Aitken Double Star Catalogue
Encyclopedia
The Aitken Double Star Catalogue, or ADS, is a star catalogue
of double
star
s. It was compiled by Robert Grant Aitken
and published in 1932 in two volumes, under the name New general catalogue of double stars within 120° of the North Pole. It contains measurements of 17,180 double stars north of declination -30°. Entries in this catalogue are generally referred to by an index number prefixed with the letters ADS.
The catalog was a successor to the Burnham Double Star Catalogue
and was based on observations compiled by Sherburne Wesley Burnham
from 1906 to 1912, and by Eric Doolittle from 1912 to 1919. Aitken began work on the catalog shortly after Doolittle's death in 1920. The catalog contains observations made up to 1927.
Star catalogue
A star catalogue, or star catalog, is an astronomical catalogue that lists stars. In astronomy, many stars are referred to simply by catalogue numbers. There are a great many different star catalogues which have been produced for different purposes over the years, and this article covers only some...
of double
Double star
In observational astronomy, a double star is a pair of stars that appear close to each other in the sky as seen from Earth when viewed through an optical telescope. This can happen either because the pair forms a binary star, i.e...
star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
s. It was compiled by Robert Grant Aitken
Robert Grant Aitken
Robert Grant Aitken was an American astronomer.He worked at Lick Observatory in California. He systematically studied double stars, measuring their positions and calculating their orbits around one another...
and published in 1932 in two volumes, under the name New general catalogue of double stars within 120° of the North Pole. It contains measurements of 17,180 double stars north of declination -30°. Entries in this catalogue are generally referred to by an index number prefixed with the letters ADS.
The catalog was a successor to the Burnham Double Star Catalogue
Burnham Double Star Catalogue
The Burnham Double Star Catalogue is a catalogue of double stars within 121° of the celestial North Pole. It was published in two parts by the Carnegie Institution of Washington in 1906, under the title A General Catalogue of Double Stars Within 121° of the North Pole...
and was based on observations compiled by Sherburne Wesley Burnham
Sherburne Wesley Burnham
Sherburne Wesley Burnham was an American astronomer.He worked at Yerkes Observatory. All his working life, he served during the day as a court reporter and was an amateur astronomer, except for four years as a full-time astronomer at Lick Observatory.He served as a military stenographer in the...
from 1906 to 1912, and by Eric Doolittle from 1912 to 1919. Aitken began work on the catalog shortly after Doolittle's death in 1920. The catalog contains observations made up to 1927.