The Torino Observatory Parallax Program: White dwarf candidates

Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica (INAF), Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino, Strada Osservatorio 20, 10025 Pino Torinese, Italy

Corresponding author: R. Smart, smart@to.astro.it

Received: 21 January 2003
Accepted: 17 March 2003

Abstract

We present parallax determinations for six white dwarf candidates in the Torino Observatory Parallax Program. The absolute parallaxes are found with precisions at the 2–3 milliarcsec level. For WD 1126+185 we find a distance incompatible with being a white dwarf, implying an incorrect classification. For WD 2216+484 we find our distance is consistent with a simple DA white dwarf rather than a composite system as previously proposed in the literature. In general it is found that the published photometric distance is an overestimate of the distance found here.