitation of the line by coronal soft X-rays, which can serve as a measure of coronal emission. It is also found that, in contradiction to published models, 10830 A is weak or absent in O, B and A stars, and is absent in F and M supergiants. Moderate to high 10830 A EW is frequent in F and M dwarfs, G and K supergiants, and class K3 III. The 58 stars whose 10830 A EW was found to be of 300 A or more should be relatively intense X-ray emitters. Almost all RS CVn stars show strong 10830 A absorption, and T Tauri stars show both absorption and emission.

Zirin, H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Variation of anomalous stages of ionization with spectral type for Be stars

Results are presented of a preliminary survey of IUE spectra of Be stars covering a wide range of spectral types. For each of 25 UV spectra 23 Be stars obtained six months apart at wavelengths between 1150 and 1950 A, the presence of resonance lines of N V, C IV, and Si IV was studied. The chance of detecting these lines was quantitatively evaluated, and the presence of N V in early Be stars and of both C IV and Si IV in Be stars as cool as B8 demonstrates that at least some Be stars in almost all spectral subdivisions show anomalous stages of ionization in their UV spectra and thus require ionization sources in addition to their photospheric radiation fields. It is suggested that the absence of N V in Be stars cooler than about B2 together with the presence of C IV and Si IV in later types is a real phenomenon and reflects some dependence of the additional ionization source on basic stellar parameters. An attempt is made to determine whether the behavior at B2 and B3 reflects some dependence on v sin i.

Marlborough, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Analysis of the ultraviolet spectrum of RWT 152 - A subluminous O star with a main-sequence visual spectrum

Observations of luminous early-type stars provide one of the most sensitive ways to detect the low density gas of the interstellar medium. As part of an ongoing program studying the gas in the galactic halo, stars believed to be outside the plane of the Milky Way have been observed. In the interest of studying the halo gas in additional directions, a search has been conducted for candidate stars which are bright enough to be observable with the International Ultraviolet Explorer Satellite (IUE) high dispersion mode and far enough from the galactic plane to provide a long line of sight through the halo gas. One such star is star 152 in the catalog of Rubin, Westpfahl, and Tuve (1974), which is called RWT 152 in the investigation. The IUE spectra of RWT 152 were obtained and analyzed. It appears that RWT 152 is not a young massive star, but rather a low mass object in an advanced stage of evolution.

Ebbets, D. C.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The angular diameters, effective temperatures, radii, and luminosities of 10 Wolf-Rayet stars

The effective temperature of a normal star with an absorption-line spectrum is a parameter which represents the total amount of radiative energy emerging from each square centimeter of surface of the star. Effective temperatures have been obtained for 10 Wolf-Rayet stars by means of ultraviolet energies determined from high-resolution International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE) spectra and energies determined from observations made in the visible range. It is essential to use high-resolution IUE spectra in order to resolve the continuum from many emission lines which are present, particularly shortward of 1900 A. The results confirm what was found earlier, namely that the effective temperatures of Wolf-Rayet stars are similar to those of early B stars. The effective temperature of the central star of the planetary nebula BD 30 deg 3639, HD 184738, is found to be 18,000 K.

Underhill, A. B.↗
NASA NTRS1983

An H-alpha survey of southern hemisphere active chromosphere stars

Because of the variety of extraordinary phenomena exhibited by active chromosphere objects, discovery of new, bright surface-active stars is of considerable importance. Ca II emission is a well-known signature of chromospheric activity, serving even as one of the points of definition of the class of RS CVn binary stars. In connection with the present investigation, spectroscopic observations of 27 Ca II emission stars have been conducted. The observations make it possible to identify unambiguously the most chromospherically active stars in the sample. By observing the H-alpha line, rather than H and K, it is possible to distinguish nine of these stars which are likely to be observational targets as interesting as the extremely surface active objects V711 Tau or FK Com. Of the 27 stars surveyed, two (HD 86005, HD 204128) showed H-alpha as an emission feature above continuum, with estimated equivalent width 1-2 A.

Bopp, B. W.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Atomic and molecular hydrogen in the circumstellar envelopes of late-type stars

The distribution of atomic and molecular hydrogen in the expanding circumstellar envelopes of cool evolved stars is discussed. The main concern is to evaluate the effects of photodestruction of H2 by galactic UV radiation, including shielding of the radiation by H2 itself and by dust in the envelope. One of the most important parameters is the H/H2 ratio which is frozen out in the upper atmosphere of the star. For stars with photospheric temperatures greater than about 2500 K, atmospheric models suggest that the outflowing hydrogen is mainly atomic, whereas cooler stars should be substantially molecular. In the latter case, photodissociation of H2 and heavy molecules contribute to the atomic hydrogen content of the outer envelope. The presented estimates indicate that atomic hydrogen is almost at the limit of detection in the C-rich star IRC + 10216, and may be detectable in warmer stars. Failure to detect it would have important implications for the general understanding of circumstellar envelopes.

Glassgold, A. E.↗
NASA NTRS1983

X-rays and rotation among post-T Tauri G stars in Orion Ic

Walter and Kuhi (1981) have shown that at least 10 out of 12 T Tauri stars brighter than m(v) = 12.5 are X-ray emitters. The X-ray luminosities of these stars, L(x), are often close to the detection threshold value. One of the principal results of the present investigation is the evidence for at least a weak correlation between L(x) and V(R) sin i. If it is assumed that results obtained concerning stars in the Orion Ic Association are representative of other stellar fields, it appears that along with the RS CVn stars, pre-main-sequence G stars are among the most X-ray luminous late-type stars on the H-R diagram. A second conclusion is that the X-rays are almost certainly produced by flares and/or thin coronae close to the stellar surface.

Smith, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The star-forming history of the young cluster NGC 2264

UBVRI H-alpha photographic photometry was obtained for a sample of low-mass stars in the young open cluster NGC 2264 in order to investigate the star-forming history of this region. A theoretical H-R diagram was constructed for the sample of probable cluster members. Isochrones and evolutionary tracks were adopted from Cohen and Kuhi (1979). Evidence for a significant age spread in the cluster was found amounting to over ten million yr. In addition, the derived star formation rate as a function of stellar mass suggests that the principal star-forming mass range in NGC 2264 has proceeded sequentially in time from the lowest to the highest masses. The low-mass cluster stars were the first cluster members to form in significant numbers, although their present birth rate is much lower now than it was about ten million yr ago. The star-formation rate has risen to a peak at successively higher masses and then declined.

Adams, M. T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

IUE observations of weak G-band stars

High- and low-resolution ultraviolet spectra of several weak G-band giants have been obtained with the IUE satellite, to derive Be abundances and to search for degenerate companions. The abundances of Be in these stars are about log epsilon (Be) approximately -0.5. These values are in good agreement with the Be abundances of Hyades giants, and are consistent with standard theories of post-main-sequence Be depletion in stars. However, the Be abundances do not fit with the large Li abundances in weak G-band stars. Post-main-sequence production of Li or element segregation in main-sequence stars may explain the high Li abundance in weak G-band stars. No direct evidence is seen for the presence of hot subluminous companions. The peculiar abundances in these stars probably are not due to binary mass transfer.

Parthasarathy, M.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Dense cores in dark clouds - Young embedded stars at 2 micrometers

Twenty-five visually opaque regions which contain strong sources of NH3 (1,1) line emission (dense cores) have been surveyed for evidence of associated stars at two microns. Five such stars have been found, of which three - in B5, L1489, and L1582 - are optically invisible and probably embedded in their associated cores. The stars in B5 and L1489 have 2-100 micron spectra and luminosity similar to those of HL Tau, a very young T Tauri star. These stars probably formed in the cores where they are now seen. These results tend to confirm earlier suggestions that low-mass stars form in dense cores.

Benson, P. J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

International Ultraviolet Explorer observations of stars in 30 Doradus - Extinction and stellar continua

A study of ultraviolet interstellar extinction in and near the core of the 30 Doradus nebula is presented. The pair method is used to determine the shape of the ultraviolet extinction curve, and reddened stars from within 80 pc of the core and unreddened stars from a variety of locations in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) are considered. All stars near the core appear to be reddened by E(B-V) = 0.09-0.16 with an extinction law similar to previous LMC extinction laws. Some stars, including R136a, R145, and R147, are additionally reddened by E(B-V) = 0.18 with a 'nebular-type' extinction law. A model consisting of a layer of 'LMC foreground dust' which affects all of the stars and a deeper layer of 'nebular dust' which affects some of the stars is used for an explanation of the extinction properties. The extinction curves are then applied to the ultraviolet energy distribution of R136a for a determination of its intrinsic continuum shape. Evidence showing that the brightest LMC OB supergiants have intrinsic (B-V) colors and UV-to-visual continuum slopes which are redder than expected is presented.

Fitzpatrick, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Transient components in the Lyman lines of hot stars Evidence for the ejection of shells or puffs on very short timescales

The existence of H I transient components in the stellar wind of Epsilon Per toward eight early type stars observed by the Copernicus satellite is systematically investigated. It is shown that such transient components are indeed present in the spectra of five of these stars and have characteristics very similar to the one found in the case of Epsilon Per. It is shown that such components can be interpreted in terms of coherent 'puffs' or shells of matter ejected by the stars. They would be caused by an increase of the stellar mass loss rate by a factor of 1.5 to 3 during one hour or less, and would be accelerated more slowly than the quiet wind. It is suggested that such events must be due to instabilities in these stars which are all slightly evolved stars ranging in spectral types between O9 and B1. The instabilities are probably similar to those in Beta Cephei stars, i.e., nonradial pulsations.

Gry, C.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Kinematics of Nearby Gas and Stars

The kinematic properties of gas and stars in the solar neighborhood are described in terms of the line of sight component of a three dimensional first order Taylor series expansion of the local velocity field. The types of object analyzed are: (1) 21 cm absorbing clouds; (2) intercloud medium; (3) main sequence B-stars closer than 200 pc; (4) B-stars of luminosity class ranging from I to IV; (5) main sequence A stars; (6) K-giant stars. The least squares fitting procedure used to derive the 10 coefficients describes each of the six velocity fields was essentially the same for comparison. Marked departures from circular motion are found in most cases, but the only systematic trend is a correlation between delta u/delta x and stellar spectral type, where the gas behaves like a medium younger than the early type stars. It is indicated that the standard plane-parallel model provides a good description for the intercloud medium, but is inadequate for the absorbing clouds. A velocity ellipsoid description of the residuals is presented for each type of object. The influence of the Gould belt on local kinematics is discussed.

Goulet, T.↗