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2MASS observations of Be stars
A catalogue of almost all known Galactic Be stars in the 2MASS database(1185 in total) and in the MSX database (225 in total) is presented inthis paper. From the color color diagrams and spectral indexes, it isfound that the IR excesses for many samples are due to free free andfree bound emission from the ionized material around a Be star assuggested previously and that the mean spectral index derived for thesamples is 1.50 ± 0.34 between J to K bands and 1.14 ±0.42 between K to A bands, respectively. However, it is also found thatthere are eight Be stars that have large near infrared excess emissionwith spectral index values outside the range expected for free free andfree bound emission. This is likely attributed to circumstellar dustemission.

On the evolutionary status of Be stars. I. Field Be stars near the Sun
A sample of 97 galactic field Be stars were studied by taking intoaccount the effects induced by the fast rotation on their fundamentalparameters. All program stars were observed in the BCDspectrophotometric system in order to minimize the perturbationsproduced by the circumstellar environment on the spectral photosphericsignatures. This is one of the first attempts at determining stellarmasses and ages by simultaneously using model atmospheres andevolutionary tracks, both calculated for rotating objects. The stellarages (τ) normalized to the respective inferred time that eachrotating star can spend in the main sequence phase (τ_MS) reveal amass-dependent trend. This trend shows that: a) there are Be starsspread over the whole interval 0  τ/τ_MS  1 of themain sequence evolutionary phase; b) the distribution of points in the(τ/τMS,M/Mȯ) diagram indicates thatin massive stars (M  12~Mȯ) the Be phenomenon ispresent at smaller τ/τ_MS age ratios than for less massive stars(M  12~Mȯ). This distribution can be due to: i)higher mass-loss rates in massive objets, which can act to reduce thesurface fast rotation; ii) circulation time scales to transport angularmomentum from the core to the surface, which are longer the lower thestellar mass.

CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
We present an update of the Catalog of High Angular ResolutionMeasurements (CHARM, Richichi & Percheron \cite{CHARM}, A&A,386, 492), which includes results available until July 2004. CHARM2 is acompilation of direct measurements by high angular resolution methods,as well as indirect estimates of stellar diameters. Its main goal is toprovide a reference list of sources which can be used for calibrationand verification observations with long-baseline optical and near-IRinterferometers. Single and binary stars are included, as are complexobjects from circumstellar shells to extragalactic sources. The presentupdate provides an increase of almost a factor of two over the previousedition. Additionally, it includes several corrections and improvements,as well as a cross-check with the valuable public release observationsof the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). A total of 8231entries for 3238 unique sources are now present in CHARM2. Thisrepresents an increase of a factor of 3.4 and 2.0, respectively, overthe contents of the previous version of CHARM.The catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/431/773

Autocorrelation Analysis of Hipparcos Photometry of Short-Period Be Stars
We have used Hipparcos epoch photometry and a form of autocorrelationanalysis to investigate the amplitude and timescale of the short-periodvariability of 82 Be stars, including 46 Be stars that were analyzed byHubert & Floquet using Fourier and CLEAN analysis and 36 other Bestars that were suspected of short-period variability. Our method hasgiven useful information for about 84% of these stars; for the rest, thetime distribution of the Hipparcos epoch photometry limits thecapability of our technique.

Rotational Velocities of B Stars
We measured the projected rotational velocities of 1092 northern B starslisted in the Bright Star Catalogue (BSC) and calibrated them againstthe 1975 Slettebak et al. system. We found that the published values ofB dwarfs in the BSC average 27% higher than those standards. Only 0.3%of the stars have rotational velocities in excess of two-thirds of thebreakup velocities, and the mean velocity is only 25% of breakup,implying that impending breakup is not a significant factor in reducingrotational velocities. For the B8-B9.5 III-V stars the bimodaldistribution in V can be explained by a set of slowly rotating Ap starsand a set of rapidly rotating normal stars. For the B0-B5 III-V starsthat include very few peculiar stars, the distributions in V are notbimodal. Are the low rotational velocities of B stars due to theoccurrence of frequent low-mass companions, planets, or disks? Therotational velocities of giants originating from late B dwarfs areconsistent with their conservation of angular momentum in shells.However, we are puzzled by why the giants that originate from the earlyB dwarfs, despite having 3 times greater radii, have nearly the samerotational velocities. We find that all B-type primaries in binarieswith periods less than 2.4 days have synchronized rotational and orbitalmotions; those with periods between 2.4 and 5.0 days are rotating withina factor 2 of synchronization or are ``nearly synchronized.'' Thecorresponding period ranges for A-type stars are 4.9 and 10.5 days, ortwice as large. We found that the rotational velocities of the primariesare synchronized earlier than their orbits are circularized. The maximumorbital period for circularized B binaries is 1.5 days and for Abinaries is 2.5 days. For stars of various ages from 107.5 to1010.2 yr the maximum circularized periods are a smoothexponential function of age.

CHARM: A Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements
The Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements (CHARM) includesmost of the measurements obtained by the techniques of lunaroccultations and long-baseline interferometry at visual and infraredwavelengths, which have appeared in the literature or have otherwisebeen made public until mid-2001. A total of 2432 measurements of 1625sources are included, along with extensive auxiliary information. Inparticular, visual and infrared photometry is included for almost allthe sources. This has been partly extracted from currently availablecatalogs, and partly obtained specifically for CHARM. The main aim is toprovide a compilation of sources which could be used as calibrators orfor science verification purposes by the new generation of largeground-based facilities such as the ESO Very Large Interferometer andthe Keck Interferometer. The Catalog is available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/386/492, and from theauthors on CD-Rom.

Ultraviolet Spectrophotometry of Variable Early-Type Be and B Stars Derived from High-Resolution IUE Data
High-dispersion IUE data encode significant information about aggregateline absorptions that cannot be conveniently extracted from individualstellar spectra. Here we apply a new technique in which fluxes from eachechelle order of a short-wavelength IUE spectrum are binned together toconstruct low-resolution spectra of a rapidly varying B or Be star. Thedivision of binned spectra obtained during a ``bright-star'' phase byspectra from a ``faint-star'' phase leads to a ratioed spectrum thatcontains information about the mechanism responsible for a star'svariability. The most likely candidate mechanisms are either theperiodic or episodic occultations of the star by ejected matter or achange in photospheric structure, e.g., from pulsation. We model thevariations caused by these mechanism by means of model atmosphere andabsorbing-slab codes. Line absorptions strength changes are rathersensitive to physical conditions in circumstellar shells and ``clouds''at temperatures of 8000-13,000 K, which is the regime expected forcircumstellar structures of early B stars. To demonstrate proofs of thisconcept, we construct spectral ratios for circumstellar structuresassociated with flux variability in various Be stars: (1) Vela X-1 has abow-shock wind trailing its neutron star companion; at successive phasesand hence in different sectors, the wind exhibits spectrophotometricsignatures of a 13,000 or 26,000 K medium; (2) 88 Her undergoes episodic``outbursts'' during which its UV flux fades, followed a year later by adimming at visible wavelengths as well; the ratioed spectrum indicatesthe ``phase lag'' is a result of a nearly gray opacity that dominatesall wavelengths as the shell expands from the star and cools, permittingthe absorptions in the visible to ``catch up'' to those in the UV; and(3) ζ Tau and 60 Cyg exhibit periodic spectrum and flux changes,which match model absorptions for occulting clouds but are actually mosteasily seen from selective variations of various resonance lines. Inaddition, ratioed UV spectra of radial and large-amplitude nonradialpulsating stars show unique spectrophotometric signatures, which can besimulated with model atmospheres. An analysis of ratioed spectraobtained for a representative sample of 18 classical Be stars known tohave rapid periodic flux variations indicates that 13 of them haveratioed spectra that are relatively featureless or have signatures ofpulsation. Ratioed spectra of three others in the sample exhibitsignatures that are consistent with the presence of corotating clouds.

High and intermediate-resolution spectroscopy of Be stars 4481 lines
We present an atlas of Hγ , He i lambda 4471 and Mg ii lambda 4481line profiles obtained in a 10 year observation period of 116 Be stars,which enabled many of them to be observed at quite different emissionepochs. From the best fit of the observed He i lambda 4471 line profileswith non-LTE, uniform (Teff,log g) and full limb-darkenedmodel line profiles, we determined the V sin i of the program stars. Toaccount, to some degree, for the line formation peculiarities related tothe rapid rotation-induced non-uniform distributions of temperature andgravity on the stellar surface, the fit was achieved by considering(Teff,log g) as free parameters. This method produced V sin iestimations that correlate with the rotational velocities determined bySlettebak (1982) within a dispersion sigma <= 30 km s-1and without any systematic deviation. They can be considered as given inthe new Slettebak's et al. (1975) system. Only 13 program stars havediscrepant V sin i values. In some objects, this discrepancy could beattributed to binary effects. Using the newly determined V sin iparameters, we found that the ratio of true rotational velocitiesV/Vc of the program Be stars has a very low dispersion aroundthe mean value. Assuming then that all the stars are rigid rotators withthe same ratio V(/lineω)/Vc, we looked for the value of/line ω that better represents the distribution of V sini/Vc for randomly oriented rotational axes. We obtained/lineω = 0.795. This value enabled us to determine the probableinclination angle of the stellar rotation axis of the program stars. Inthe observed line profiles of Hγ , He i lambda 4471, Mg ii lambda4481 and Fe ii lambda 4351 we measured several parameters related to theabsorption and/or emission components, such as: equivalent width,residual emission and/or absorption intensity, FWHM, emission peakseparations, etc. The parameters related to the Hγ line emissionprofiles were used to investigate the structure of the nearbyenvironment of the central star. From the characteristics of thecorrelations between these quantities and the inferred inclinationangle, we concluded that in most of cases the Hγ line emissionforming regions may not be strongly flattened. Using a simplerepresentation of the radiation flux emitted by the star+envelopesystem, we derived first order estimates of physical parameterscharacterizing the Hγ line emission formation region. Thus, weobtained that the total extent of the Hγ region is Rf=~ 2.5 +/- 1.0 R* and that the density distribution in theselayers can be mimicked with a power law rho ~ R-alpha , wherealpha =2.5+2.2-0.6. The same approach enabled usto estimate the optical depth of the Hγ line emission formationregion. From its dependence with the aspect angle, we concluded thatthese regions are caracterized by a modest flattening and that the rho(equator)/rho (pole) density contrast of the circumstellar envelope nearthe star should be two orders of magnitude lower than predicted bymodels based on a priori disc-shaped circumstellar envelopes. We foundthat the separation between the emission peaks, Deltap, andthe full width at half maximum, Delta 1/2, of the Hγline emission are not only sensitive to kinematic effects, but to lineoptical depth as well. This finding agrees with previous theoreticalpredictions and confirms that Huang's (1972) relation overestimates theextent of the Hγ line emission formation region. Data obtained atCASLEO operated under agreement between the CONICET and the NationalUniversities of La Plata, Córdoba and San Juan, Argentina, at ESOLa Silla, Chile and at OHP, France.}\fnmsep\thanks{Tables 2 to 7 andFigs. 1 and 2 are only available in full in electronic form at CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via\http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/378/861}} \subtitle{Anatlas of Hγ , He {\fontsize {10pt}{12pt}\selectfont I} 4471 and Mg{\fontsize {10pt}{12pt}\selectfont II

Statistical analysis of intrinsic polarization, IR excess and projected rotational velocity distributions of classical Be stars
We present the results of statistical analyses of a sample of 627 Bestars. The parameters of intrinsic polarization (p*),projected rotational velocity (v sin i), and near IR excesses have beeninvestigated. The values of p* have been estimated for a muchlarger and more representative sample of Be stars (~490 objects) thanpreviously. We have confirmed that most Be stars of early spectral typehave statistically larger values of polarization and IR excesses incomparison with the late spectral type stars. It is found that thedistributions of p* diverge considerably for the differentspectral subgroups. In contrast to late spectral types (B5-B9.5), thedistribution of p* for B0-B2 stars does not peak at the valuep*=0%. Statistically significant differences in the meanprojected rotational velocities (/line{vsin i}) are found for differentspectral subgroups of Be stars in the sense that late spectral typestars (V luminosity class) generally rotate faster than early types, inagreement with previously published results. This behaviour is, however,not obvious for the III-IV luminosity class stars. Nevertheless, thecalculated values of the ratio vt/vc of the truerotational velocity, vt, to the critical velocity forbreak-up, vc, is larger for late spectral type stars of allluminosity classes. Thus, late spectral type stars appear to rotatecloser to their break-up rotational velocity. The distribution of nearIR excesses for early spectral subgroups is bi-modal, the position ofthe second peak displaying a maximum value E(V-L)~ 1 . m 3for O-B1.5 stars, decreasing to E(V-L)~0. m8 for intermediatespectral types (B3-B5). It is shown that bi-modality disappears for latespectral types (B6-B9.5). No correlations were found betweenp* and near IR excesses and between E(V-L) and vsin i for thedifferent subgroups of Be stars. In contrast to near IR excesses, arelation between p* and far IR excesses at 12 mu m is clearlyseen. A clear relation between p* and vsin i (as well asbetween p* and /line{vsin i}/vc) is found by thefact that plots of these parameters are bounded by a ``triangular"distribution of p*: vsin i, with a decrease of p*towards very small and very large vsin i (and /line{vsini}/vc) values. The latter behaviour can be understood in thecontext of a larger oblateness of circumstellar disks for the stars witha rapid rotation. From the analysis of correlations between differentobservational parameters we conclude that circumstellar envelopes forthe majority of Be stars are optically thin disks with the range of thehalf-opening angle of 10degr

On the Variability of O4-B5 Luminosity Class III-V Stars
We investigate the Hipparcos Satellite photometry of O4-B5 luminosityclass III-V stars. Some for which further study is desirable areidentified. These stars in general are more variable than cooler stars

Hα observations of Be stars
We present here the Hα spectra of 44 Be stars taken at aresolution of 0.5 Å. From the spectra, different emission lineparameters have been deduced. A study of the correlations betweendifferent pairs of these parameters has been made with a view tounderstanding the mechanisms of line formation and shaping in Be stars.

Catalogue of H-alpha emission stars in the Northern Milky Way
The ``Catalogue of Stars in the Northern Milky Way Having H-alpha inEmission" appears in Abhandlungen aus der Hamburger Sternwarte, Band XIin the year 1997. It contains 4174 stars, range {32degr <= l() II< 214degr , -10degr < b() II < +10degr } having the Hαline in emission. HBH stars and stars of further 99 lists taken from theliterature till the end of 1994 were included in the catalogue. We givethe cross-identification of stars from all lists used. The catalogue isalso available in the Centre de Données, Strasbourg ftp130.79.128.5 or http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr and at the HamburgObservatory via internet.

Investigation of the variability of bright Be stars using HIPPARCOS photometry
The high accuracy and the homogeneity of Hipparcos data for bright starshave allowed us to quantify the degree of variability of Be stars. Thisdegree has been found to be highly dependent on the temperature of thestar. Rapid variability is the main feature of the 86% of early Be andless than 20% of late Be stars taking into account the limit ofdetection considered. In addition to Be stars reported in the Hipparcoscatalogue (ESA 1997) as short-period variables, we have been able toenlarge the number of detections as well as to confirm periodspreviously determined. Be stars that show larger amplitude rapidvariations are proposed as candidates for a search of multiperiodicityi.e. as non-radial pulsators. We have also searched for the presence ofoutbursts and fading events in the Hipparcos data. Outbursts have beenfrequently and preferentially detected in early Be stars with rather lowto moderate v sini while fading events seem to be more conspicuous instars with higher v sini. Mid-term and long-term variations have alsobeen investigated. Several stars have shown some evidence of temporaryquasi-periodic oscillations ranging between 10 and 200 days. Finallyinformation concerning long-term variations is reported. Cycles shorterthan or equal to the Hipparcos mission have mainly been detected instars earlier than B6. Long-term time scales of late Be stars areconfirmed to be longer by far. Tables 1 and 2 are only available inelectronic form at CDS via ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) orvia http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

Catalogue of stars in the northern Milky Way having H-alpha in emission
Not Available

Infrared and H-alpha emission from Be stars
Not Available

On Space Velocities of Binary Stars in Which One Component Has Experienced a Supernova Explosion
When one component of an evolved binary loses a significant fraction ofits initial mass in a symmetric supernova explosion but remains bound toits companion, the remnant binary recoils with a velocity that can becomparable to the orbital velocity of the supernova precursor. Thisvelocity is enough to explain the observed peculiar space velocitiesand/or distances from the Galactic plane of most X-ray binaries andbinary OB runaway stars. Some exceptions certainly occur, butuncertainties in estimates of velocities and distances, as well asmechanisms other than a popular asymmetric kick, may be responsible formost of the exceptions.

UBV photometry of Be stars at Hvar: 1972--1990
A summary of results of the systematic UBV photoelectric monitoring ofbright northern Be stars carried out at the Hvar Observatory between1972 and 1990 is presented. Altogether, 76 Be stars of all luminosityclasses were observed and 13,848 UBV measurements secured.Simultaneously, 9,648 UBV measurements of 48 check stars (most of themof early spectral types) were obtained. A careful transformation of allobservations into the standard Johnson system allowed detection andmonitoring of even very mild long-term light and colour variations ofthese objects. Almost all early-type Be stars in the sample turned outto be variable. For several stars phase-locked light variations relatedto their binary nature were established. Sudden brightenings, on a timescale of a few days, were detected for o Cas and QR Vul. Tables 2 and 3are only available in electronic form at CDS via ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/Abstract.html

Dynamic Processes in Be Star Atmospheres. IV. Common Attributes of Line Profile ``Dimples''
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...469..336S&db_key=AST

A Search for Pulsar Companions to OB Runaway Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1996ApJ...461..357S&db_key=AST

The ROSAT all-sky survey catalogue of optically bright OB-type stars.
For the detailed statistical analysis of the X-ray emission of hot starswe selected all stars of spectral type O and B listed in the Yale BrightStar Catalogue and searched for them in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey. Inthis paper we describe the selection and preparation of the data andpresent a compilation of the derived X-ray data for a complete sample ofbright OB stars.

The photoelectric astrolabe catalogue of Yunnan Observatory (YPAC).
The positions of 53 FK5, 70 FK5 Extension and 486 GC stars are given forthe equator and equinox J2000.0 and for the mean observation epoch ofeach star. They are determined with the photoelectric astrolabe ofYunnan Observatory. The internal mean errors in right ascension anddeclination are +/- 0.046" and +/- 0.059", respectively. The meanobservation epoch is 1989.51.

Atlas of high-resolution emission and shell lines in Be stars. Line profiles and short-term variability.
We present an atlas of high-S/N, high-resolution ({DELTA}v=6km/s) dataof Be star emission and shell profiles. We have collected profiles ofHα and of Fe II, mostly of the λ5317 transition. Theselines have been selected to provide measures for the overall emissionstrength and for the velocity field in these disks. We have collecteddata for 77 southern and equatorial programme stars, covering the period1982-1993. This is the most comprehensive overview of profile shapes inBe disks. We propose a three-dimensional scheme in which most observedprofiles can be classified. The parameters are i) inclination, ii)optical depth, and iii) the pattern of the velocity field. A search forshort-term variability (timescales between five days and a few minutes)in six stars ended with negative result. Shortest observed timescale forvariability is a few days for well-developed disks in binary systems (HR1910, HR 2142).

On the structure of Be star disks.
We investigate the geometrical structure of the emitting part ofcircumstellar envelopes around Be stars from an empirical point of view.We use new high-resolution, high-S/N spectroscopic data of the FeIIλ5317 and some other faint FeII emission lines in 27 Be starsshowing symmetrical emission lines (class 1). We find a clearcorrelation between its total width (measuring the maximum velocities ofcircumstellar matter) and the stellar rotational velocity. Thiscorrelation means that a typical Be envelope (or, more precisely, thatpart of it which is visible in optical emission lines) is anaxisymmetric, rotationally supported disk. For empirical investigationof the vertical structure, we use the occurrence of shell lines. Wedefine, as shell criterion based on FeII lines, a Be shell star as onewith FeII central intensity F_cd_/F_*_(FeII)<1. Using this forcalibrating an appropriate parameter for the much more frequentlyobserved Hα line, we find that shell stars are those withF_p_/F_cd_(Hα)>=1.5 where F_p_ is the mean peak intensity atHα. In a sample of 114 programme stars, we find a shell starfraction of 22.8%. This number is readily transformed into a halfopening angle of Be star disks, φ=13deg. We furthermore show thatBe disks must be thin at the inner edge, and may become fairly thick atthe outer rim. This, together with the small value of φ, isevidence for a conical or concave shape, the latter typical of ahydrostatically balanced disk. Finally we provide evidence that thefamous "shell-Be" phase transitions can naturally occur in such disks asa geometrical effect if they are seen under inclination i=~70deg and iftheir outer radius is variable with time.

Tests of the Pulsation and Starspot Models for the Periodic Be-Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1995MNRAS.277.1547B&db_key=AST

Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtittle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue.
We give a common version of the two catalogues of Mean Radial Velocitiesby Wilson (1963) and Evans (1978) to which we have added the catalogueof spectroscopic binary systems (Batten et al. 1989). For each star,when possible, we give: 1) an acronym to enter SIMBAD (Set ofIdentifications Measurements and Bibliography for Astronomical Data) ofthe CDS (Centre de Donnees Astronomiques de Strasbourg). 2) the numberHIC of the HIPPARCOS catalogue (Turon 1992). 3) the CCDM number(Catalogue des Composantes des etoiles Doubles et Multiples) byDommanget & Nys (1994). For the cluster stars, a precise study hasbeen done, on the identificator numbers. Numerous remarks point out theproblems we have had to deal with.

Near-infrared photometric observations of Be stars.
Not Available

Near Infrared Variability of Be-Stars
Abstract image available at:http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?1994MNRAS.269.1123D&db_key=AST

Ultraviolet spectral classification and stellar winds in a sample of Be and standard stars
Equivalent widths of 16 lines of C I, C II, C III, C IV, Si II, Si III,Si IV, Al II, Al III, Fe II, and Fe III, plus centriod and edgevelocities of the Si IV and C IV lines, were measured in InternationalUltraviolet Explorer spectra of 39 Ble-B8e and 18 B1-B8 standardnon-emission-line stars. These suggest the following: (1) Certain lineratios of Si II/III, C II/III, Al II/III, and Fe II/III are verysensitive to spectral type and represent excellent UV criteria forspectral classification. (2) UV line strengths and line ratios show thatthere are no significant differences between the photospheric linespectra of Be and normal, non-emission-line stars of corresponding type.(3) The Si IV and C IV wind lines in the Be stars are correlated withboth spectral type and luminosity class in the sense that the hotteststars have the strongest lines with the largest centroid and edgevelocities, and the giants and subgiants have stronger lines than themain-sequence stars. (4) The Si IV wind lines persist to spectral typeB8 in both the Be stars and the standard stars but are stronger in theBe stars than in the standards for the earlier types. (5) The C IV windlines persist to spectral type B8 in the Be stars, but only to B3 in thestandard stars, and are stronger in the Be stars than in the standardsat all spectral types. (6) The equivalent widths of the Si IV and C IVwind lines are only very weakly correlated with v sin i, if at all, buta threshold in v sin i near 150 kn/sec exists, below which no largeequivalent widths of Si IV or C IV may be seen. Assuming that the Bestars are all rapid rotators, such a correlation is essentially acorrelation with i and suggests that the winds from Be stars arisepreferentially from the equatorial regions. (7) Shell stars have weakerC IV absorption and smaller centroid and edge velocities than other Bestars, suggesting that they have weaker winds. Since there isconsiderable evidence that these are stars with cool, low-velocity diskswhich are being viewed edge-on or nearly edge-on, the winds may beinhibited and modified by the denser material in the equatorial regions.(8) Mg II emission is detected in about half of the program Be starswith long-wavelength IUE spectra, and seems not to be correlated withspectral type, v sin i, or strength of the Si IV wind lines. Since theMg II emission presumably originates in the cool, low-velocity envelope,and since Mg II emission also correlates with hydrogen Balmer emissionin the Be stars, this sugests that there is no strong physicalrelationship between the stellar winds and the cool disk. (9) The Beshell stars have stronger resonance lines of Si II, C I, C II, Al II, FeII, presumably formed in the cool shells, than the other Be stars andthe normal, non-emission-line stars of the same spectral types,consistent with the strong lines arising from metastable levels in theoptical spectra of these stars.

On the rotation properties of Be stars and their envelopes.
We present the results of low resolution spectroscopy (4A) obtained atCTIO for a sample of 42 Be, 4 B and 3 O stars covering theλ3700-7000A spectral range. Equivalent widths of the Balmer lineswere measured up to H_10_. We also give the V/R state of the Hαemission line. In addition, the peak separation and the width at thebase of the Hβ and Hγ emission lines are tabulated for atotal of 243 medium resolution (1A) spectra of 51 southern Be starstaken at the Manuel Foster Observatory, Chile. We analyzed our Hαequivalent widths (Wα) together with published data for a total of122 Be and 2 Oe stars. An upper limit of Wα increasing with theprojected rotational velocity vsini is shown by the data. The Wαvalues depend strongly on spectral type, being lower for later-type Bestars. This could indicate that the maximum strength of emission dependsmainly on the spectral type and rotation velocity. The relation betweenWα(max) and vsini, together with the observed excess in number oflow vsini Be stars and the reported anti-correlation between photometricperiod and vsini give evidence for a considerable range of the truerotation velocities of Be stars: definitely there are intrinsically slowrotators among them. However, our results could also be interpreted interms of anisotropic Hα emission coming from the disk. Theanalysis of the net equivalent widths and peak separations of Hαdouble emission line profiles strongly favor a disk type emittingenvelope with a r^-j^ rotation law with j=1.4+/-0.2 which do not dependon the spectral subtype. This result is interpreted as evidence ofradial motions in the envelopes of Be stars. The mean radial extensionsof the regions which emit Balmer lines were determined to range between30% (H_10_) and 60% (Hβ) of the Hα emitting envelope in thecase j=1. The mean electron density within the envelope has been foundto vary only by a factor of 4. We compare our results with earlierinvestigations.

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Observation and Astrometry data

Constellation:Taureau
Right ascension:05h33m31.60s
Declination:+18°32'25.0"
Apparent magnitude:5.69
Distance:574.713 parsecs
Proper motion RA:1.7
Proper motion Dec:1.2
B-T magnitude:5.632
V-T magnitude:5.659

Catalogs and designations:
Proper Names
Flamsteed120 Tau
HD 1989HD 36576
TYCHO-2 2000TYC 1301-818-1
USNO-A2.0USNO-A2 1050-02188721
BSC 1991HR 1858
HIPHIP 26064

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