Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope Research Articles

The bright optical/NIR afterglow of the faint GRB 080710 – evidence of a jet viewed off-axis

We investigate the optical/near-infrared light curve of the afterglow of GRB 080710 in the context of rising afterglows. Optical and near-infrared photometry was performed using the seven channel imager GROND and the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope. X-ray data were provided by the X-ray Telescope onboard the Swift satellite. The optical/NIR light curve of the afterglow of GRB 080710 is dominated by an initial increase in brightness, which smoothly turns over into a shallow power law decay. The initially rising achromatic light curve of the afterglow of GRB 080710 can be accounted for with a model of a burst viewed off-axis or a single jet in its pre deceleration phase and in an on-axis geometry. An unified picture of the afterglow light curve and prompt emission properties can be obtained with an off-axis geometry, suggesting that late and shallow rising optical light curves of GRB afterglows might be produced by geometric effects.

Herbig-Haro objects—tracers of the formation of low-mass stars and sub-stellar objects

Herbig-Haro objects (HHOs) are caused by outflows from young objects. Since the outflow relies on mass accretion from a circumstellar disk, it indicates ongoing growth. Recent results of infrared observations yielded evidence for disks around brown dwarfs. This suggests that at least a certain fraction of brown dwarfs forms like stars. Thus, young sub-stellar objects might cause HHOs as well. We present selected results of a general survey for HHOs based on DSS-II plates and CCD images taken with the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope. Numerous young objects could be identified due to their association with newly detected HHOs. In some cases the luminosity is consistent with very low-mass stars or close to sub-stellar values. This holds for L1415-IRS and a few infrared sources embedded in other dark clouds (e.g., GF9, BHR111). The question on the minimum mass for outflow activity is addressed.

LOTIS, Super-LOTIS, Sloan Digital Sky Survey, and Tautenburg Observations of GRB 010921

We present multi-instrument optical observations of the High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE-2) and Interplanetary Network error box of GRB 010921. This event was the first gamma-ray burst (GRB) partly localized by HETE-2 that has resulted in the detection of an optical afterglow. In this Letter, we report the earliest known observations of the GRB 010921 field, taken with the 0.11 m Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System (LOTIS) telescope, and the earliest known detection of the GRB 010921 optical afterglow, using the 0.5 m Sloan Digital Sky Survey Photometric Telescope (SDSS PT). Observations with the LOTIS telescope began during a routine sky patrol 52 minutes after the burst. Observations were made with the SDSS PT, the 0.6 m Super-LOTIS telescope, and the 1.34 m Tautenburg Schmidt telescope 21.3, 21.8, and 37.5 hr, respectively, after the GRB. In addition, the host galaxy was observed with the US Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station 1.0 m telescope 56 days after the burst. We find that at later times (t > 1 day after the burst), the optical afterglow exhibited a power-law decline with a slope of α = 1.75 ± 0.28. However, our earliest observations show that this power-law decline cannot have extended to early times (t < 0.035 days).

New Membership Criteria For 437 Flare Stars in the Pleiades

Most of the flare stars (FSs) discovered in that field are very faint and are missing from all previously published lists of Pleiades cluster members. Reliable membership probabilities (MPs) were only determined for one third of these objects while the rest were supposed to be more or less probable members with a few exceptions. A recent proper motion survey of that field (Schilbach et al. 1995) based on plates taken with the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope and extended to an area of 16.5 square degrees provided new cluster MPs and also photometric data even for a number of the lowest luminosity stars (in fact the faintest object measured has V = 18.26). Of the 520 known FSs in the field 437 (85%) were successfully identified, their J2000.0 coordinates, high precision proper motion components and apparent photographic R magnitudes (and for the majority of them their V and B magnitudes too) determined. Based on these data new cluster MPs have been deduced which show that a considerable number (40%) of the so called Pleiades FSs are not members of that cluster at all. This conclusion follows the tendency already found: when we involve more and more faint FSs into the investigations the percentage of non-members monotonically increases (cf. Haro et al. 1982 and references therein).

The Potsdam contribution to the extragalactic link of the Hipparcos proper motion system

Absolute proper motions of 360 Hipparcos stars in 24 fields well distributed over the northern sky were derived from measurements of photographic plates taken mainly with the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope (134/200/400 cm). In each field (about 10 square degrees) a large number of galaxies was used to link the proper motions to the extragalactic reference system. Because of systematic magnitude-dependent errors, which affect the proper motion determination of bright stars, only the 256 stars with were used to determine the spin parameters of the Hipparcos system. The accuracy of the final result is 0.5 mas/yr for all three spin parameters.

The Tautenburg minor planets (1987–1992)

Over the 6 years between 1987 and 1992 we have observed 2789 asteroids with the Tautenburg (1340/2000/4000) Schmidt telescope and calculated 10,071 positions for them. The detected objects are divided into 574 numbered planets and 2215 with provisional designations. The last group was split into 1738 “new” objects (78.5%) which could not have been identified with any other observed objects, and in 477 objects (21.5%) which were identified directly with an object previously observed. Referring to new provisional designations, Tautenburg ranks among the six most active institutes. Forty-one numbered objects are discoveries of Tautenburg. In these 6 years 1101 orbit determinations were compiled from the literature. The number of successful identifications is remarkably high. Our observations represent a considerable addition to the total system of asteroid observations.

T A U M O K—Multi-Object Spectroscopy with the Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope

A multi-object camera for the Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope (134/200/400) was developed and constructed in cooperation with the Max-Planck-Institut für Astronomie in Heidelberg and the Thüringer Landesstemwarte Tautenburg. The experience with the “Spaltspinne” for the 3.5 m Telescope of the Calar Alto Observatory (Pitz 1993) was the foundation of TAUMOK. The technical concept was given by Pitz et al. (1993).Thirty six rods controlled by a processor can be moved in an area with a diameter of 16 cm. This area covers a field of 2.3° in the focal plane which is flattened by a plano-convex lens. Each of 34 rods carry two fibres with diameters of 100/µm with one fibre for the object and another for the background light. The fibres have a length of 7 m and their opposite faces form the entrance slit of a spectrograph. At present, reciprocal dispersions of 3.4, 10, 20 and 40 nm/mm can be realized. A CCD camera with a chip-size of 1152 × 770 pixels (pixel size 22.5/µm) is used as detector. Two of the 36 rods are equipped with image bundles for telescope guiding.

Photographic Surface Photometry of Bright Galaxies in the M 81 Group

A programme for the surface photometry of bright galaxies has been underway at the Rozhen Observatory since 1991. In a series of papers we shall explore the optical morphology, photometric properties and some peculiarities suggestive of galaxy-galaxy interactions of the bright galaxies NGC 2976, NGC 3031, NGC 3034 and NGC 3077 in the M 81 group. Most of the plates were taken with the 2 m Rozhen Ritchey-Chrétien telescope, but at our disposal there are plates from the 6 m BTA and 2 m Tautenburg Schmidt telescope. Here we discuss some preliminary results for the optical morphology on the basis of two B-plates from the 2 m Tautenburg Schmidt telescope. It shows the edge-on like face of NGC 2976, the grand-designed spiral structure of NGC 3031 and the filament-jet peculiarities in NGC 3034 and NGC 3077.

Photographic photometry for stellar statistics with Tautenburg Schmidt telescope

AbstractPhotometric properties of deep Tautenburg Schmidt plates in the UBV system over the whole field and over a wide range of stellar magnitudes are discussed. Different reduction models based on the calibration curve alone and with additional terms containing colour and plate coordinates are considered.With the filter‐emulsion combinations used the Johnson UBV system can be reproduced quite well by the Tautenburg telescope. The accuracy of photometric data can be improved if geometrical terms are taken into account. For deep plates with a significant effect of background nebulosity a supplementary term is to be included in the reduction model. The polynomial coefficients vary in dependence on spectral bands and individual properties of each plate.

Wide-Field Stellar Statistics from Tautenburg Schmidt Plates

For a detailed investigation of the kinematics of our Galaxy we need accurate proper motions and photometric data of stars over a wide range of magnitudes. The proper motions have to be obtained with respect to an extragalactic, i.e. nonrotating reference system. The best way to determine absolute proper motions of a great number of stars for further statistical analysis is to use the enormous amount of information stored on photographic plates taken with large Schmidt telescopes within the last decades. Since automated measuring machines have become available it is no longer a problem to extract this information from a Schmidt plate. Large Schmidt plates cover a sky area of more than 30 square degrees with usually thousands of stars and hundreds of galaxies per square degree outside the galactic plane. With the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope (134/200/400) more than 8000 plates have been taken in selected Northern sky areas since it was mounted in 1960. A 24 cm × 24 cm Tautenburg plate covers a field of about 10 square degrees, and a 20 minute exposure of a B plate has a limiting magnitude of 19 to 21. In comparison to other large Schmidt telescopes the plate bending is reduced to a minimum due to the four metre focal length and the use of relatively small plates. Therefore irregular positional shifts of the emulsion caused by the rebending after the exposure are of less influence. The large focal length leads to a plate scale of 51 arcsec/mm providing a relatively high positional accuracy.

Hunting for Globular Cluster Candidates in the Far Halo (D &amp;gt; 20 kpc) of M 31 by the Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope

The M 31 cluster system is the largest sample of globular clusters found in the Local Group, is sufficiently close to allow quite easy observations, and is negligibly affected by total reddening, at least for a large outer sub-set. Unfortunately, a complete and uncontaminated sample of M 31 clusters is not available yet for two basic reasons:

Milli-Arcsecond Proper Motions in the Pleiades

As a first step in our open cluster programme, a preliminary catalogue of proper motions and photographic B, V magnitudes for stars up to 18 mag within a region centred near Alcyone is presented. The catalogue is based on MAMA measurements of plates taken with the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope. A preliminary survey includes approx. 20,000 stars and covers a total field of about 9 square degrees. For stars brighter than B = 18 mag an accuracy of 0.05 mag and 2.5 mas/year has been estimated for photometric data and proper motions, respectively. The results of the determination of the Pleiades membership up to magnitude 18 are presented

Stellar Kinematics in the Galactic North Pole Region on the Basis of Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope Plates

The spatial velocity components and their dispersions in the Galactocentric and rotation directions, eccentricities of Galactic orbits, parameters of spatial distribution and the change of all these characteristics with distance from the Galactic plane are detennined. These data have been obtained on the basis of absolute proper motions and stellar B, V magnitudes in two sky regions near the North Galactic Pole (NGP) by means of a plate set of the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope.

Astrometric investigation with the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope

The observations and the plate reduction technique for the determination of positions and absolute proper motions which is used in Potsdam are described. Recent results have shown that an accuracy of about 0 . ″ 1 for positions and 0 . ″7 cent . −1 for proper motions can be achieved both for bright (8m–12m) and faint (16m–18m) stars. Three astrometric programmes using the Tautenburg plates are presented.

Astrometry With the Tautenburg Schmidt Telescope

The realization of an optimum astronomical reference frame depends on well-defined connection between the systems of optical and radio positions of objects. For this the physics of radio objects are to be studied carefully. Besides this it is necessary to investigate how to get accurate positions of the optical counterparts of these objects as benchmarks for establishing a radio-optical reference frame. As the optical sources are very faint, photographic telescopes with robust light-gathering power are to be used.For 15 years research work has been done using plates of the 134/200/400 Tautenburg Schmidt telescope for determinations of photographic positions of stars and extragalactic objects. An overview of some special results obtained at Dresden Lohrmann Observatory and Potsdam Central Institute of Astrophysics of the GDR Academy of Sciences will be given.

The astrometric properties of the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope and its possible contributions to the realization of an inertial reference frame

Astronomische NachrichtenVolume 311, Issue 2 p. 140-140 Dissertation Abstract The astrometric properties of the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope and its possible contributions to the realization of an inertial reference frame Wolfgang R. Dick, Wolfgang R. Dick Zentralinstitut für Astrophysik der AdW der DDR Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 17a, DDR-1591 Potsdam Dissertation A directed by: Dr. V. S. KISLYUK, Kiev, USSR Date of graduation: 1989 March 21Search for more papers by this author Wolfgang R. Dick, Wolfgang R. Dick Zentralinstitut für Astrophysik der AdW der DDR Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 17a, DDR-1591 Potsdam Dissertation A directed by: Dr. V. S. KISLYUK, Kiev, USSR Date of graduation: 1989 March 21Search for more papers by this author First published: 1990 https://doi.org/10.1002/asna.2113110218Citations: 2 Dissertation A directed by: Dr. V. S. KISLYUK, Kiev, USSR Date of graduation: 1989 March 21 AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article.Citing Literature Volume311, Issue21990Pages 140-140 RelatedInformation

The outermost ob associations in M33

The blink survey ofUBVR plates of the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope reveals about 20 new stellar associations. A few suspected associations are located at 8 kpc from the center of M33. The new associations fit well into the spiral structure of the galaxy.

Application of an adaptive filtering technique to surface photometry of galaxies. I. The method tested on NGC 3379

AbstractThis study reports on the results of the application of an adaptive filtering technique to the two‐dimensional photometric mapping of galaxies. For this test we used the elliptical galaxy NGC 3379, which is a luminosity standard. Our plate material (B‐band), obtained with the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope, was digitized with the Babelsberg microdensitometer and with the ESO PDS. The 2‐D scans were reduced according to the Babelsberg Image Processing Systems, whose key feature is an adaptive filter called ‘H‐Transform’. By comparing our results (E‐W light profile and isophotal parameters) to the most recent studies of NGC 3379 (DE VAUCOULEURS and CAPACCIOLI 1979, and NIETO and VIDAL 1984), we found no systematic errors in the photometric calibration and in the reduction procedure, with typical mean residuals from the other studies not larger than ±0.05 B‐mag up to a threshold of 1% of the night sky level on each plate. We also re‐confirmed the geometrical properties of the galaxy. The new filtering technique proved quite efficient in reducing the noise, with negligible effects on the photometric and geometric characteristics of the star‐like sources.

Comparison of three catalogues of absolute proper motions of stars in the M33 field

AbstractComparing absolute proper motions of stars obtained by different methods from observations with the Tautenburg Schmidt telescope (134/200/400), the Kiev long focus astrograph (40/550) and the Pulkovo normal astrograph (33/350) the external accuracy of the Tautenburg absolute proper motions was examined. It agrees well with the Tautenburg internal accuracy which is known from earlier investigations as 0″.7 per century. That accuracy was now achieved for all AGK3 stars in the M33 field including the bright stars from 7m to 10m.

The Tautenburg Part Of The Programme Studying The Main Meridional Section Of The Galaxy

The programme for the determination of proper motions with reference to galaxies for 6000 stars on 17 fields near the main meridional section of the Galaxy is presented. For each field there are 2 or 3 first-epoch plates taken with the Tautenburg Schmidt-telescope before 1970. In preliminary investigations the mean error of an individual proper motion was found to be per century both for bright (8m–12m) and for faint (16m–18m) stars.