We use UCAC4 proper motions and WISE W 1-band apparent magnitudes intensitymean for almost 400 field RR Lyrae variables to determine the parameters of the velocity distribution of Galactic RR Lyrae population and constrain the zero points of the metallicity-< M V > relation and those of the period-metallicity-< M Ks >-band and period-metallicity-< M W 1 >-band luminosity relations via statistical parallax. We find the mean velocities of the halo-and thick-disc RR Lyrae populations in the solar neighbourhood to be (U 0 (Halo), V 0 (Halo), W 0 (Halo)) = (−7 ± 9, −214 ± 10, −10 ± 6) km s −1 and (U 0 (Disc), V 0 (Disc), W 0 (Disc)) = (−13 ± 7, −37 ± 6, −17 ±4) km s −1 , respectively, and the corresponding components of the velocity-dispersion ellipsoids, (σV R (Halo), σV φ (Halo), σV θ (Halo)) = (153 ± 9, 101 ± 6, 96 ± 5) km s −1 and (σV R (Disc), σV φ (Disc), σV θ (Disc)) = (46 ± 7, 37 ± 5, 27 ± 4) km s −1 , respectively. The fraction of thick-disc stars is estimated at 0.22 ± 0.03. The corrected IR periodmetallicity-luminosity relations are < M Ks > = -0.769 +0.088 · [Fe/H]-2.33 · log P F and < M W 1 > = -0.825 + 0.088· [Fe/H] -2.33 · log P F , and the optical metallicityluminosity relation, [Fe/H]-< M V >, is < M V > = +1.094 + 0.232· [Fe/H], with a standard error of ± 0.089, implying an LMC distance modulus of 18.32 ± 0.09, a solar Galactocentric distance of 7.73 ± 0.36 kpc, and the M31 and M33 distance moduli of DM M31 = 24.24 ± 0.09 (D = 705 ± 30 kpc) and DM M33 = 24.36 ± 0.09 (D = 745 ± 31 kpc), respectively. Extragalactic distances calibrated with our RR Lyrae star luminosity scale imply a Hubble constant of ∼80 km/s/Mpc. Our results suggest marginal prograde rotation for the population of halo RR Lyraes in the Milky Way. c 2013 RAS

Abstract. We report a new version of the catalogue of distances and light-curve parameters for Galactic classical Cepheids. The catalogue lists amplitudes, magnitudes at maximum light, and intensity means for 455 stars in BV RI filters of the Johnson system and (RI) C filters of the Cron-Cousins system. The distances are based on our new multicolour set of PL relations and on our Cepheidbased solution for interstellar extinction law parameters and are referred to an LMC distance modulus of 18.25.

The MASS (Multi-Aperture Scintillation Sensor) instrument consists of a 14-cm off-axis reflecting telescope and a detector unit which measures the scintillations of single stars in four concentric zones of the telescope pupil using photo-multipliers. Statistical analysis of these signals yields information of the vertical turbulence profile with a resolution of dh/h=0.5. We describe the instrument and present the results of its first field tests, including comparisons with DIMM seeing monitor and generalized SCIDAR. MASS will be used to obtain the extensive statistics of turbulence profiles at potential sites of future giant telescopes, as needed to predict the quality of adaptive seeing compensation.

Results of U BV RIJHKLM photometry and V RI polarimetry of a young star RW Aur A observed during unprecedented long and deep (up to ∆V ≈ 5 mag) dimming events in 2010-11 and 2014-18 are presented. The polarization degree p of RW Aur A at this period has reached 30 per cent in the I band. As in the case of UX Ori type stars (UXORs), the so-called 'bluing effect' in the colour-magnitude V versus V − R c , V − I c diagrams of the star and a strong anticorrelation between p and brightness were observed. But the duration and the amplitude of the eclipses as well as the value and orientation of polarization vector in our case differ significantly from that of UXORs. We concluded that the dimmings of RW Aur A occurred due to eclipses of the star and inner regions of its disc by the axisymmetric dust structure located above the disc and created by the disc wind. Taking into account both scattering and absorption of stellar light by the circumstellar dust, we explain some features of the light curve and the polarization degree -magnitude dependence. We found that near the period of minimal brightness mass-loss rate of the dusty wind was > 10 −9 M ⊙ yr −1 .

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