Wood Interacting Binaries Catalog: Fifth Edition Finding List for Eclipsing Variables

The fifth edition of the Finding List for Interacting Binaries extends the magnitude limit at minimum light from 13 to 15 and includes systems the editors were fairly certain are eclipsing or radiometrically variable binaries. This catalog was abstracted from the Card Catalog maintained at the University of Florida, which originated with Raymond Smith Dugan in the 1930s. The database was created by NASA's HEASARC in December 1997 based on a version obtained from the CDS.

Use Cases

• Selecting observing program targets based on cataloged star positions and magnitudes.
• Analyzing binary system characteristics based on listed orbital periods and eclipse durations.
• Cross-referencing stellar systems using provided BD, CoD, CPD, and HD numbers.
• Classifying variable star nature using the included system codes.

Strengths

• Catalog has a long historical provenance, originating in the 1930s and updated through multiple editions.
• The fifth edition extends the magnitude limit at minimum light from 13 to 15.
• Includes codes indicating the nature of the system, which may aid classification.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Positional data is given in equinox 1900, which may require conversion for modern use.

Provenance

Source

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center (HEASARC).

Collection Method

Abstracted from the Card Catalog maintained at the University of Florida, based on a computer-readable version from the Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS).

Time Range

Catalog content spans published and unpublished work up to the 1980 edition, with data originating from the 1930s onward.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 19:09:15.276917; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Not applicable; catalog covers celestial objects.