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CVCAT - Cataclysmic Variables Catalog (2006 Final Edition) |
HEASARC Archive |
Overview
This catalog contains data for a large number of objects that have been classified as cataclysmic variables (CVs) as well as a smaller number of objects that are now not considered to be cataclysmic variables, but were originally classified erroneously as such. As of 2000 December, 40% of the objects in this catalog were dwarf novae, with another 30% being novae, and the rest being mostly nova-like variables; also as of this date, a large fraction (90%) of the CVs had references to published finding charts, while 64% of the objects had published spectra.The catalog includes coordinates measured in the reference frame of the Hubble Space Telescope Guide Star Survey for non-novae and from the literature for novae. Also given are the variability type, the magnitude range, orbital periods, flags indicating the existence of relevant space-based observational datsets, references to finding charts and spectroscopy, the galactic latitude and longitude, and the year of outburst (for novae). This edition also includes plate identification information for the coordinate measurements, and a reference to the classification.
The Catalog and Atlas of Cataclysmic Variables (Downes et al. in 2001, PASP, 113, 764 and http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/) presented here is the ASCII Report mentioned in Section 2.1 of the PASP paper, and is similar to the previously published versions of the CV Catalog (e.g., Downes, Webbink and Shara 1997, PASP, 109, 345, Table 1). The online version of the CV Catalog at http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/ contains additional data on these systems not included in this database, including finding charts. For a complete authoritative and up-to-date description of the CV Catalog, refer to http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/description.html, from which the HEASARC has constructed this help file.
Catalog Bibcode
2001PASP..113..764DReferences
The Catalog and Atlas of CVs: Archival Edition, Downes et al. 2001, PASP, 113, 764 and Downes et al. 2006, http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/ The Catalog and Atlas of CVs: The Second Edition, Downes, Webbink and Shara 1997, PASP, 109, 345 The Catalog and Atlas of CVs: The First Edition, Downes and Shara 1993, PASP, 105, 127
Provenance
This HEASARC version of the CV Catalog was last updated in February 2006.Parameters
Name
The name of the object derived from the prefix 'CV J'and the object's J2000
equatorial coordinates, using the standard IAU nomenclature system, for all
objects that the authors consider to be CVs, or from the prefix 'J' and the
J2000 equatorial coordinates, for all non-CVs. This parameter was created by
the HEASARC in order to have a unique `name' for each object in the catalog.
RA
The Right Ascension of the object. For non-novae, this is derived from the
J2000 coordinates of the object as measured in the Space Telescope Guide
Star reference frame. The right ascension is given to the nearest 0.01
seconds, while the declination is given to the nearest 0.1 arcseconds; for
objects that are very faint or not visible, the coordinates are given to a
lesser accuracy. The accuracy of the Guide Star Catalog is 0.4 arcseconds
in the north, and 0.6 arcseconds in the south (Taff et al. 1990, ApJL, 353,
L45). For the novae, the coordinates are taken from Duerbeck (1987, SSRv,
45, 1) or from the literature (for recent novae). For those objects without
available/usable finding charts, coordinates have been obtained
from the literature, and are generally given to a lesser accuracy than those
objects measured in this work. For more information about the source for the
position of any particular object, look at the value of the parameter
Ref_Coord for that entry: this is a code for the reference from which the
position was obtained. The key to these reference codes listing their
corresponding bibliographical references can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/References/references.html
Dec
The Declination of the object. For non-novae, this is derived from the
J2000 coordinates of the object as measured in the Space Telescope Guide
Star reference frame. The right ascension is given to the nearest 0.01
seconds, while the declination is given to the nearest 0.1 arcseconds; for
objects that are very faint or not visible, the coordinates are given to a
lesser accuracy. The accuracy of the Guide Star Catalog is 0.4 arcseconds
in the north, and 0.6 arcseconds in the south (Taff et al. 1990, ApJL, 353,
L45). For the novae, the coordinates are taken from Duerbeck (1987, SSRv,
45, 1) or from the literature (for recent novae). For those objects without
available/usable finding charts, coordinates have been obtained
from the literature, and are generally given to a lesser accuracy than those
objects measured in this work. For more information about the source for the
position of any particular object, look at the value of the parameter
Ref_Coord for that entry: this is a code for the reference from which the
position was obtained. The key to these reference codes listing their
corresponding bibliographical references can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/References/references.html
LII
The Galactic Longitude of the object.
BII
The Galactic Latitude of the object.
PM_RA
The proper motion in Right Ascension, in arcseconds/year.
PM_RA_Error
The error in the Right Ascension proper motion, in arcseconds/year.
PM_Dec
The proper motion in Declination, in arcseconds/year.
PM_Dec_Error
The error in the Declination proper motion, in arcseconds/year.
Epoch
The epoch of the position coordinates.
GCVS_Name
The name of the object in the General Catalogue of Variable Stars (GCVS)
and subsequent Namelists (67th, Kholopov et al. 1985, IBVS, 2681; 68th,
Kholopov et al. 1987, IBVS, 3058; 69th, Kholopov et al. 1989, IBVS, 3323;
70th, Kazarovets and Samus 1990, IBVS, 3530; 71st, Kazarovets, Samus, and
Goranskij 1993, IBVS, 3840; 72nd, Kazarovets and Samus 1995, IBVS, 4140;
73rd, Kazarovets and Samus 1997, IBVS, 4471; 74th, Kazarovets et al. 1999,
IBVS, 4659; 75th, Kazarovets et al. 2000, IBVS, 4870; 76th, Kazarovets et
al. 2001, IBVS, 5135). For those objects without variable star designations
in the 1st CV Edition, the authors introduced a pseudo-GCVS name for certain
objects, e.g., Phe 1, which was continued in the 2nd Edition. With the
Web-based catalog (formerly the "Living Edition", now the "Archival
Edition"), the authors felt that this was no longer necessary, and so have
ceased to generate new ones. For those objects that already had such names
and now have a formal GCVS designation, the latter is listed here, and the
pseudo-GCVS name is listed in the alt_name field.
Var_Type
The type of variability of the object. The Variability Types Table below
lists the various types used in this work, which are based on the
classification scheme used in the GCVS. Some types are taken directly from
the GCVS (those in upper-case letters), while those in lower-case letters
have been obtained from the literature (they are generally in agreement with
the GCVS, and are presumably more secure); whenever possible, a type from the
literature was used. There are many objects in the catalog, designated NON-CV,
which are stars that have been previously cataloged as CVs, and are included
for completeness; the references for these stars are those papers which refute
the CV nature of the objects. The revised classifications are defined as
follows:
Type Definition
---- -----------------------------------------------------------
UG U Gem variable (dwarf nova)
UGZ U Gem variable (Z Cam subtype)
UGSS U Gem variable (SS Cyg subtype)
UGSU U Gem variable (SU UMa subtype)
UGWZ U Gem variable (WZ Sge subtype)
N Nova
NA Fast nova
NB Slow nova
NC Very slow nova
NR Recurrent nova
NRA Recurrent nova - giant donor (Webbink et al. 1987, ApJ, 314, 653)
NRB Recurrent nova - non-giant donor (Webbink et al. 1987, ibid.)
SN Possible supernova with no galaxy visible
NL Novalike variable
NLV Novalike variable (V Sge subtype; Steiner & Diaz
1998, PASP, 110, 276)
UX Novalike variable (UX UMa subtype)
VY Novalike variable (VY Scl subtype - systems which undergo
low states)
AM AM Herculis variable (synchronous rotators)
DQ DQ Herculis variable (non-synchronous rotators)
CV Cataclysmic variable (no type classification)
IBWD Interacting binary white dwarf
M Mira variable
I Irregular variable
UV UV Ceti-type star
Z AND Symbiotic variable (Z And subtype)
NON-CV Not a cataclysmic variable (although once classified as such)
NON-EX Non-existent object
PEC Peculiar
: Uncertain
:: Very uncertain
Period
The orbital period, in days, of the object.
Period_Flag
A flag that indicates the period is uncertain.
Nova_Year
The year of the outburst (for objects that are novae).
Cluster_Flag
A flag which is set to 'Y' if the object is in a globular cluster.
Max_Mag_Limit
The symbol '<' (less than) is used to indicate that the quoted value of
Max_Mag is an upper limit, i.e., the actual Max_Mag could have been brighter
than this. Notice that, in the online CV Catalog at the STScI website, the
opposite convention is used, i.e., there the symbol '>' (more than) is used to
stand for 'brighter than'.
Max_Mag
The maximum observed apparent magnitude for the object, in the magnitude
system specified by the parameter max_mag_system. For novae, the primary source
for the magnitudes is Duerbeck (1987, SSRv, 45, 1) and Duerbeck (2001, private
communication), while for the non-novae the catalog of Ritter and Kolb (1998,
A&AS, 129, 83) is the prime source. When no other references to brightness
were available, the GCVS values were used.
Max_Mag_System
The photometric system in which the maximum magnitude (Max_Mag) was measured.
The abbreviations are defined as follows:
Magnitude Definition
--------- -------------------------------------------------------
U Johnson U
B Johnson B
V Johnson V
R Johnson R
I Johnson I
c unfiltered CCD
f m(2200)
g Gunn g
h Hipparcos magnitude system
i Gunn i
j SRC j (unfiltered IIIa-J)
p photographic
r red
s Sloan g*
u m(1400)
v visual
w m(3000)
Min_Mag_Limit
The symbol '>' (greater than) is used to indicate that the quoted value of
Min_Mag is a lower limit, i.e., the actual Min_Mag could have been fainter
than this. Notice that, in the online CV Catalog at the STScI website, the
opposite convention is used, i.e., there the symbol '<' (less than) is used to
stand for 'fainter than'.
Min_Mag
The minimum observed apparent magnitude for the object, in the magnitude
system specified by the parameter min_mag_sys. For novae, the primary source
for the magnitudes is Duerbeck (1987, SSRv, 45, 1) and Duerbeck (2001, private
communication), while for the non-novae the catalog of Ritter and Kolb (1998,
A&AS, 129, 83) is the prime source. When no other references to brightness
were available, the GCVS values were used.
Min_Mag_System
The photometric system in which the minimum magnitude (Min_Mag) was measured.
The abbreviations are defined as follows:
Magnitude Definition
--------- -------------------------------------------------------
U Johnson U
B Johnson B
V Johnson V
R Johnson R
I Johnson I
c unfiltered CCD
f m(2200)
g Gunn g
h Hipparcos magnitude system
i Gunn i
j SRC j (unfiltered IIIa-J)
p photographic
r red
s Sloan g*
u m(1400)
v visual
w m(3000)
Ref_Coord
A code for the reference to the coordinates. Entries consisting of the letter
C followed by a four-character code correspond to plate-IDs from the Hubble
Space Telescope Guide Star survey; other codes refer to references from the
literature, and the key to these reference codes listing their
corresponding bibliographical references can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/References/references.html
Ref_Coord_Flag
If this flag is set to `Y' (changed from an asterisk in the STScI version),
this means that there is a comment regarding the coordinate measurement in
the Notes Section on the Webpage for that object in the STScI Online Catalog.
The Notes Section can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/ASCII_Notes_Report.html
Ref_PM
A code for the reference from which the proper motion values were obtained.
The key to these reference codes listing their corresponding bibliographical
references can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/References/references.html
Ref_PM_Flag
If this flag is set to `Y' (changed from an asterisk in the STScI version),
this means that there is a comment regarding the proper motion in the Notes
Section on the Webpage for that object in the STScI Online Catalog. To see
this comment, see the Notes Section, which can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/ASCII_Notes_Report.html
Ref_Var_Type
A code for the reference from which the variability type Var_type (aka the
CV classification) was obtained. The key to these reference codes listing their
corresponding bibliographical references can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/References/references.html
Ref_Var_Type_Flag
If this flag is set to `Y' (changed from an asterisk in the STScI version),
this means that there is a comment regarding the classification in the Notes
Section on the Webpage for that object in the STScI Online Catalog. To see
this comment, see the Notes Section, which can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/ASCII_Notes_Report.html
Ref_Chart
A code for the original reference from which the finding chart is based.
Note that the identifications of the CVs were
based on the published charts (or in some cases coordinates only), and have
not been independently verified by the authors of the catalog.
The key to these reference codes listing their
corresponding bibliographical references can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/References/references.html
Ref_Chart_Flag
If this flag is set to `Y' (changed from an asterisk in the STScI version),
this means that there is a comment
regarding the identification in the STScI Online Catalog.
To see this comment, see the Notes Section, which can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/ASCII_Notes_Report.html
Ref_Spectrum
A code for the reference to the published spectrum. A prefix of S indicates
a spectrum in quiescence, while a prefix of X indicates a spectrum in outburst.
Whenever available, the quiescent spectrum was chosen for the catalog over an
outburst spectrum. The key to these reference codes listing their
corresponding bibliographical references can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/References/references.html
Ref_Spectrum_Flag
If this flag contains a colon (:), this indicates that in the reference to
the published spectrum specified by the parameter Ref_Spectrum either (i)
the spectrum is only described, (ii) the spectrum is a glass plate tracing,
or (iii) the reference is unconfirmed (only for a few novae in Duerbeck's
atlas. If this flag is set to `Y' (changed from an asterisk in the STScI
version), this means that there is a comment regarding the spectrum in the
STScI Online Catalog. To see this comment, see the Notes Section, which can
be found at http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/ASCII_Notes_Report.html
Ref_Period
A code for a reference to the period of the object. The key to these reference
codes listing their corresponding bibliographical references can be found at
http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/References/references.html
Note that all periods come from either the catalog of Ritter and Kolb (1998,
A&AS, 129, 83) or from Ritter (private communication).
Alt_Name
A discovery or common alternative (non-GCVS) designation for the object. For
those objects without variable star designations in the 1st CV Edition, the
authors introduced a pseudo-GCVS name for certain objects, e.g., Phe 1, which
was continued in the 2nd Edition. With the Web-based catalog (formerly the
"Living Edition", now the "Archival Edition"), the authors felt that this was
no longer necessary, and so have ceased to generate new ones. For those
objects that already had such names and now have a formal GCVS designation,
the former is listed here, and the GCVS name is listed in the gcvs_name
field.
IUE_Flag
Cataclysmic variables have been observed by space-based observatories for
many years, particularly by X-ray missions. The authors searched the HEASARC
Archives for observations of CVs made by X-ray satellites (Ariel-5, HEAO-1,
HEAO-2 = Einstein Observatory, EXOSAT, Ginga, ROSAT and ASCA) and the EUVE
satellite, and the IUE/HST Archives for imaging/spectroscopy of CVs; for
ongoing missions, their search contains observations in the archives as
of June 2001. A 'Y' in this field means that data for this object from the
particular satellite exist.
HST_Flag
Cataclysmic variables have been observed by space-based observatories for
many years, particularly by X-ray missions. The authors searched the HEASARC
Archives for observations of CVs made by X-ray satellites (Ariel-5, HEAO-1,
HEAO-2 = Einstein Observatory, EXOSAT, Ginga, ROSAT and ASCA) and the EUVE
satellite, and the IUE/HST Archives for imaging/spectroscopy of CVs; for
ongoing missions, their search contains observations in the archives as
of June 2001. A 'Y' in this field means that data for this object from the
particular satellite exist. For HST data, the notes for the object indicate
if the data is imaging, spectroscopic, photometric, and/or astrometric.
To see such comments, refer to the Notes Section, which can
be found at http://archive.stsci.edu/prepds/cvcat/ASCII_Notes_Report.html
Ariel5_Flag
See the help text for the IUE_Flag parameter above.
HEAO1_Flag
See the help text for the IUE_Flag parameter above.
HEAO2_Flag
See the help text for the IUE_Flag parameter above.
EXOSAT_Flag
See the help text for the IUE_Flag parameter above.
ROSAT_Flag
See the help text for the IUE_Flag parameter above.
Ginga_Flag
See the help text for the IUE_Flag parameter above.
ASCA_Flag
See the help text for the IUE_Flag parameter above.
EUVE_Flag
See the help text for the IUE_Flag parameter above.
Class
The Browse Object Classification code. This classification is based on the CV
classification given in the parameter Var_Type.
Contact Person
Questions regarding the CVCAT database table can be addressed to the HEASARC User Hotline.Page Author: Browse Software Development Team
Last Modified: Wednesday, 08-Jul-2015 19:01:03 EDT
- HEASARC Director: Dr. Andy Ptak
- NASA Official: Dr. Andy Ptak
- Web Curator: J.D. Myers
- Last Modified: 8-Jul-2015