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Addressing Confusion in Double Star Nomenclature: The Washington Multiplicity Catalog

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 March 2016

William I. Hartkopf
Affiliation:
U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, DC
Brian D. Mason
Affiliation:
U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, DC

Abstract

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The Washington Multiplicity Catalog (WMC) project is an effort to address the often conflicting nomenclature schemes used by astronomers in different fields of double and multiple star research, by compiling a catalog of all known binary and multiple systems, then assigning a consistent (insofar as possible) component designation to each component. Components are treated in the same manner whether stellar or sub-stellar (e.g., brown dwarf, exosolar planet) in nature. This effort was begun shortly before the 2000 IAU General Assembly in Manchester, UK. A sample version of the planned catalog was presented at IAU Colloquium 191, held in Mérida, México in February 2003, and a modified version of this sample will be presented at the July 2003 GA in Sydney, Australia. Finally, if the nomenclature and catalog format are agreed upon, a full-sky version of the catalog will be created in time for the 2006 GA in Prague.

Type
II. Special Scientific Sessions
Copyright
Copyright © Astronomical Society of Pacific 2005