A new version of the Catalogue of Eclipsing Variables is presented. The catalogue contains parameters and morphological types of light curves for some 7200 stars. Spectral classification is also given when available. Recently published information about classification of 1352 systems is also included in the catalogue. Thus, the catalogue represents the largest list of eclipsing binaries classified from observations. The analysis of stellar parameter distributions of catalogued eclipsing systems has been performed, and an algorithm of eclipsing‐variable classification has been developed. Classification of some systems is troublesome or contradictory due to lack of modern observational data or their possible rare evolutionary class. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

We use the currently most complete collection of reliable Cepheid positions (565 stars) out to ∼ 5 kpc based mostly on our photometric data to outline the spiral pattern of our Galaxy. We find the pitch-angle to be equal to 9-10 o with the most accurate estimate (i =9.5 ±0.1 o ) obtained assuming that the spiral pattern has a four-armed structure, and the solar phase angle in the spiral pattern to be χ ⊙ = 121 o ± 3 o . The pattern speed is found to be Ω sp = 25.2 ± 0.5 km/s/kpc based on a comparison of the positions of the spiral arms delineated by Cepheids and maser sources and the age difference between these objects.