A spectroscopic reconnaissance of ultraviolet-bright stars

We have carried out spectroscopic observations and made preliminary classifications of 62 UV-bright stars identified by H. H. Lanning on plates taken by A. Sandage. The goal was to search for "interesting" objects, such as emission-line stars, hot subdwarfs, and high-gravity stars. Our targets were grouped into two samples, a bright (m_B < 13) sample of 35 stars observed with the Kitt Peak 2.1 m telescope and a faint (13 < m_B < 16) sample of 27 stars observed with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope. We find 39% fairly normal O-mid-B stars, 15% late B-late A stars, and 32% F-G stars, with 13% of the stars being high-gravity objects, composite, or otherwise peculiar. Included are four emission-line stars and three composite systems. Thus, one of every 10 Lanning stars is "interesting" and may deserve individual study. Stars in the bright sample are often found to be late F or early G stars, although this sample does include interesting stars as well. No such large contamination occurs among the fainter stars, however, owing to "deselection" of these stars by interstellar reddening in the low-latitude fields of the survey.