Washington Double Star Catalog
| Alternative names | WDS |
|---|---|
The Washington Double Star Catalog, or WDS, is a
multiple stars
. In general, a multiple star with n components will be represented by entries in the catalog for n-1 pairs of stars.
History
The database used to construct the WDS originated at
Index Catalog of Visual Double Stars, published in 1963. In 1965, under the initiative of Charles Worley, it was transferred to the Naval Observatory.[1]
The catalog has since been augmented by many measurements, mainly from the
speckle interferometry, as well as other sources. A unique 1–3 letter discovery code is used to identify the observer who reported the information. For example, HEI is used for the German astronomer W. D. Heintz.[2]
See also
References
- Bibcode:1998Obs...118..250D.
- doi:10.1086/323920.
These files are no longer updated. This is an archival website for the 2001.0 edition of the Washington Double Star Catalog. The last major update to this site was 26 September 2001 by Brian Mason.