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W.I. Hartkopf, B.D. Mason (U.S. Naval Observatory)
The U.S. Naval Observatory will produce its second CDROM of double star catalogs, with publication expected in early spring of 2004. This successor to the 2001.0 CDROM will include four major double star catalogs maintained at the USNO: \begin{enumerate} \item Washington Double Star Catalog (WDS), \item Second Photometric Magnitude Difference Catalog, \item Fourth Catalog of Interferometric Measurements of Binary Stars, and \item Sixth Catalog of Orbits of Visual Binary Stars. \end{enumerate}
Each of these catalogs had seen significant changes during the part three years; for example, the WDS has grown by over 40,000 measures and the number of systems in the Interferometric Catalog has nearly doubled. Other improvements include precise coordinates for the vast majority of systems, as well as new observing lists and finding charts for tens of thousands of ``neglected" doubles.
Two new catalogs will be included on this CDROM as well: \begin{enumerate} \setcounter{enumi}{4} \item A Catalog of Linear Elements for several hundred optical pairs. These elements should prove useful for improving the components' proper motions, as well as providing scale calibration out to several tens of arcseconds. \item A sample version of the Washington Multiplicity Catalog. The WMC is an effort to address confusion in double star nomenclature by compiling a single catalog of all types of stellar multiples, from interacting systems to star + planet systems, and giving consistent designations to all components. This sample WMCcontains systems found in a half-hour RA band, and was created to elicit suggestions on catalog contents and format. \end{enumerate}
As with its predecessor, the new CDROM will automatically be distributed free of charge to members of the double star community and to astronomy libraries. Others may receive a complementary copy upon request.
If you would like more information about this abstract, please follow the link to http://ad.usno.navy.mil/wds/wds.html. This link was provided by the author. When you follow it, you will leave the Web site for this meeting; to return, you should use the Back comand on your browser.
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 35#5
© 2003. The American Astronomical Soceity.