Contents of: I/203/./intro.txt

The following document lists the file intro.txt from catalogue I/203.
A plain copy of the file (without headers/trailers) may be downloaded.


1. Introduction

   The open cluster NGC 7092 (M39, C2130+482; l=92.5 deg, b=-2.3 deg)
   which belongs to the group of so-called poorly-populated open
   clusters has been previously studied by this author (Platais,
   1984b). A new set of astrometric and photometric data have proven
   the suspected anomaly of the luminosity function - genuine
   deficiency of intrinsically faint cluster members. Besides the new
   data for the cluster members, more than 7,500 field stars in the
   area  2 x  2 deg also have homogeneous astrometric and photometric
   data which were used to investigate the interstellar absorption as
   a function of distance (Platais, 1988). These data might be useful
   in galactic structure studies and also could provide a quick
   reference for individual stars and help to make an easy star
   selection. It must be noted that the Catalogue is restored from the
   only existing computer-typed version deposited at the VINITI
   institute in Moscow (Platais, 1983) since the tape version was
   lost.

2. Data description

   Although a detailed description of the data reduction can be found in
   a somewhat obscure publication (Platais, 1984a) a brief summary of
   basic reductions, attained accuracies and other essential information
   is provided here. The most important difference between the previously
   published parts of the catalogue and the present Catalogue is a
   slightly changed treatment of the magnitude equation in the proper
   motions. These differences are small and do not change conclusions
   regarding the NGC 7092 cluster membership.

2.1 Proper motions

   The relative proper motions have been determined from measurements
   with the Zeiss-ASCORECORD machine. This measuring machine provides
   only manual-driven human-eye centering and, taking into account all
   precautions, the measuring standard error for well-exposed images is
   about 2 microns. Surprisingly, it was possible to measure many very
   faint and/or heavily overlapping images which may have failed using
   a PDS microdensitometer. In total 7931 stars were measured on 11
   Pulkovo normal astrograph plates (scale 59.57"/mm) in a
   110'-diameter circle around the cluster. The Catalogue of proper
   motions is complete down to B=16.0m, while the limiting magnitude is
   B=16.7m. The final proper motion for each star is calculated from a
   maximum of four plate pairs.

   The mean standard error of the Catalogue proper motions derived
   from plate pairs 1 to 4 in the central portions of the field for
   stars with B<14.5m is +/-1.5 milliarcseconds per year (mas/yr).
   However, for a given star the mean standard error is a function of
   individual plate pair mean error, the distance from the field
   center and the star's magnitude. The unit weight errors are as
   follows: +/-2.8 mas/yr (pairs 1 to 4, at B=14.0m) and +/-8.0 mas/yr
   (pairs 5 to 9, at B=15.8m). The plate pairs 1 to 4 all have weights
   equal to 1.0. The pairs 1 to 9 have the following weights with the
   pair number indicated in parentheses: 1.0 (5), 2.8 (6), 6.2 (7),
   1.7 (8) and 3.0 (9). An estimate of the formal mean standard error
   of proper motions is given in the Catalogue for each individual
   star.

   In the previous study (Platais, 1984a) the magnitude equation was
   examined for each plate pair separately using the field-star
   secular parallaxes. After that a small residual magnitude equation
   correction was applied to the Catalogue proper motions using
   provisionally identified cluster members. However, it was noticed
   that the linear corrections derived from the field stars were
   systematically too large at faint magnitudes, (B>14m). Over this
   approximately 2-magnitude interval, the data were insufficient to
   confidently derive a magnitude term and thus it was decided to
   introduce no corrections for stars fainter than B=14.0m. Though,
   the final proper motions are corrected using all 81 identified
   probable cluster members (Platais, 1984b). After these revisions,
   the mean proper motion of NGC 7092 is MUX=-5.2 and MUY=-15.4
   mas/yr. In general, the extreme differences between the present
   proper-motion Catalogue and its earlier version do not exceed 1
   mas/yr and do not affect the conclusions about the NGC 7092
   membership.

2.2 UBV photometry

   The photographic UBV magnitudes were derived from plates taken with
   the Schmidt telescope (80/120/240 cm) at Baldone (Latvia). The
   photoelectric sequences in NGC 7092 and NGC 7067 were used for the
   plate calibration. For the stars measured on plate pairs 1 to 4 the
   magnitudes were derived from four Schmidt plates in each passband.
   For the fainter stars (pairs 5 to 9) three plates in each passband
   provided the magnitudes. The standard error of the UBV magnitudes
   is +/-0.05m for isolated, non-overlapping star images. As pointed
   out by Turner et al. (1994) some small systematic differences
   (about 0.07m or less) exist between the recent photoelectric and
   photographic photometry which definitely can be attributed to the
   Schmidt telescope photometric field error. On the Schmidt plates
   some stars (Nos. 3368, 3740, 4036, 4292, 4716, 6140, 7013) are not
   visible in the U-passband. Only for the sake of convenience a false
   U-B colour has been assigned for these seven stars. In addition, a
   number of stars are known or suspected variables, namely: Nos.
   1083, 1357, 1588, 1821, 2513, 3368, 3456, 4624, 4638, 4892, 5382
   and 7186. No attempt has been made to get mean magnitudes or
   colours for these stars.


2.3 Spectral classification

   Spectral types have been assigned for 511 stars based on three
   spectral plates taken with the Abastumani meniscus telescope
   (70/98/210 cm) in Georgia and 8-degree objective prism giving
   166-angstroms/mm dispersion at H-gamma. The spectral types have
   been assigned to virtually all stars brighter than B=12.0m. B- to
   K-type stars can be classified as faint as B=13.3m but M-stars are
   identified down to B=15.0m. The luminosity classes are reliable for
   stars brighter than B=11.4m. A previous publication (Platais, 1988)
   contains a more detailed description of the classification
   procedure, peculiar stars, interstellar absorption and also has a
   finding chart for all spectroscopically classified stars.

2.4 Cluster membership

   The area covered by the Catalogue contains two open clusters: NGC
   7092 and Anon (C2128+488). In order to recognize the probable
   cluster members among the overwhelming majority of field stars all
   membership probabilities are given, even those which have not been
   included in the earlier paper (Platais, 1984b). Recently, an oddity
   has been noticed by the author in the NGC 7092 membership. A small
   number of supposed cluster members are grouped together at MUX=-9.0
   and MUY=-20.0 mas/yr, slightly offset than the cluster. The offset,
   for the same stars, is consistent in several of the proper motion
   studies. However, no effort has been made to include an
   interpretation of this phenomenon or to re-calculate the membership
   probabilities in the current version of the Catalogue. The
   membership calculation technique is presented in Platais (1984b).
   Since the probabilities were calculated in three different
   magnitude intervals there exists a discontinuity between the
   probabilities in each of the intervals. Finally, a comment ought to
   be made regarding the study by Glushkova (1991) which reports
   finding 17 relatively bright, previously unknown cluster members.
   None of these stars shows up as a cluster member in the present
   Catalogue. Taking into consideration some irregularities and the
   lower proper-motion accuracy in the Glushkova study, it is
   suspected that these stars are most likely field stars.

   The very loose open cluster Anon C2128+488 has been scrutinized
   twice, by Platais (1986) and Turner et al. (1994). A rigorous
   calculation of the cluster membership is not possible due to the
   scarcity of members. All highly probable members of the Anon
   C2128+488 selected by Turner et al. (1994) are marked in the
   Catalogue with fake probabilities equal to "-99".

2.5 Positions

   Almost all X,Y-positions in the Catalogue refer to the deepest
   plate B187 taken on August 25th, 1909. However, a small fraction of
   stars was not measured on that particular first-epoch plate. In
   such cases, the coordinates have been transformed into the system
   of plate B187 and, consequently, should be used with some caution.
   For the sake of convenience, J2000 equatorial coordinates are
   calculated for all Catalogue stars using 70 reference stars from
   the PPM catalogue. In contrast to the X,Y-coordinates, the epoch of
   the equatorial coordinates is also 2000.0. Only linear plate
   constants were used in the transformation to celestial coordinates.
   The r.m.s. scatter in the PPM star- position residuals is +/-0".4
   in both coordinates.

3. Other proper-motion catalogues

   Since NGC 7092 has been studied on several occasions, it is
   worthwhile to intercompare the determined proper motions. The
   differences in proper motions between a selected study and the
   present Catalogue can be expressed by simple equations of condition
   which include linear (or linear and quadratic)
   X,Y-coordinate-dependent and magnitude terms (for reference, see
   Platais (1991)). The right-hand side of the equations is the
   difference between the proper motions from the present Catalogue
   and the study in question. The derived solutions of the equation
   system by least squares for various individual studies relative to
   this Catalogue lead to the following conclusions which are
   summarized in Table 1. The notation for the coordinate-dependent
   errors is as follows: "-" - negligible error; "+" - notable error;
   "++" - significant. The value of estimated magnitude equation is
   presented in mas/yr per unit B-magnitude.

       Table 1. Comparison of the proper-motion catalogues
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Source                   Coord.-dep. error        Magnitude equation
                              in X        in Y         X  (mas/yr/magn) Y
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Ebbighausen (1940)            +          ++          -             -0.6
  van Schewick (1957)           +           +          -               -
  Lavdovsky (1961)              -           -         0.5             0.4
  Artiukhina, Kalinina (1970)   +           +        -1.9             0.8
  McNamara and Sanders (1977)   -           -          -              0.7
  Glushkova (1991)              -           +        -0.5             0.5
  ------------------------------------------------------------------------

   As can be seen from Table 1, almost every catalogue is affected by
   magnitude equation. The discovery of lower main sequence members in
   NGC 7092 is the principal reason these magnitude effects can now be
   detected.

   All cross-identifications of common stars in different catalogues
   were found by coordinate coincidence. Multiple "hits" were resolved
   by examining the magnitude differences as well as by checking the
   finding chart when available. It must be noted that the finding
   chart provided by McNamara and Sanders (1977) has a number of
   mis-labeled stars. In Table 2 is given a list of incorrect or
   dubious star labelings in the finding chart. Also, in the case of
   an unresolved double star in the McNamara and Sanders catalogue, a
   colon (:) is added after the star number. A few stars which have
   correct labeling but show unusually large proper-motion
   discrepancies with respect to the Catalogue are marked with "pm?".
   In total, out of 1710 McNamara and Sanders catalogue stars, 22
   cannot be identified in the Catalogue. Obviously, some of them are
   intrinsically fainter than the limiting magnitude of this
   Catalogue, although a few others (e.g. Nos. 47, 402, 798, 919,
   1198) may not have the reported large proper motions.

        Table 2. A list of McNamara and Sanders (1977) stars
        ----------------------------------------------------
         1     187pm?  258    446    641   1113   1510
         2     195:    270    448    652   1209   1607
         9     202     277    459    712   1259   1720
        19     207     291    464    868:  1298   1733
        35     210:    320    527    877   1339
        36:    213     413pm? 561    880   1361
       109     218     421    570    976   1483
       138     226     428    589:  1019   1484
       155     235     429    614:  1072   1485
       184     246:    435    641   1086:  1491
      ------------------------------------------------------

Acknowledgments

   I am grateful to Drs. Zdenka Kadla and Vladimir Frolov from Pulkovo
   Observatory for invaluable help they provided when I was just entering
   the thorny realm of open clusters.

References
  [1] Artiukhina, N.M., Kalinina, E.P.: 1970, Trudy Sternberg Astron. Inst.,
      vol. 40, 3.
  [2] Ebbighausen, E.G.: 1940, Astrophys. J., vol. 92, 434.
  [3] Glushkova, E.V.: 1991, Soviet Astron., vol 35, 466.
  [4] Lavdovsky, V.V.: 1961, Trudy Pulkovo Obs., Ser. 2, vol. 73, 5.
  [5] Maevers, F.-W.: 1940, Astron. Nachr., vol. 270, 201.
  [6] McNamara, B.J, Sanders, W.L.: 1977, Astron. Astrophys. Suppl.,
      vol. 30, 45.
  [7] Platais, I.: 1983, "Catalogue of relative proper motions and
      photographic UBV magnitudes in the field of NGC 7092 (M39)".
      VINITI manuscript depository in Moscow No. 3126-83, 229 pp.
  [8] Platais, I.: 1984a, "On the Catalogue of proper motions and UBV
      magnitudes in the field of NGC 7092 (M39)". VINITI manuscript
      depository in Moscow No. 1318-84, 75 pp. (in Russian)
  [9] Platais, I.: 1984b, Soviet Astron. Lett, vol. 10, 84.
 [10] Platais, I.: 1986, Nauchnye Inform., vol. 61, 89. (in Russian)
 [11] Platais, I.: 1988, Nauchnye Inform., vol. 65, 119. (in Russian)
 [12] Platais, I.: 1991, Astron. Astrophys. Suppl., vol. 87, 69.
 [13] Turner, D.G., Mandushev, G.I., Forbes, D.: 1994, Astron. J. (in press)
 [14] van Schewick, H.: 1957, Veroeff. Univ.-Sternw. Bonn, No. 47, 1.

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