astronomy

Washington Double Star Catalog

Washington Double Star Catalog is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Washington Double Star Catalog rather than just read about it. In short: The Washington Double Star Catalog, or WDS, is a catalog of double stars, maintained at the United States Naval Observatory. The catalog contains positions, magnitudes, proper motions and spectral types and has entries for (as of January 2024) 157,012 pairs of double stars.

Key takeaways

Washington Double Star Catalog belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Washington Double Star Catalog to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Washington Double Star Catalog from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Washington Double Star Catalog, or WDS, is a catalog of double stars, maintained at the United States Naval Observatory. The catalog contains positions, magnitudes, proper motions and spectral types and has entries for (as of January 2024) 157,012 pairs of double stars. The catalog also includes 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 Lick Observatory, where it was used to construct the Index Catalog of Visual Double Stars, published in 1963. In 1965, under the initiative of Charles Worley, it was transferred to the Naval Observatory. The catalog has since been augmented by many measurements, mainly from the Hipparcos and Tycho catalogues and results from 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.

See also Aitken Double Star Catalogue Burnham Double Star Catalogue

References

External links The WDS at the US Naval Observatory Mirror of the WDS at Georgia State University The Washington Double Star Catalog at VizieR StelleDoppie interface to the WDS

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Washington Double Star Catalog

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Washington Double Star Catalog claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Washington Double Star Catalog before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Washington Double Star Catalog ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Washington Double Star Catalog

In research: Washington Double Star Catalog appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Washington Double Star Catalog in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Washington Double Star Catalog is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Astronomical catalogues of stars, Double stars, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Washington Double Star Catalog outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Washington Double Star Catalog in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Washington Double Star Catalog means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Washington Double Star Catalog out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Washington Double Star Catalog in simple terms?

Why does Washington Double Star Catalog matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Washington Double Star Catalog?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Washington Double Star Catalog.