Compilation, Critical Evaluation and Distribution of Stellar Data: Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union Colloquium No. 35, held at Strasbourg, France, 19–21 August, 1976

302 Pages·1977·8.032 MB·English

by  M. S. Davis (auth.), C. Jaschek, G. A. Wilkins (eds.)

COMPILATION, CRITICAL EVALUATION,
AND DISTRIBUTION OF STELLAR DATA
ASTROPHYSICS AND
SPACE SCIENCE LIBRARY
A SERIES OF BOOKS ON THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
OF SPACE SCIENCE AND OF GENERAL GEOPHYSICS AND ASTROPHYSICS
PUBLISHED IN CONNECTION WITH THE JOURNAL
SPACE SCIENCE REVIEWS
Editorial Board
J. E. BLAMONT, Laboratoire d'Aeronomie, Verrieres, France
R. L. F. BOYD, University College, London, England
L. GO L D BE R G, Kitt Peak National Observatory, Tucson, Ariz., U.S.A.
C. DE JAG E R, University of Utrecht, Holland
Z. K 0 PAL, University ofM anchester, Manchester, England
G. H. LUDWIG,NOAA, National Environmental Satellite Service, Suitland, Md., U.S.A.
R. L ij S T, President Max-Planck-Gesellschaft zur Forderung der Wissenschaften, Munchen, F.R. G.
B. M. McCORMAC, Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif, U.S.A.
H. E. NEWELL,NASA, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.
L. I. SE DO V, Academy of Sciences of the U.S.S.R., Moscow, U.S.S.R.
Z. SV EST KA, American Science and Engineering, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A.
VOLUME 64
PROCEEDINGS
COMPILATION,
CRITICAL EVALUATION
AND DISTRIBUTION OF
STELLAR DATA
PROCEEDINGS OF THE INTERNATIONAL
ASTRONOMICAL UNION COLLOQUIUM No. 35,
HELD AT STRASBOURG, FRANCE,
19-21 AUGUST, 1976
Edited by
C. JASCHEK
Observatoire de Strasbourg, France
and
G. A. WILKINS
Royal Greenwich Observatory, u.K.
D. REIDEL PUBLISHING COMPANY
DORDRECHT-HOLLAND/BOSTON-U.S.A.
ISBN-13: 978-94-010-1216-4 e-ISNB-13: 978-94-010-1214-0
001: 10.1007/978-94-010-1214-0
Published by D. Reidel Publishing Company.
P.O. Box 17. Dordrecht. Holland
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by D. Reidel Publishing Company. Inc.
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All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 1977 by D. Reidel Publishing Company. Dordrecht. Holland
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1s t edition 1977
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means. electronic or mechanical
including photocopying. recording or by any informational storage and
retrieval system. without written permission from the copyright owner
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction, by the Editors ix
Organizing Committees xi
List of Participants xiii
PART I. STANDARDS FOR THE PRESENTATION OF DATA
Chairman, Dr. P. Lacroute
I. M.S. Davis (Invited paper) Standards, management
and security of astronomical data sets 3
2.J.C. Mermilliod Principles of a coded numbering system
and its application to open clusters 19
3.H. Eichhorn Thoughts on the form of presentation of
star catalogue data 23
4.M.J. Collins A bibliography of astronomical catalogues
and the organization of stellar
designations 25
5. F. Ochsenbein, The catalogue of stellar identifications 31
D. Egret and
M. Bischoff
6. W. Gliese Desiderata for the catalogue of nearby
stars 37
7. F. Spite A proposal for non-ambiguous designation
of stars and stellar objects 4]
8. G.A. Wilkins The use of SI units in astronomy 43
PART II. ACQUISITION AND PROCESSING TECHNIQUES
Chairman, Dr. D. Hoffleit
9. G. Westerhout (Invited paper) The influence of acquisi
tion techniques on the compilation of
astronomical data 49
VI TABLE OF CONTENTS
10. I. Mistrik Data processing and analysis for space
based astronomy 61
II. R.H. Harten The use of standardized data formats
~nd with the Westerbork radio telescope 69
T.A.Th. Spoelstra
12.H.G. Walter Data storage requirements in relation
to radio interferometry observations 77
13.K. Nandy Ultraviolet photometry from the S2/68
observations in the TDI satellite 85
14. S .B. Parsons The University of Texas catalog of
and ultraviolet and optical stellar data 93
J.D. Wray
PART III. THE CRITICAL EVALUATION OF DATA
Chairman, Dr. G.A. Wilkins
15. A.B. Underhill, (Invited paper) The critical evaluation
J.M. Mead and of stellar data 105
T.A. Nagy
16.B. Nicolet and Critical evaluation of photometric data 121
B. Hauck
17. W. P. Bidelman Some thoughts on astronomical data files 125
18. B.V. Kukarkin, Work on the general catalogue of
P.N. Kholopov variable stars 131
and N.N. Kireeva
19.A.N. Argue and A catalogue of photometric sequences 135
E.W. Miller Supplement no. 2
20.A.H. Batten Catalogues of spectroscopic binaries 141
21. F.B. Wood The Princeton-Pennsylvania-Florida card
catalogue of eclipsing variables 147
22. D. Hoffleit Plans for a new edition of the bright
and star catalogue 151
C. Jaschek
PART IV. THE DISTRIBUTION OF DATA
Chairman, Dr. R.L. Duncombe
23.B. Hauck (Invited paper) Data distribution 155
24.J. Mead and Retrieval techniques and graphics
T.A. Nagy displays using a computerized stellar
data base 161
TABLE OF CONTENTS VII
25. R.S. Dixon A master list of non-stellar objects 167
26. M. C. Lorte t Proposal for a data centre on
galactic non-stellar objects 171
27. F. Ochsenbein Main features of the stellar biblio
and F. Spite graphic file 175
28. C.E. Worley The visual double star catalogues 179
29. W.F. van Systematic differences in trigonometric
Altena, parallaxes from different observatories 183
E.D. Hoffleit
and H.A. Smith
30. Y. Terashita The astronomical data systems group in
Japan 191
31. D.D. Stellar data and computing facilities
Polojentsev at the Pulkovo Observatory 195
32.A.D. Fiala and Astronomical data files at the U.S.
P.K. Seidelmann Naval Observatory: star catalogues,
ephemerides, and observations 199
PART V. EXISTING FACILITIES AND FUTURE ROLE OF DATA CENTRES
Chairman, Dr. G.A. Wilkins
33.C. Jaschek (Invited paper) Survey of existing
facilities 205
34. W.G. Baum Existing data centers and their
future role 281
35. W. Buscombe Third general catalogue of MK spectral
classifications 285
36. G.A. Wilkins The future role of data centres in
astronomy 287
37. W.D. Heintz Astronomical data coordination: a
perpetual task 289
38. R.H. Garstang Concluding remarks 293
Report of Discussions, by G.A. Wilkins 295
INTRODUCTION
The principal purpose of IAU Colloquium No. 35 was to discuss
those aspects of the techniques of the compilation, evaluation,
and distribution of data that are common to astrometry, photometry
and spectrometry of stars and stellar systems. In the announcement
of the Colloquium, it was suggested that there would be special
emphasis on the techniques of quality control, and on the standards
for the presentation of numerical data in both printed and com
puter-readable form. As the meeting progressed it became clear
that the lack of a standard, unambiguous system for the identifi
cation of stellar objects was a source of much confusion and
inefficiency in the use of existing data files. This and other
such matters were the subject of further discussions by Commission
5 at the General Assembly of the International Astronomical Union
(IAU), which was held at Grenoble during the following fortnight,
24 August - 2 September 1976.
The proposal for the Colloquium was prepared by J. Jung, who
was then Director of the Centre des Donnees Stellaires at Stras
bourg, and G.A. Wilkins, Chairman of the IAU Working Group on
Numerical Data, and was accepted by the IAU Executive Committee
on the recommendation of the President of Commission 5, with the
support of Commissions 25, 29 and 45. The Scientific Organising
Committee consisted of W. Fricke, B. Hauck, C. Jaschek, J. Jung,
B. Kukarkin, P. Lacroute, A. Underhill and G.A. Wilkins (Chair
man). The Local Organising Committee consisted of A. Florsch,
C. Jaschek, P. Lacroute (Chairman), and F. Ochsenbein. C. Jaschek
acted as the Secretary of the Colloquium.
The Colloquium was held at the kind invitation of the
Universite Louis Pasteur at Strasbourg. Generous financial assis
tance was given by the National French Committee for Astronomy,
the U.E.R. de Mathematiques (University of Strasbourg), the
Conseil Regional de la region d'Alsace, the Municipalite de la
Ville de Strasbourg and the Strasbourg Observatory, and some
travel grants were given by the International Astronomical Union.
x INTRODUCTION
An informal gathering of the participants was held at the
Observatory of Strasbourg during the evening of Wednesday, 18
August. The Colloquium opened at 0900 a.m. on Thursday, 19 August,
when Professor P. Lacroute invited Professor P. Karli, President
of the University, to speak; he welcomed the participants and
gave a brief account of the history and relationships of the three
universities at Strasbourg. G.A. Wilkins replied on behalf of the
participants; he then reviewed the aims of the Colloquium and
described the arrangement of the scientific programme. Then Dr.
A. Florsch, who had been recently appointed Director of the Stras
bourg Observatory in succession to Professor P. Lacroute, welcomed
the participants on behalf of the Observatory and described the
local arrangements and the social functions which would be held
in the evenings.
The programme consisted of five sessions, each of which was
opened by the presentation of an invited paper on a topic of
general interest. After the general discussions on these papers
there were short presentations of contributed papers, which often
led to further discussion. Whenever possible the contributed
papers were arranged so that their topics were related to that of
the preceding invited paper, but for various reasons this could
not always be done. The programme is given on pages v-vii.
The papers formally presented at the Colloquium are given in
full, or by abstract. The discussions have been summarised (see
pages 295-316) and, where appropriate, the sequence has been
changed to bring together related points. Use has been made of
the notes which were provided by the participants after the dis
cussions, and which have been transcribed under the supervision
of C. Jaschek, as well as of other manuscript notes and tape
recordings. It is hoped that no-one's views have been seriously
misrepresented, and that no significant comments have been
omitted, but it has not been practicable to verify the correctness
of this report.
At the conclusion of the Colloquium, Professor W.D. Heintz,
Vice-President of IAU Commission 5, expressed the thanks of the
participants to the organisers and especially to the staff of the
Observatory at Strasbourg for making all the necessary arrange
ments for what had proved to be a very interesting and useful
meeting.
It is an agreeable pleasure to thank Misses Ch. Bruneau and
S. Miller, who prepared the manuscript of the proceedings for
printing.
The Editors
ORGANIZING COMMITTEES OF THE COLLOQUIUM
SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
G. A. Wilkins (Chairman)
W. Fricke
B. Hauck
C. Jaschek (Secretary)
J. Jung
B. V. Kukarkin
P. Lacroute
A. B. Underhill
LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
P. Lacroute (Chairman)
A. Florsch
C. Jaschek
F. Ochsenbein