Francesca Rampazzi

The 1966-1967 Outburst of V1647 Orionis and the Appearance of McNeil's Nebula

We present the results of an investigation aimed at characterizing previous eruptions of V1647 Orionis, the illuminating star of McNeils Nebula. Photographic plates and films from the Asiago Observatory (1960-1998) and Harvard Observatory (1898-1974) collections were inspected for the nebula. We have determined that, to the plate limits, the known eruption of 1966-1967 is the only one detected during the 38 yr period covered by the Asiago archive. In the Harvard collection, we did not find any additional occurrences in approximately 400 plates of the region taken over the last 100 yr. Based on the Asiago material, we here present a study of the 1966-1967 event. McNeils Nebula and V1647 Ori are clearly visible on 19 plates obtained with the Asiago 67/92 cm Schmidt telescope from 1966 October 22 to 1967 March 4. The object is not seen on plates taken in 1966 March nor in 1967 November, thus setting a minimum duration time for the eruptive event of 5 months and a maximum of 20 months. The 19 plates showing McNeils Nebula were digitized, and a morphological and photometric analysis of the object was undertaken. These data show temporal photometric variability, as well as structural differences between different color bands. We finally compare the 1966-1967 event to the recent 2003-2006 eruption and consider the nature of V1647 Ori within the framework of EX Lupi- and FU Orionis-type eruptions.

Digitization and Scientific Exploitation of the Italian and Vatican Astronomical Plate Archives

There is a widespread interest to digitize the precious information contained in the astronomical plate archives, both for the preservation of their content and for its fast distribution to all interested researchers in order to achieve their better scientific exploitation. This paper presents the first results of our large-scale project to digitize the archive of plates of the Italian Astronomical Observatories and of the Specola Vaticana. Similar systems, composed by commercial flat-bed retro-illuminated scanners plus dedicated personal computers and acquisition and analysis software, have been installed in all participating Institutes. Ad-hoc codes have been developed to acquire the data, to test the suitability of the machines to our scientific needs, and to reduce the digital data in order to extract the astrometric, photometric and spectroscopic content. Two more elements complete the overall project: the provision of high quality BVRI CCD sequences in selected fields with the Campo Imperatore telescopes, and the distribution of the digitized information to all interested researchers via the Web. The methods we have derived in the course of this project have been already applied successfully to plates taken by other Observatories, for instance at Byurakan and at Hamburg.

The History of the Mysterious Eclipses of KH 15D. II. Asiago, Kiso, Kitt Peak, Mount Wilson, Palomar, Tautenburg, and Rozhen Observatories, 1954-1997

The unusual pre–main-sequence binary star KH 15D undergoes remarkably deep and long-lasting periodic eclipses. Some clues about the reason for these eclipses have come from the observed evolution of the systems light curve over the last century. Here we present UBVRI photometry of KH 15D from 1954 to 1997 based on photographic plates from various observatories. The system has been variable at the ≈1 mag level since at least 1965. There is no evidence of color variations, with a typical limit of Δ(B - V) < 0.2 mag. We confirm some previously published results that were based on a smaller sample of plates: from approximately 1965 to 1990, the total flux was modulated with the 48 day orbital period of the binary, but the maximum flux was larger, the fractional variations were smaller, and the phase of minimum flux was shifted by almost a half-cycle relative to the modern light curve. All these results are consistent with the recently proposed theory that KH 15D is being occulted by an inclined, precessing, circumbinary ring.

Lunam 2000 (Lunar Atmosphere Mission)

LUNAM 2000 is a small mission dedicated to the coronagraphic imagingin the Na yellow doublet and to UV spectroscopy in the range2800–3400 A of the lunar atmosphere. These studies are possible only from Space. The scientific return of LUNAM 2000 has a wider appeal for the studyof transient atmospheres of other celestial bodies, in particular ofMercury. The mission is in low Earth-orbit (about 350 km); asun-synchronous or other orbits are under investigation. The payload has very small weight, dimensions and power requests, and is essentially made withoff-the-shelf components. It can be built and launched in less than 3years from the approval. This time frame nicely overlaps that of theEuropean technological Mission SMART 1 and can greatly add to itsscientific return. Furthermore, LUNAM 2000 can give very importantinformation to define a mission to Mercury such as Bepi Colombo.