Journal
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS
Volume 507, Issue 1, Pages 251-U352Publisher
EDP SCIENCES S A
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200912596
Keywords
astronomical data bases: miscellaneous; binaries: general; binaries: visual; stars: kinematics
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Funding
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid
- Comunidad Autonoma de Madrid
- Spanish Ministerio Educacion y Ciencia
- European Social Fund [AyA2005-02750, AyA2005-04286, AyA2005-24102-E, AyA2008-06423-C03-03, AyA2008-00695, PRICIT S-0505/ESP-0237, CSD2006-0070]
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Aims. I look for and characterise very wide binaries and multiple systems with projected physical separations larger than s = 0.1 pc, which is generally believed to be a sharp upper limit to the distribution of wide binary semimajor axes. Methods. I investigated in detail 30 Washington double stars with angular separations of rho > 1000 arcsec. I discarded 23 of them as probably unbound systems based on discordant astrometry, photometry, spectral types, and radial velocities. The remaining seven systems were subject to a comprehensive data compilation and derivation (multi-wavelength photometry, heliocentric distance, multiplicity, age, mass, metallicity, membership in a young kinematic group). Results. Of the seven very wide systems, six have projected physical separations greater than the hypothetical cutoff at s = 0.1 pc and four have separations s > 0.2 pc. Although there are two systems in young kinematic groups (namely HD 136654 and BD+32 2572 in the Hyades Supercluster, and AU Mic and AT Mic AB in the beta Pictoris moving group), there is no clear prevalence of young systems (tau < 1 Ga) among these very wide binaries. Finally, I compare the binding energies of the seven systems with those of other weakly bound systems in the field.
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