I/131A SAO Star Catalog J2000 (SAO Staff 1966; USNO, ADC 1990)

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Star Catalog

SAO Staff

<Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (1966)>

Description:

This machine-readable SAO catalog from the Astronomical Data Center is based on an original binary version of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Star Catalog (SAO, SAO Staff 1966). Subsequent improvements by T. A. Nagy (1979) included the addition of equatorial coordinates in radians and cross-identifications from the Table of Correspondences SAO/HD/DM/GC (Morin 1973). As a prelude to creation of the 1984 version of the SAO, a new version of the SAO-HD-GC-DM Cross Index was prepared (Roman, Warren, and Schofield 1983). The 1984 version of the SAO contained the corrected and extended cross identifications, all errata published up to January 1984 and known to the ADC, numerous errors forwarded to the ADC by colleagues, and errors discovered at the ADC during the course of this work. Clayton A. Smith of the U. S. Naval Observatory provided J2000.0 positions and proper motions for the SAO stars. Published and unpublished errors discovered in the previous version (1984) have been corrected (up to May 1991). The catalog contains SAO number; the right ascension and declination with a B1950.0 equinox and epoch; annual proper motion and its standard deviation, photographic and visual magnitudes; spectral type; references to sources; the Durchmusterung (DM) identifier if the star is listed in the Bonner DM (BD), Cordoba DM (CD), or Cape Photographic DM (CP); component identification; The Henry Draper (Extension) (HD or HDE) number; and J2000 positions and proper motions. Multiple-star component identifications have been added to stars where more than one SAO entry has the same DM number. The Henry Draper Extension (HDE) numbers have been added for stars found in both volumes of the extension. Data for duplicate SAO entries (those referring to the same star) have been flagged. J2000 positions in usual units and in radians have been added.

File Summary:

See also:

A more recent catalogue with better position and proper motion data, the so-called "PPM Catalogue" (Positions and Proper Motions) has been prepared at ARI (Astronomisches Rechen-Institut at Heidelberg, Germany); is is made of two parts:

I/146 : PPM North Star Catalogue, 181731 stars;

I/193 : PPM South Star Catalogue, 197179 stars.

Byte-by-byte Description of file: sao.dat

Note (1): Visual Magnitude Sources:

Always check the duplicity / variability code (Note 6) when using magnitudes. When blank, code = 0 and field = 99.9.

Note (2): Star-Number Sources and Footnotes:

When blank, the code for DM is 0 or 16, footnote is 0 through 9, and field is all zeros. Footnotes and star numbers are those appearing in the source catalogs.

Note (3): Photographic Magnitude Sources:

When blank, code is 0 and field is all zeros.

Note (4): Proper-Motion Sources:

Note (5): Spectral-Type Sources:

If the spectrum is composite, "+++" is stored in the field and the code is 0.

Note (6): Miscellaneous Coded Remarks for Duplicity and Variability:

When blank, code is 0, no field is involved.

Note (7): References for the Source Catalogs:

Note (8): Explanation of HD Codes:

Note (9): There are 3 blank values for the Declination proper motions for:

SAO 208759 (pmDE=-0.180 in printed catalogue)

SAO 208795 (pmDE=-0.042 in printed catalogue)

SAO 212470 (pmDE=-0.072 in printed catalogue)

References:

Morin, D. 1973, Table of Correspondences SAO/HD/DM/GC, Obs. de Meudon, unpublished =IV/12

Nagy, T.A. 1979, Documentation for the Machine-Readable Version of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Catalog(ue) (EBCDIC Version), Systems and Applied Sciences Corporation R-SAW-7/79-34

Roman, N.G., Warren Jr., W.H., and Schofield Jr., N.J. 1983, Documentation for the Machine-Readable Version of the SAO-HD-GC-DM Cross Index, Version 1983, NSSDC/WDC-A-R&S 83-17

Historical Notes:

• Changes since 1984 Version: see in file "sao.doc", section 4. by Nancy G. Roman and Wayne H. Warren.
• October 1991: CD-ROM ""Selected Astronomical Catalogs" Vol. 1, directory: /astrom/saoj2000
• 24-Jun-1993: First standardized document at CDS
• 25-Oct-1995: Standardized document revisited.

(End) Francois Ochsenbein [CDS] 27-Oct-1995