The original HMXB observing project is described in our JAAVSO article: you can read the e-JAAVSO version or the astro-ph version . The "LPH" numbers are defined in the JAAVSO article, they refer to the old HMXB catalog by Liu, van Paradijs and van den Heuvel. The latest HMXB catalogs split the Magellanic Cloud HMXBs from those in the Milky Way.
In 2011, the HMXB observing program has been extended to include the challenging Super Fast X-ray Transients (SFXTs), a new type of HMXB identified in INTEGRAL data. The SFXT project is also described in a JAAVSO article: see the eJAAVSO posting.
The charts posted here are for reference - they name comparison stars with a consistent set of letters that observers can report, they also recommend which comparison stars to use. The charts typically consist of two pages, meant to be printed double-sided. That way the front is the most useful side with information on the back being useful in case there are problems with the sequence printed on the front. Since this HMXB/SFXT project began, the AAVSO VSP chart plotter has come on-line. The VSP uses the latest available data for comparison stars, so it is recommended that comparison star magnitudes from the VSP be used where they differ from the charts posted here. I will post charts generated with the VSP as people like Keith Graham and Tim Crawford do their fantastic work on defining comparison star sequences in the HMXB fields. The SFXT charts posted here were made using the VSP and are posted here as a convenient reference.
Notes on data submission
Some charts have comparison star magnitudes based on my all-sky photometry with the ANU 24 and 40 inch telescopes. Some of that photometry is rough due to limited observing time and non-ideal observing conditions. Use the given comparison star magnitudes anyway, just don't use ensemble photometry. As the APASS project covers more of the southern sky, better comparison star photometry will become available in the VSP.
Please submit your data directly to the AAVSO. Please note the chart revision date and comparison star used when submitting data.
The Charts
| Star | Chart and Notes |
|---|---|
| LPH001 | |
| LPH004 | AUID 000-BJP-525; SMC X-3. Orbital period now known to be 44.86 days. (SSO standards.) Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH008 | |
| LPH009 | |
| LPH010 | |
| LPH011 | |
| LPH012 | AUID 000-BCY-660; old AAVSO designation 0050+60. gamma Cas - this star has been on the AAVSO photoelectric program for many years. You can use its AAVSO chart. Its orbital period is now known at 203.59 days. |
| LPH017 | |
| LPH018 | |
| LPH020 | |
| LPH021 | |
| LPH023 | |
| LPH024 | |
| LPH028 | |
| LPH029 | AUID 000-BCY-758; old AAVSO Harvard designation 0140+60B; AAVSO name V831 Cas. Other names: LS I+61o235, RX J0146.9+6121. Latest revision: [2009-09-07]. VSP version. |
| LPH033 | AUID 000-BBG-820; AAVSO designation 0411+55. CI Cam - this star has been on the AAVSO program for many years. You can use its AAVSO chart. Its orbital period is now known at 19.41 days. |
| LPH034 | AUID 000-BCZ-082; old AAVSO designation 0434+41. Other names: BSD 24-491, RX J0440.9+4431. Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH035 | |
| LPH036 | |
| LPH038 | |
| LPH039 | |
| LPH040 | AUID 000-BCT-897; old AAVSO designation 0515+37. Other names: V420 Aur, 0521+373, HD 34921, EXO 051910+3737.7. Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH046 | AUID 000-BJP-526; RX J0532.5-6551. In LMC. Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH053 | AUID 000-BJP-527; RX J0541.4-6936. In LMC. Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH054 | |
| LPH055 | |
| LPH056 | |
| LPH057 | AUID 000-BCZ-340; old AAVSO designation 0549+28B. Other names: HD 249179, 1H 0556+286. Latest revision: [2009-09-07]. VSP version. |
| LPH058 | AUID 000-BCZ-435; old AAVSO designation 0630+05B. Other names: SAX J0635+0533. Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH061 | |
| LPH062 | |
| LPH067 | AUID 000-BJP-528. Southern object, 1024.0-5732 = Wack 2134 = GSC 08608-00157. May not be HMXB, may be WR + O star. Not listed in Liu, QZ, van Paradijs J, van den Heuvel EPJ, A&A, 455:1165-1168 (2006). (SSO standards.) Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH069 | AUID 000-BCZ-878. Southern HMXB. RX J1037.5-5647 = LS 1698. (SSO standards.) Latest revision: [2009-12-03] |
| LPH071 | AUID 000-BJP-401; NSV 18753; 1A 1118-615. Southern HMXB. (SSO standards.) Latest revision: [2009-09-06] |
| LPH079 | |
| LPH080 | |
| LPH081 | |
| LPH088 | AUID 000-BJP-529. Southern HMXB. 1H 1555-552 = SAO 243098 = HD 141926. (SSO standards.) Latest revision: [2009-12-04] |
| LPH095 | AUID 000-BCX-089. Southern HMXB. RX J1744.7-2713 = HD 161103 = V3892 SGR = old AAVSO 1738-27 = SAO 185681. Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH100 | AUID 000-BDB-845; old AAVSO designation 1820-14. Other names: LS 5039, RX J1826.2-1450, V479 Sct. Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH107 | AUID 000-BJP-573. Southern HMXB. AX 1845.0-0433. (SSO standards.) Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH115 | AUID 000-BDC-070; old AAVSO Harvard designation 1930+53. Other names: 1H 1936+541, DM+53o2262. Latest revision: [2009-09-07]. VSP version. |
| LPH117 | |
| LPH123 | AUID 000-BDC-306; old AAVSO designation 2027+47. Other names: RX J2030.5+4751, SAO 49725. Latest revision: [2009-09-07]. VSP version. |
| LPH127 | AUID 000-BFS-469; old AAVSO designation 2157+49. Other names: 1H 2202+501, SAO 51568, V2175 Cyg. Latest revision: [2009-09-07] |
| LPH128 | AUID 000-BDC-531; old AAVSO Harvard designation 2204+54; AAVSO name 2206+543. Other names: 4U 2206+543, TYC 3973-812-1, GSC 3973-0812. Latest revision: [2010-01-18]. VSP version. |
| LPH129 | AUID 000-BDC-567; old AAVSO designation 2223+60. Other names: V669 Cep, 2214+589, GG3 71, IRAS 22248+6058. May not be an HMXB - low priority object. Latest revision: [2009-09-07]. VSP version. |
SFXT charts will be posted here as the field photometry becomes available. You may be able to plot better charts than I can with the AAVSO VSP (use the star coords as given in our SFXT project paper. Many thanks to Tim Crawford for his hard work at getting the data into the AAVSO VSP.
| SFXT Charts | V | I | K |
|---|---|---|---|
| IGR J08408-4503 | 7.6 | ? | 6.8 |
| IGR J16195-4945 | 17.2 | 15.5 | 11.0 |
| IGR J16207-5129 | 17.7 | 13.6 | 9.2 |
| IGR J16318-4848 | 21.1 | 16.1 | 7.6 |
| IGR J16358-4726 | ? | 12.6 | ? |
| IGR J16465-4507 | ? | ? | 9.8 |
| IGR J16479-4514 | 20.4 | ? | 9.8 |
| IGR J17354-3255 | ? | ? | 10.3 |
| XTE J1739-302 | 14.9 | 11.4 | 7.4 |
| IGR J17407-2808 | ? | ? | ? |
| XTE J1743-363 | ? | ? | 7.6 |
| IGRJ17544-2619 | 12.7 | ? | 8.0 |
| SAX J1818.6-1703 | ? | ? | 7.9 |
| AX J1820.5-1434 | ? | ? | ? |
| AX J1841.0-0536 | ? | ? | 8.9 |
| AXJ1845.0-0433 | 14.0 | 11.4 | 8.9 |
| IGR J18483-0311 | 21.9 | 15.3 | 8.6 |
The National Geographic Society - Palomar Observatory Sky Atlas (POSS-I) was made by the California Institute of Technology with grants from the National Geographic Society.
The Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-II) was made by the California Institute of Technology with funds from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Sloan Foundation, the Samuel Oschin Foundation, and the Eastman Kodak Corporation.
The Oschin Schmidt Telescope is operated by the California Institute of Technology and Palomar Observatory.
The UK Schmidt Telescope was operated by the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, with funding from the UK Science and Engineering Research Council (later the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council), until 1988 June, and thereafter by the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The blue plates of the southern Sky Atlas and its Equatorial Extension (together known as the SERC-J), as well as the Equatorial Red (ER), and the Second Epoch [red] Survey (SES) were all taken with the UK Schmidt.
All data are subject to the copyright given in the copyright summary. Copyright information specific to individual plates is provided in the downloaded FITS headers.
Supplemental funding for sky-survey work at the ST ScI is provided by the European Southern Observatory.
