GCVS (S1): General Catalog of Variable Stars (19910714)
FILES: Zone files: Grouped by declination zone; all variable classes combined
File #Variables Dec (2000) Zone
gcvs_n.s1 7648 Northern sky: +20<=Dec <+90
gcvs_e.s1 8266 Equatorial sky: -20< Dec <+20
gcvs_s.s1 12521 Southern sky: -90< Dec <=-20
Class files: Grouped by variable class; all declination zones combined
File #Variables Variable class description
gcv_acv.s1 177 ALPHA2 CVn + SX Arietis (helium) stars
gcv_acyg.s1 22 ALPHA Cygni (Deneb class) variables
gcv_bcep.s1 84 BETA Cephei (BETA Canis Majoris) stars
gcv_by.s1 18 BY Draconis stars
gcv_cep.s1 639 Classical (Population I) Cepheids
gcv_cst.s1 158 Variables determined to be constant
gcv_cw.s1 173 Population II Cepheids
gcv_dsct.s1 212 DELTA Scuti + SX Phoenicis stars
gcv_e.s1 801 Eclipsing binaries (general)
gcv_ea.a1 3044 Algol-type eclipsing binaries
gcv_eb.s1 587 BETA Lyrae eclipsing binaries
gcv_ell.s1 37 Ellipsoidal binaries
gcv_ew.s1 561 W Ursae Majoris eclipsing binaries
gcv_gcas.s1 107 GAMMA Cassiopeia variables
gcv_i.s1 223 Irregular variables
gcv_ineb.s1 1012 Orion-type irregulars (GCVS classes In..)
gcv_is.s1 212 Irregular rapid variables (RW Aur stars)
gcv_lirr.s1 2391 Slow irregulars (GCVS classes L,Lb,Lc)
gcv_mira.s1 5823 Mira Ceti (long-period) variables
gcv_misc.s1 41 Misc. small groups (SN, pulsars, etc)
gcv_none.s1 470 Unclassified variables
gcv_nova.s1 232 Novae
gcv_rcb.s1 37 R Corona Borealis stars
gcv_rr.s1 1772 RR Lyrae stars (short-period Cepheids)
gcv_rrab.s1 3932 RR Lyrae stars (ab subclass)
gcv_rrc.s1 402 RR Lyrae stars (c subclass)
gcv_rs.s1 23 RS Canum Venaticorum stars
gcv_rv.s1 122 RV Tauri stars (pulsating supergiants)
gcv_s.s1 183 Rapid variables
gcv_sdor.s1 15 S Doradus variables
gcv_sr.s1 3379 Semiregular variables
gcv_ugem.s1 330 U Geminorum binaries (dwarf novae)
gcv_uv.s1 1131 UV Ceti (flare) stars
gcv_xray.s1 25 X-ray sources
gcv_zand.s1 43 Z Andromeda stars (symbiotic stars)
gcv_zz.s1 17 ZZ Ceti stars (pulsating white dwarfs)
CONTENTS: Moscow General Catalog of Variable Stars, 4th edition
DATASET:
GCVS zone files come in HyperSky dataset S-6, version 19910714
GCVS class files come in HyperSky dataset S-7, version 19910714
Availability on HyperSky CD-ROM: Vol. 1 (1993)
DESCRIPTION: These datafiles contain a total of 28435 variable stars from the the Moscow General Catalog of Variable Stars (GCVS), 4th edition, by B.V. Kukarkin et al. This total includes all cataloged stars, excluding 49 stars for which no position information was provided.
Two complimentary datafile sets have been built from the GCVS. The first set consists of three declination zone files. These files are intended for general users interested in the entire catalog, and contain all GCVS variables grouped by declination. The second set consists of 36 class files which group all GCVS variables by their variable class. The second set is intended for users interested in specific classes of variables. The two sets are equivalent, containing the same variables.
Names of the variable class files use the convention "gcv_" followed by the abbreviation for the class used in the GCVS. In a few cases this abbreviation has been extended to make the filename more descriptive
Finally, it should be noted that the relatively high variable count in the southern declination zone file is due to the huge number of GCVS variables in the direction of the galactic center, in the Sgr-Sco-Oph region. Variables in many Milky Way regions are in fact so dense that large-scale fields can be saturated with variable star markers. In such cases it is advisable to set the limiting magnitude for variable stars higher than the default, to 10th for example.
DATA: Each HyperSky datafile contains the following data from the catalog:
COORDINATES: Equatorial coordinates are stored in the datafiles at equinox 2000, having been precessed from equinox 1950 coordinates in the GCVS. No proper motions have been applied, since none were provided in the GCVS.
MAG: The variable star maximum magnitude. The type of magnitude is the same as that noted following the magnitude range, discussed below.
IDENTIFICATION: The variable name in the generally adopted system of variable star designations, as provided by the GCVS. This system follows the general naming sequence R..Z, RR...ZZ, AA..QZ, V335..., where the letter or number designation is followed by the constellation abbreviation. Stars with pre-existing Greek letters (Bayer desginations) are given their standard English spellings or abbreviations, except for the following (to avoid confusion with standard variable-star names): DZETA(=Greek ZETA), MIU(=MU), NIU(=NU), KSI(=XI) and KHI(=CHI).
COMMENTS: The comment lines contain the following information, provided if available for each variable. Up to four lines of information may appear for each variable. Each line is discussed separately below:
* Magnitude range and type code, in the general form "MAX-MIN T" where MAX and MIN are numbers and T is the type code letter. MIN may optionally take the form "(MIN", indicating minimum occurs below the given value. MIN will also occasionally take the form "(MIN)", indicating a magnitude range about the maximum magnitude rather than an actual minimum magnitude. A colon following either MIN or MAX indicates uncertainty. The type code letter represents the photometric system in which the magnitudes are reported. Usually the letter will be 'P' (photographic) or 'V' (visual, photovisual, or V of the Johnson and Morgan UBV system). Other upper case letters denote, generally, passbands of the broadband UBVRIJHKL system. See the GCVS introduction for more details on these.
* A line beginning with "c=", giving the variable class abbreviation. This abbreviation will usually be the same as the class abbreviation contained in the variable class filenames, as discussed above. If the class of the variable is uncertain it will be followed by a colon. If the variable belongs to multiple variable classes, the classes are joined by a "+" sign.
No attempt is made here to elaborate on the brief variable class descriptions provided with the class filenames above. Interested users should consult the GCVS introduction for more detail. A useful alternate source describing most GCVS class codes can be found in the introduction to SKY CATALOG 2000.0, Volume 2, edited by Alan Hirshfeld and Roger W. Sinnott.
* A line beginning with "p=", giving the variable period (if any) in decimal days. The exact meaning of the period depends on the variable type; interested users should consult the GCVS for more details. In general, mean cycles are in parentheses, and a colon indicates uncertainty.
* A line beginning with "s=", giving the variable spectral type, in the MK system when available. Detailed notes on spectral types are provided in the GCVS introduction. In some cases two spectra will be given separated by a '-', corresponding to spectral classes at MAX-MIN magnitude extremes.