Visual Binaries: Cross-Matching and Compiling of a Comprehensive List

Abstract

Visual binary stars make up the largest set among observed types of binaries (currently more than 110 000 systems are known containing more than 230 000 components). However, statistical analysis of this sample is a complicated task because a number of catalogues of visual binaries contain various data for evidently overlapping sets of objects. To use the complete dataset, one needs to cross-match these catalogues, i.e. to gather all the available information on visual binary stars into a single list. We have compiled a comprehensive set of visual binaries using data from the current versions of the Catalog of Components of Double & Multiple stars (CCDM); Tycho Double Star Catalogue (TDSC), and The Washington Visual Double Star Catalog (WDS). The resulting list1 contains 130 873 pairs, and we also provide trigonometric parallaxes for 14 319 of them drawn mostly from the Hipparcos catalogue.

Keywords

• binaries: visual
• catalogs