OF of Stellar Spectra: Application Dicyanin
OF of Stellar Spectra: Application Dicyanin
OF of Stellar Spectra: Application Dicyanin
By Paul W. Merrill
CONTENTS
Page
I. Introduction 487
1. Advantages of photography in spectroscopy 487
2 Historical 488
3 Purpose of this investigation 490
, II. Observations '
490
1. The instrument 490
Photographic processes
2. 491
3. Spectroscopic results
, 492
III. General discussion 501
1. Identification of band at wave length .760/x 501
2. Distribution of energy in stellar spectra 502
IV. Summary 504
I. INTRODUCTION
1. ADVANTAGES OF PHOTOGRAPHY IN SPECTROSCOPY
It has become almost axiomatic in modern spectroscopy that
photography should be applied wherever possible. This is particu-
larly true in astrophysics, since the observational conditions give
photography especially great advantages. It is a mistake to
suppose that these advantages are limited to the more refrangible
portions of the spectrum. In the spectral region to which the
eye is most sensitive, namely, near wave length .56/1 (yellow-
green), a rather long exposure is required to show photographic-
ally the faintest details seen by a skillful observer, but even here
it is only under special conditions that visual results are of great
X69 (red) From X69 on toward longer waves this value is halved
.
2. HISTORICAL
far as X80.
Lack of complete success heretofore can probably be traced to
one or more of the following causes (a) Deterioration of the dye
:
dye and others; some of these processes probably would not give
sufficientspeed for exposures on faint sources.
(c) Some experimenters have possibly not realized at what wave
lengths dicyanin has its greatest value, namely, those greater than
68. Pinacyanol is superior in speed up to about X68, but for
continuous and absorption spectra, dicyanin is probably to be pre-
ferred even at this point on account of its flatter sensitivity curve.
II. OBSERVATIONS
1. THE INSTRUMENT
By an arrangement with Director Pickering, of the Harvard Col-
lege Observatory, the 24-inch reflector of the observatory was used
—
p IG> X- —Schematic diagram of optical system of 24-inch reflector with objective prism
L, L, Light rays from star; A, prism P, refracting angle 6°, aperture 24 inches (circular); or A prism
1
,
at the mouth of the tube in order that the secondary mirror might
not occult too much of the light Thus, practically the whole
aperture of the prism was made use of. (See Fig. 1 .) The linear
dispersions yielded by the prisms are as follows
Linear Dispersion
He to H0 H/3 to Ha
mm mm
Prism P 1. 7 \ 1.4
Prism D 15.8 12.3
2. PHOTOGRAPHIC PROCESSES
The exact action of the dye in sensitizing plates is so little
understood, and the subject is so complex, that in spite of the
large amount of research any statements made at this
upon it,
1 Staining Solution
Cubic
centimeters
Distilled water 140
Ethyl alcohol 120
Dicyanin A (1: 2000) 18
Or dicyanin 1 1000 :
7
Ammonia, 26 degrees 9
The fact that dicyanin does not sensitize the plates to green
and yellow light is made apparent by the appearance of the photo-
graphed spectra. As the illustrations show, the blue and red
portions of the spectra are usually separated by a gap representing
the insensitive region. A
more nearly uniform spectrum can un-
doubtedly be obtained by the addition of pinaverdol u to the
staining bath.
3. SPECTROSCOPIC RESULTS
Between February 4 and March 1, 191 7, 67 stellar spectrograms
were secured on 14 nights. Those of interest are included in the
following list: Columns one to seven require no explanation. In
the eighth column, "Exposure," c indicates that the observation
was interfered with by clouds; in the ninth column, "Prism," P
denotes the 24-inch 6° prism; D denotes the 9 by 11 inch 15
prism; in the tenth column, "Emulsion," HS indicates Hammer
Special, 27 indicates Seed 27; in the last column, "Dye," D and
DA signify dicyanin and dicyanin A, respectively.
Journal of Observations
mm.
72 5
c
12 .8 9.1 Pa 1794 Feb. 11 62 HS DA
1800 Feb. 12 72 HS DA
23° 4553 6 50 23.8 6.6 Ob 1790 Feb. 10 36 HS DA
1795 Feb. 11 62 HS D
1796 ..do 42 HS D
Orionis 5 6.0 2.9 Oe 1821 Feb. 18 74 HS DA
Pleiades 3 24. B 1783 Feb. 6 10 !
HS D
1784 ..do 10 HS D
9
The above procedure is much the same as that recommended by Wallace for his three-dye stain. Astro-
physical Journal, 26, p. 311 ; 1
h m min.
§ Orionis 5 10 -8°. 3 0.3 B8 1787 Feb. 10 14 P HS D
v
« Draconis 12 29 + 70.3 3.9 B5P 1813 Feb. 16 54c D 27 DA
Lyrae 18 46 +33.2 ( ) B? 1829 Feb. 18 25c D HS D
1844 Feb. 24 38 D HS DA
P Cygni 20 15 +37.7 4.9 Blp 1845 ...do 20c D HS DA
a Can. Mai 6 41 -16.6 -1.6 Ao 1791 Feb. 10 16 D HS D
1810 Feb. 16 42c P 27 DA
1822 Feb. 18 39 P HS DA
1839 Feb. 24 60 P HS D
aBootis 14 11 + 19.7 0.2 Ko 1815 Feb. 16 56c P HS DA
a. Urs. Maj 10 58 +62.3 2.0 Ko 1825 Feb. 18 37 P HS DA
a Tauri 4 30 +16.3 1.1 K5 1785 Feb. 6 5 D HS D
1807 Feb. 14 35c P HS DA
a. Orionis 5 50 + 7.4 0.9 Ma 1789 Feb. 10 17 P HS DA
1809 Feb* 16 24c D 27 DA
1832 Feb. 21 75 D HS D
X Draconis 11 26 +69.9 4.1 Ma 1793 Feb. 10 24c P HS DA
1834 Feb. 21 65 D HS D
a Herculis 17 10 + 14.5 3.5 Mb 1817 Feb. 16 7 D HS DA
1828 Feb. 18 38c D HS D
1837 Feb. 22 22c D HS D
1843 Feb. 24 52 D HS DA
1849 Feb. 28 23c P 27 DA
ty Virginis 12 51 - 9.0 4.9 M(b) 1814 Feb. 16 66c D 27 DA
HR 5589 14 56 +66.3 4.9 Mb 1842 Feb. 24 30 D HS DA
1847 Feb. 28 41c P 27 DA
40 Com. Ber 13 2 + 23.2 5.9 Mbp 1841 Feb. 24 72 D HS DA
o Ceti 2 14 - 3.4 (5.7) Md9 1831 Feb. 21 68 D HS D
(5.8) 1838 Feb. 24 72 D HS D
R Leo. Min 9 39 +35.0 (7.8) Md8 1797 Feb. 11 32 P KS D
(7.8) 1804 Feb. 12 62 P HS DA
(7.9) 1824 Feb. 18 43 D KS D
(7.9) 1830 Feb. 20 112c D HS D
UHydrae 10 33 — 12.8 (5-4) N 1792 Feb. 10 22c? P HS D
(5.4) 179S Feb. 11 24 P HS D
(5.4) 1812 Feb. 16 50c D 27 DA
DM+38°1539 6 30 +38. 5 6.3 N 1802 Feb. 12 71 P HS DA
1811 Feb. 16 49c D 27 DA
1833 Feb. 21 72 D HS D
Y Hydrae 9 46 — 22.6 (6.7) Np 1840 Feb. 24 78c? D HS DA
(6.8) 1846 Feb. 28 46c P 27 DA
DM+61° 667 3 57 +61.5 7.9 N 1799 Feb. 12 16 P HS DA
DM+14°1283 6 20 + 14.8 6.5 N 1801 ...do 72 P HS DA
DM+46° 817 12 40 + 46.0 ( ) N 1827 Feb. 18 54c D HS D
DM+68° 617 10 38 +67.9 ( ) N 1826 ...do 70 D HS D
DM-24°12084 15 22 -24.8 7.4 R 1305 Feb. 12 16 P HS DA
DM+42°2811 17 13 +42.2 7.3 R 1848 Feb. 28 41c P HS DA
to lie between 3000 and 10 000 angstroms (0.3 and 1.0/z). The
accuracy attained is not great, and the plates probably fail to
show many of the finer details of the spectra. This brief study is
therefore in the nature of a reconnoissance. The results indicate
the desirability of future observations in the extreme red and infra-
red regions with both objective-prism and slit spectroscopes.
—
DM-12 1 1~ Spectral Class Pa. In the spectrum of this —
interesting planetary nebula the following emission lines, all
previously observed, are shown: 3728 (nebular), HS, H7, H/3,
Ha. Ha is the strongest line, 3728 next. There is a suggestion
of an emission line of somewhat shorter wave length than Ha,
and on one plate a faint trace of an emission line at about 714.
Ha has been observed visually by Campbell 13 and photographi-
cally by Bosler. 14 Campbell remarked that Ha was "very diffi-
cult.'" This is in striking contrast with my photographs on which
Ha is the strongest line of all.
348
4059 Wolf-Rayet line
H5
HS'
H7
453 H 7 ? '
Ha
(702)
0H-
^H-
I
SH-
j
»H-
(496-1)
(496-2)
Merriii] Dicyanin in Stellar Spectroscopy 497
truni of \p Yirginis was secured mid its quality is only fair, but
the appearance of the bands in the red favors the classification
Ma rather than Mb.
HR 3380 —Spectral Class Ml>. — This appears to be a typical Mb
Spectrum, On Plata Hi 847 (small dispersion) the following fea-
tures were measured: A', H, g,A, band heads at 4760, 4955, 5166,
586, 6156, 6652, 706, 76. The spectrum ends more abruptly than
usual at 83. (See Fig. 8.)
^K*^^K*^H
o
r^.
cs
CO
I I
TJ Hydrae
+38° 1539, + 14° 1283,
Description H 1802 H 1801
Identification
H1792 H1798
D M+38° 1539
U Hydrae, DM+46"
Description H 1812 817, H 1827 Identification
H1811 H1833
692 Do
Do 707 708 709* 707 Do
Do 722 724 Do
A pr pr pr
End 79+ 821 795
s Utter and Patterson. Astrophysical Journal, 42, p.. ibo Grotian and Runge, Physikaliscfae
Zeitschriit, 15, p. 543
Metrth) Dicyanin in Stellar Spectroscopy 501
110990°— 19 2
502 Bulletin of the Bureau of Standards [Vol. 14
s io <o
1 7 1
99Z-
6SZ—
(502-2)
Merrill] Dicyanin in Stellar Spectroscopy 503
mates of the same stars. The two series agree well where the
and in other cases do not differ
ratio is near unity, more than
might be expected from the uncertainties in estimates of this
kind.
Ratio of Red to Blue Light —Average Values
Class Bums Merrill
B, A 0.1 0.2
F, G .4 .5
K 1.2 1.2
M 1.3 1.3
N 4.1 3.6
R 9 .9 .8
Only two Class R stars are included, but the results are ot
special interest. The estimates are as follows:
!
Merrill
J 3
Mean ...
IV. SUMMARY
1. A band (wave length 0.760/1) and a considerable
Fraunhofer's
region of greater wave length have been photographed in numerous
stellar spectra by means of plates sensitized with dicyanin.
2. A strong band at 0.760^, nearly coincident with .4, has been