A Spectroscopic Reconnaissance of UV-Bright Stars

Abstract

We have carried out spectroscopic observations and made preliminary classifications of 62 UV-bright stars identified by Lanning on plates taken by A. Sandage. The goal was to search for &#34;interesting&#34; objects, such as emission-line stars, hot sub-dwarfs, and high-gravity stars. Our targets were grouped into two samples, a bright, B < 13, sample of 35 stars observed with the Kitt Peak 2.1m telescope and a faint, 13< B < 16, sample of 27 stars observed with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. We find 39% fairly normal O-mid B stars, 15% late ~B-late A stars and 32% F-G stars, with 13% of the stars being high gravity objects, composite, or otherwise peculiar. Included are four emission-line stars, three composite systems. Thus one out of every ten Lanning stars is &#34;interesting&#34; and may deserve individual study. Stars in the bright sample are often found to be late F or early G stars, although this sample does include interesting stars as well. No such large contamination occurs among the fainter stars, however, owing to &#34;deselection&#34; of these stars by interstellar reddening in the low-latitude fields of the survey.