Westerlund's study of the distribution of red giant stars in the Milky Way in cooperation with Dutch and US astronomers has continued. High-quality spectra of a sample of bright M-giant stars in the solar neighbourhood have been obtained and analyzed with the aid of synthetic spectra in order to infer the corresponding continua. Effective temperatures have been derived and classification criteria found.
S. Leandersson (Härnösand) and Westerlund have continued the analysis of the distribution of M-type giant stars in several fields in Norma, between -12 deg < b < +12 deg.
Westerlund's survey for faint carbon stars in a 10 degree belt along the Milky Way, using objective prism plates taken at Kvistaberg and La Silla observatories, continues. The identification of carbon stars in all observed fields is completed to about 90%.
Pettersson and Westerlund are studying the properties of carbon stars in a field in Cygnus where the identification is expected to be complete to about I = 12 - 13. The UBVRI photometry obtained with the Nordic Optical Telescope, La Palma, has been reduced and will be analysed when spectra of the stars have been obtained.
E-mail: bengt.westerlund@astro.uu.se