E. N. Pastukhova

General catalogue of variable stars: Version GCVS 5.1

Work aimed at compiling detailed catalogs of variable stars in the Galaxy, which has been carried out continuously by Moscow variable-star researchers since 1946 on behalf of the International Astronomical Union, has entered the stage of the publication of the 5th, completely electronic edition of the General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS). This paper describes the requirements for the contents of the 5th edition and the current state of the catalog in its new version, GCVS 5.1. The complete revision of information for variable stars in the constellation Carina and the compilation of the 81st Name-list of Variable Stars are considered as examples of work on the 5th edition. The GCVS 5.1 is freely accessible on the Internet. We recommend the present paper as a unified reference to the 5th edition of the GCVS.

An Electronic Version of the Second Volume of the General Catalogue of Variable Stars with Improved Coordinates

We present a new electronic version of the second volume of the fourth edition of the General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS), which contains data on 13480 variable stars in the constellations Cygnus-Orion (the order of constellations in the Catalogue follows the Latin alphabet). The new version takes into account the Name Lists of Variable Stars from no. 67 to 76 for the same constellations. The main distinctive feature of the new version is that it contains improved equatorial J2000.0 coordinates for 13446 stars (including those for 5052 stars with an allowance made for proper motions), based on the identifications with positional catalogs using finding charts, as well as on our new measurements. We searched for a number of stars on original plates from the collections of several observatories and using digital sky survey images. The new version also includes a file of remarks to the second and third GCVS volumes. Apart from a complete update of the positional information, we took into account several corrections that were found to be necessary after the publication of the second GCVS volume (1985). We present a list of references to new Internet resources.

Cepheid investigations using the Kepler space telescope

We report results of initial work done on selected candidate Cepheids to be observed with the Kepler space telescope. Prior to the launch, 40 candidates were selected from previous surveys and data bases. The analysis of the first 322 d of Kepler photometry, and recent ground-based follow-up multicolour photometry and spectroscopy allowed us to confirm that one of these stars, V 1154 Cyg (KIC 7548061), is indeed a 4.9-d Cepheid. Using the phase lag method, we show that this star pulsates in the fundamental mode. New radial velocity data are consistent with previous measurements, suggesting that a long-period binary component is unlikely. No evidence is seen in the ultraprecise, nearly uninterrupted Kepler photometry for non-radial or stochastically excited modes at the micromagnitude level. The other candidates are not Cepheids, but an interesting mix of possible spotted stars, eclipsing systems and flare stars.

Search for evolutionary changes in Cepheid periods using the Harvard plate collection: RS Puppis

AbstractBased on photographic plates from the Harvard College Observatory, we have made 1492 magnitude estimates for the long-period classical Cepheid RS Pup

An Electronic Version of Volume I of the General Catalogue of Variable Stars with Improved Coordinates

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BVIc photometry of classical cepheids from the ASAS-3 catalog

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A Catalog of Variable Stars based on the new name list

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Photometric observations of Cepheids from the ASAS-3 catalog: Photoelectric BV Ic observations of 46 low-amplitude Cepheids

. Together with the observations taken from the literature, our data have allowed us to construct an O-C diagram spanning a time interval of 135 years. The O-C diagram has the shape of a parabola, which has made it possible to determine for the first time the quadratic light elements and to calculate the rate of evolutionary increase in the period,