Perpustakaan Digital ITB

This thesis presents the new knowledge of the luminous stars of K-M type, i.e., K-M supergiants, Miras, and K-M giants, obtained from the ground-based optical/near infrared survey and the infrared survey made by the IRAS satellite as well as the result of the statistical study of the Galactic structure using the luminous K-M star candidates selected from the IRAS point sources. In Chapter 2 M star survey at Bosscha Observatory (hereafter abbreviated as BMSS) is described. The survey consist of 20 5° x 5° fields confined in the area of t = 330° - 30° through e = 0° and (b I< 2 An M star Catalogue for BMSS Fields 8, 9 and 10 is presented. This is called the BMSS M star catalogue hereafter. The highest surface number density of M stars is found to coincide with the region of the sky where the 2.4 pm enhancement exists (t - 355° and b - 1 °). The limiting distance of the BMSS is estimated by comparing the number of the detected M stars with the number predicted by a model of star distribution. The interstellar extinction is then estimated using the limiting magnitude of the BMSS, the limiting distance, and the assumed absolute magnitude of the late-M giants. The map of the resultant extinction is presented with a resolution of 0.°5 x 0.°5. The visual interstellar extinction per kiloparsec av and the limiting distance rum averaged over 351° < £ < 10° are 1. 8 mag kpc-1 and 4.0 kpc in 1°