skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: AN ALL-SKY CATALOG OF BRIGHT M DWARFS

Abstract

We present an all-sky catalog of M dwarf stars with apparent infrared magnitude J < 10. The 8889 stars are selected from the ongoing SUPERBLINK survey of stars with proper motion {mu} > 40 mas yr{sup -1}, supplemented on the bright end with the Tycho-2 catalog. Completeness tests which account for kinematic (proper motion) bias suggest that our catalog represents {approx}75% of the estimated {approx}11, 900 M dwarfs with J < 10 expected to populate the entire sky. Our catalog is, however, significantly more complete for the northern sky ({approx}90%) than it is for the south ({approx}60%). Stars are identified as cool, red M dwarfs from a combination of optical and infrared color cuts, and are distinguished from background M giants and highly reddened stars using either existing parallax measurements or, if such measurements are lacking, using their location in an optical-to-infrared reduced proper motion diagram. These bright M dwarfs are all prime targets for exoplanet surveys using the Doppler radial velocity or transit methods; the combination of low-mass and bright apparent magnitude should make possible the detection of Earth-size planets on short-period orbits using currently available techniques. Parallax measurements, when available, and photometric distance estimates are provided for allmore » stars, and these place most systems within 60 pc of the Sun. Spectral type estimated from V - J color shows that most of the stars range from K7 to M4, with only a few late M dwarfs, all within 20 pc. Proximity to the Sun also makes these stars good targets for high-resolution exoplanet imaging searches, especially if younger objects can be identified on the basis of X-ray or UV excess. For that purpose, we include X-ray flux from ROSAT and FUV/NUV ultraviolet magnitudes from GALEX for all stars for which a counterpart can be identified in those catalogs. Additional photometric data include optical magnitudes from Digitized Sky Survey plates and infrared magnitudes from the Two Micron All Sky Survey.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Astrophysics, Division of Physical Sciences, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY 10024 (United States)
  2. Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Hawaii, 1680 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96822 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
21582814
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 142; Journal Issue: 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/138; Journal ID: ISSN 1538-3881
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; CATALOGS; COLOR; DWARF STARS; ORBITS; PLANETS; PROPER MOTION; RADIAL VELOCITY; SUN; ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION; X RADIATION; DOCUMENT TYPES; ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION; IONIZING RADIATIONS; MAIN SEQUENCE STARS; MOTION; OPTICAL PROPERTIES; ORGANOLEPTIC PROPERTIES; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; RADIATIONS; STARS; VELOCITY

Citation Formats

Lepine, Sebastien, and Gaidos, Eric. AN ALL-SKY CATALOG OF BRIGHT M DWARFS. United States: N. p., 2011. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/138.
Lepine, Sebastien, & Gaidos, Eric. AN ALL-SKY CATALOG OF BRIGHT M DWARFS. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/138
Lepine, Sebastien, and Gaidos, Eric. 2011. "AN ALL-SKY CATALOG OF BRIGHT M DWARFS". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/138.
@article{osti_21582814,
title = {AN ALL-SKY CATALOG OF BRIGHT M DWARFS},
author = {Lepine, Sebastien and Gaidos, Eric},
abstractNote = {We present an all-sky catalog of M dwarf stars with apparent infrared magnitude J < 10. The 8889 stars are selected from the ongoing SUPERBLINK survey of stars with proper motion {mu} > 40 mas yr{sup -1}, supplemented on the bright end with the Tycho-2 catalog. Completeness tests which account for kinematic (proper motion) bias suggest that our catalog represents {approx}75% of the estimated {approx}11, 900 M dwarfs with J < 10 expected to populate the entire sky. Our catalog is, however, significantly more complete for the northern sky ({approx}90%) than it is for the south ({approx}60%). Stars are identified as cool, red M dwarfs from a combination of optical and infrared color cuts, and are distinguished from background M giants and highly reddened stars using either existing parallax measurements or, if such measurements are lacking, using their location in an optical-to-infrared reduced proper motion diagram. These bright M dwarfs are all prime targets for exoplanet surveys using the Doppler radial velocity or transit methods; the combination of low-mass and bright apparent magnitude should make possible the detection of Earth-size planets on short-period orbits using currently available techniques. Parallax measurements, when available, and photometric distance estimates are provided for all stars, and these place most systems within 60 pc of the Sun. Spectral type estimated from V - J color shows that most of the stars range from K7 to M4, with only a few late M dwarfs, all within 20 pc. Proximity to the Sun also makes these stars good targets for high-resolution exoplanet imaging searches, especially if younger objects can be identified on the basis of X-ray or UV excess. For that purpose, we include X-ray flux from ROSAT and FUV/NUV ultraviolet magnitudes from GALEX for all stars for which a counterpart can be identified in those catalogs. Additional photometric data include optical magnitudes from Digitized Sky Survey plates and infrared magnitudes from the Two Micron All Sky Survey.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-6256/142/4/138},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/21582814}, journal = {Astronomical Journal (New York, N.Y. Online)},
issn = {1538-3881},
number = 4,
volume = 142,
place = {United States},
year = {Sat Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011},
month = {Sat Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 2011}
}