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<sub>B</sub><13) sample of 35 stars observed with the Kitt Peak 2.1 m telescope and a faint (13<m<sub>B</sub><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. Based, in part, on observations with the Hobby-Eberly Telescope.