DISCOVERY OF THE HOST CLUSTER FOR THE FUNDAMENTAL CEPHEID CALIBRATOR ZETA GEMINORUM
- Department of Astronomy and Physics, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS (Canada)
- Departamento de Astronomia, Universidad de Concepcion, Concepcion (Chile)
- Dominion Astrophysical Observatory, Victoria, BC (Canada)
New and existing CORAVEL, UBVJHK{sub s} , HST, HIP/Tycho, ARO, KPNO, and DAO observations imply that the fundamental Cepheid calibrator {zeta} Gem is a cluster member. The following parameters were inferred for {zeta} Gem from cluster membership and are tied to new spectral classifications (DAO) established for 26 nearby stars (e.g., HD53588/B7.5IV, HD54692/B9.5IV): E{sub B-V} = 0.02 {+-} 0.02, log {tau} = 7.85 {+-} 0.15, and d = 355 {+-} 15 pc. The mean distance to {zeta} Gem from cluster membership and six recent estimates (e.g., IRSB) is d=363{+-}9({sigma}{sub x}-bar ){+-}26 ({sigma}) pc. The results presented here support the color-excess and HST parallax derived for the Cepheid by Benedict et al. Forthcoming precise proper motions (DASCH) and Chandra/XMM-Newton observations of the broader field may be employed to identify cluster members, bolster the cluster's existence, and provide stronger constraints on the Cepheid's fundamental parameters.
- OSTI ID:
- 22047973
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 748, Issue 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
ANCHORING THE DISTANCE SCALE VIA X-RAY/INFRARED DATA FOR CEPHEID CLUSTERS: SU Cas
NEW EVIDENCE SUPPORTING MEMBERSHIP FOR TW NOR IN LYNGA 6 AND THE CENTAURUS SPIRAL ARM