Astronomy:RT Sculptoris

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Short description: Binary star in the constellation Pegasus
RT Sculptoris
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Sculptor
Right ascension  00h 36m 28.090s[1]
Declination −25° 40′ 22.93″[1]
Apparent magnitude (V) 10.18
Min I: 10.89
Min II: 10.47[2]
Characteristics
Spectral type A5n + F3[2]
Variable type Semidetached β Lyr?[2]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)+30.6[3] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: 29.248[1] mas/yr
Dec.: 34.121[1] mas/yr
Parallax (π)3.4604 ± 0.0198[1] mas
Distance943 ± 5 ly
(289 ± 2 pc)
Orbit[4]
Period (P)0.51156012 d[2]
Semi-major axis (a)≥ 3.52±0.14 R☉
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)		105.2±1.8 km/s
Details[5]
Primary
Mass1.37 ± 0.01 M☉
Radius1.53 ± 0.01 R☉
Metallicity [Fe/H]−0.75[6] dex
Secondary
Mass0.61 ± 0.01 M☉
Radius0.97 ± 0.01 R☉
Other designations
RT Scl, CD−26°179, HIP 118149, SAO 108933, PPM 143009, WDS J23579+1557A[7]
Database references
SIMBADdata

RT Sculptoris is an eclipsing binary star system in the southern constellation of Sculptor. With a typical apparent visual magnitude of 10.18, it is much too faint to be visible with the naked eye. Based on parallax measurements, it is located at a distance of approximately 943 light-years (289 pc) from the Earth. The system is receding from the Sun with a line of sight velocity component of +30.6 km/s.[3]

Observations

In 1908, this system was discovered to be an eclipsing variable of the Beta Lyrae type by Ida Whiteside,[8] a volunteer observer at Harvard College Observatory.[9] It showed continuous variability with two maxima and two minima, having a period of 0.511574 days.[8] By 1925, the period had been refined to 0.51156935±0.00000009 days, with the interval between the primary and secondary minima being only 45% of the period from one primary minimum to the next.[10]

By 1958, it became evident that the orbital period of RT Sculptoris was not constant. The period measured in October 1954 had decreased to 0.51156249 days, or one second shorter over a period of 50 years. The light curve for the system showed the two maxima are slightly unequal and are not flat topped.[11] The pair undergo partial eclipses with the primary minimum being caused by an occultation. The secondary minimum was found to be displaced and asymmetrical, showing a steeper descent on the descending branch compared to the ascending branch.[12]

This system was found metal-deficient compared to the Sun.[6] It was proposed that the confirmed period change could be explained by a mass exchange between the two components. In this model, the higher mass component is filling its Roche lobe, forming a semi-detached binary.[13] The overflow is being accreted by the secondary, creating a small hot spot. The mass transfer rate is estimated at 1.3×10−8 M☉ per year. The primary appears to be a late A-type star, while there is some disagreement about the secondary; the latter has been modelled as an F-, G- and even K-type star.[5]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Vallenari, A. et al. (2022). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940.  Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Samus, N. N. et al. (2017), "General Catalogue of Variable Stars", Astronomy Reports, GCVS 5.1 61 (1): 80–88, doi:10.1134/S1063772917010085, Bibcode: 2017ARep...61...80S. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Duflot, M. et al. (1995), "Vitesses radiales. Catalogue WEB: Wilson Evans Batten. Subtitle: Radial velocities: The Wilson-Evans-Batten catalogue", Astronomy and Astrophysics Supplement Series 114: 269, Bibcode: 1995A&AS..114..269D. 
  4. ↑ Hilditch, R. W.; King, D. J. (December 1986), "Contact and near-contact binary systems - IV. RT Scl and AQ Tuc", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 223: 581–593, doi:10.1093/mnras/223.3.581, Bibcode: 1986MNRAS.223..581H. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Banks, Timothy et al. (November 1990), "RT-Sculptoris - an Important Star for Low Mass Close Binary Research", Astrophysics and Space Science 173 (1): 77–92, doi:10.1007/BF00642564, Bibcode: 1990Ap&SS.173...77B. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Clausen, J. V.; Grønbech, B. (June 1977), "Four-colour light curves of the eclipsing binary RT Scl.", Astronomy and Astrophysics, Supplement Series 28: 389–401, Bibcode: 1977A&AS...28..389C. 
  7. ↑ "RT Scl". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=RT+Scl. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Whiteside, Ida (July 1908), "-26° 179. A New Variable of the Class of β Lyrae. 003226", Harvard College Observatory Circular 139: 1–7, Bibcode: 1908HarCi.139....1W. 
  9. ↑ Zrull, Lindsay Smith (May 2021), "Women in Glass: Women at the Harvard Observatory during the Era of Astronomical Glass Plate Photography, 1875-1975", Journal for the History of Astronomy 52 (2): 115–146, doi:10.1177/00218286211000470, Bibcode: 2021JHA....52..115Z, https://osf.io/download/c4yj9/, retrieved 2026-04-20. 
  10. ↑ Schilt, J. (November 1925), "On the light-curve of RT Sculptoris", Bulletin of the Astronomical Institutes of the Netherlands 3: 63, Bibcode: 1925BAN.....3...63S. 
  11. ↑ Cillié, G. G.; Lindsay, E. M. (1958), "The photo-electric light curve of RT Sculptoris", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 118: 585, doi:10.1093/mnras/118.6.585, Bibcode: 1958MNRAS.118..585C. 
  12. ↑ Bookmyer, Beverly B. (December 1966), "Orbital solutions of V499 Scorpii and RT Sculptoris", Astronomical Journal 71: 1012–1016, doi:10.1086/110189, Bibcode: 1966AJ.....71.1012B. 
  13. ↑ Rafert, J. B.; Wilson, R. E. (March 1984), "An Attempt to Understand RT-Sculptoris", Astrophysics and Space Science 100 (1–2): 117–127, doi:10.1007/BF00651590, Bibcode: 1984Ap&SS.100..117R. 

Further reading

  • Sushma, D. et al. (2008), "Photometric and Spectroscopic study of RT Sculptoris", Procedings of the 25th meeting of ASI (2007): p. 64, Bibcode: 2008BASIP..25...64S. 
  • Duerbeck, H. W.; Karimie, M. T. (June 1979), "On the Decreasing Period and Asymmetric Light Curve of RT Sculptoris", Information Bulletin on Variable Stars 1617: 1, Bibcode: 1979IBVS.1617....1D. 
  • Dugan, Raymond Smith (1928), "The Eclipsing Variables X Trianguli, RT Sculptoris", Contributions from the Princeton University Observatory 8: 1–19, Bibcode: 1928CoPri...8....1D. 



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