Astronomy:EQ Tauri

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EQ Tauri
EQTauLightCurve.png
A visual band light curve for EQ Tauri, plotted from ASAS-SN[1] data
Observation data
Equinox J2000.0]] (ICRS)
Constellation Taurus
Right ascension  03h 48m 13.436s[2]
Declination +22° 18′ 50.92″[2]
Apparent magnitude (V) 10.5 (-11.03)[3]
Characteristics
Spectral type G2[4]
Variable type W UMa[3]
Astrometry
Radial velocity (Rv)71.95±1.22[5] km/s
Proper motion (μ) RA: +69.758[2] mas/yr
Dec.: −30.628[2] mas/yr
Parallax (π)4.4694 ± 0.0171[2] mas
Distance730 ± 3 ly
(223.7 ± 0.9 pc)
Orbit[6]
Period (P)0.341348 d
Semi-major axis (a)2.48±0.03 R[7]
Eccentricity (e)0.00
Periastron epoch (T)2,451,183.9 HJD
Semi-amplitude (K1)
(primary)
112.41±1.43 km/s
Semi-amplitude (K2)
(secondary)
254.38±2.42 km/s
Details
Primary
Mass1.22±0.04[7] M
Radius1.14±0.01[7] R
Luminosity1.32±0.03[7] L
Temperature5,800±100[7] K
Secondary
Mass0.54±0.02[7] M
Radius0.79±0.01[7] R
Luminosity0.63±0.02[7] L
Other designations
EQ Tau, GSC 01260-00909, 2MASS J03481342+2218509, HV 6189[8]
Database references
SIMBADdata

EQ Tauri is a triple star system in the equatorial constellation of Taurus that includes a contact eclipsing binary. The system is too faint to be viewed with the naked eye, having a baseline apparent visual magnitude of 10.5.[3] During the primary eclipse, the brightness of the system drops to magnitude 11.03, then to 10.97 during the secondary minimum.[3] The secondary eclipse is total.[7] Based on parallax measurements, it is located at a distance of approximately 730 light years from the Sun.[2]

The star HV 6189 was identified as a short-period variable by H. Shapley and E. M. Hughes in 1940,[9] then was more closely studied by Soviet astronomer V. P. Tsesevich in 1954.[6] It was determined to be a W UMa-type variable and was noted for being located in the region of the Pleiades open cluster.[10] An analysis of data from Tsesevich and subsequent observations by B. S. Whitney in 1972 suggested that the period is variable. His observations from Konkoly Observatory showed a period of 8.19 h.[11] W. R. Benbow and R. L. Mutel built a light curve of the eclipsing variable in 1995 that displayed evidence of an active region on the stellar surface.[12] Orbital period changes continued to be observed, and in 2002 T. Pribulla and M. Vanko suggested it is caused by a third body in the system. They modeled it as a low mass red dwarf with an orbital period of 50.2 years.[13]

This is a shallow contact binary system,[7] belonging to sub-type A of the W Ursae Majoris class.[3] It has an orbital period of 8.1924 hours[6] and a semimajor axis of 2.48 times the radius of the Sun. The orbit shows a cyclical change with a period of 22.7 years and an amplitude of 0.0058 days. A transit-like event was observed in 2010.[7] The more massive component is a solar-type star with a deep convection zone that appears magnetically active with a significant coverage of star spots.[4]

References

  1. "ASAS-SN Variable Stars Database". ASAS-SN. https://asas-sn.osu.edu/variables/lookup. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Brown, A. G. A. (2021). "Gaia Early Data Release 3: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics 649: A1. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039657. Bibcode2021A&A...649A...1G.  Gaia EDR3 record for this source at VizieR.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Samus', N. N et al. (2017), "General catalogue of variable stars", Astronomy Reports, GCVS 5.1 61 (1): 80, doi:10.1134/S1063772917010085, Bibcode2017ARep...61...80S. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Yuan, Jinzhao; Qian, Shengbang (October 2007), "Variation of the period and light curves of the solar-type contact binary EQ Tauri", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 381 (2): 602–610, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2007.11926.x, Bibcode2007MNRAS.381..602Y. 
  5. Bilir, S. et al. (2005), "Kinematics of W Ursae Majoris type binaries and evidence of the two types of formation", Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society 357 (2): 497–517, doi:10.1111/j.1365-2966.2005.08609.x, Bibcode2005MNRAS.357..497B. 
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Rucinski, Slavek M. et al. (October 2001), "Radial Velocity Studies of Close Binary Stars. V.", The Astronomical Journal 122 (4): 1974–1980, doi:10.1086/323106, Bibcode2001AJ....122.1974R. 
  7. 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 Li, K. et al. (May 2014), "The Triple Binary Star EQ Tau with an Active Component", The Astronomical Journal 147 (5): 8, doi:10.1088/0004-6256/147/5/98, 98, Bibcode2014AJ....147...98L. 
  8. "EQ Tau". SIMBAD. Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg. http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-basic?Ident=EQ+Tau. 
  9. Shapley, Harlow; Hughes, Emily M. (1940), "Variable stars in high galactic latitudes", Annals of the Astronomical Observatory of Harvard College 90 (4): 163–175, Bibcode1940AnHar..90..163S. 
  10. Artiukhina, N. M. (1961), "Proper Motions of three W UMa Type Stars in the Pleiades Region" (in ru), Peremennye Zvezdy 13: 366, Bibcode1961PZ.....13..366A. 
  11. Whitney, B. S. (February 1972), "The Period of EQ Tauri", Information Bulletin on Variable Stars 633 (1): 1, Bibcode1972IBVS..633....1W. 
  12. Benbow, W. R.; Mutel, R. L. (May 1995), "Eclipse Observations of EQ Tau", Information Bulletin on Variable Stars 4187 (1): 1, Bibcode1995IBVS.4187....1B. 
  13. Pribulla, T.; Vanko, M. (April 2002), "Photoelectric photometry of eclipsing contact binaries: U Peg, YY CrB, OU Ser and EQ Tau", Contributions of the Astronomical Observatory Skalnate Pleso 32 (1): 79–98, Bibcode2002CoSka..32...79P. 

Further reading