III/185 Search for Jupiter-Mass Companions (Walker+, 1995)
A Search for Jupiter-Mass Companions to Near-By Stars
Walker G.A.H., Walker A.R., Irwin A.W., Larson A.M., Yang S.L.S.,
Richardson D.C.
<Icarus, 116, 359-375 (1995)>
=1995Icar..116..359W 1995Icar..116..359W
ADC_Keywords: Radial velocities; Planets
Abstract:
From 1980 to 1992, the radial velocities of 17 bright solar-type dwarf
and 4 subgiant stars were monitored at the Canada-France-Hawaii 3.6-m
telescope (CFHT).
Introduction:
The experimental technique, in which lines of the 870 nm 3-0
vibration-rotation band of hydrogen fluoride are imposed in absorption
on the stellar spectra to act as wavelength fiducials, is capable of
measuring long-term changes in the velocity of a star with a precision
near 15 m/s from a single spectrum. For comparison, the orbit of the
Sun about the barycentre, which is dominated by the motion of Jupiter,
has a period of 11.9 years with an amplitude of some 13 m/s. Thus, by
making several observations per year, we could have detected the
reflex motion caused by a Jupiter-mass planet orbiting a nearby star
provided the orbital plane was close to the line of sight.
To date, this planetary search has been the only long-term program
on the CFHT. Between three and six pairs of nights per year were
allocated over twelve years, apart from a single gap of six months
in 1983. The 15 m/s precision per observation was achieved to a
limiting I magnitude of 4 for exposures of typically less than half
an hour. The program was completed in 1992. In the published paper
the analysis of the 1082 individual differential velocities that are
catalogued here is presented.
File Summary:
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FileName Lrecl Records Explanations
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ReadMe 80 . This file
stars.dat 68 21 List of stars observed
table1.dat 28 1082 Catalog of precise radial velocities
of 21 near-by stars
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Byte-by-byte Description of file: stars.dat
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Bytes Format Units Label Explanations
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1- 4 I4 --- HR Bright Star Catalog number
6- 11 I6 --- HD HD Catalog number
13- 21 A9 --- Name *Star name (1)
25- 26 I2 h RAh Right Ascension J2000 (hours) (2)
28- 29 I2 min RAm Right Ascension J2000 (minutes) (2)
31- 34 F4.1 s RAs Right Ascension J2000 (seconds) (2)
36 A1 --- DE- Declination J2000 (sign) (2)
37- 38 I2 deg DEd Declination J2000 (degrees) (2)
40- 41 I2 arcmin DEm Declination J2000 (minutes) (2)
43- 44 I2 arcsec DEs Declination J2000 (seconds) (2)
47- 51 F5.2 mag Bmag Blue magnitude (2)
53- 57 F5.2 mag Vmag Visual magnitude (2)
59- 64 A6 --- SpType MK spectral classification (2)
66- 68 I3 mas Plx Parallax, from Hipparcos catalog (I/239)
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Note (1):
This is specified for all stars except HR 8832 which does not have a
name designated in the Bright Star Catalog.
Note (2): from SIMBAD data-base
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Byte-by-byte Description of file: table1.dat
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Bytes Format Units Label Explanations
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1- 4 I4 --- HR Bright Star Catalog number
7- 15 F9.4 d JD-2440000 Epoch (Barycentric JD-2440000)
16- 23 F8.1 m/s RV Precise Radial Velocity
24- 28 F5.1 m/s e_RV Internal (standard) error of RV
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History:
* 08-May-1995: Catalog prepared by A. W. Irwin [University of Victoria]
* 14-Mar-2005: table "stars.dat" added at CDS
(End) A. W. Irwin [University of Victoria] 08-May-1995