Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jul 2003
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003hst..prop.9964b&link_type=abstract
HST Proposal ID #9964
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Hst Proposal Id #9964 Hot Stars
Scientific paper
In Cycle 8 we initiated a WFPC2 snapshot survey for resolved, ``Sirius-like'' systems containing hot white-dwarf companions of cooler main-sequence stars. Out of 17 systems observed to date, 8 have been resolved with WFPC2 by using UV filters. Two of the resolved systems---56 Persei and Zeta Cygni---have predicted or known orbital periods short enough that dynamical masses can be determined for the white dwarfs within reasonable times. These would thus add to the extremely small number of white dwarfs presently having accurately and directly measured masses. We propose to image them annually in the UV with WFPC2. In addition, we will observe Zeta Cyg with FGS in order to measure the absolute motion of the optical component, needed for the mass solution. We also propose to observe Sirius itself with WFPC2 over the next 3 Cycles. The resulting astrometric data will not only greatly improve the precision of the binary orbit and the dynamical mass measurements for both the main-sequence and white-dwarf components, but will also test definitively for the claimed presence of a third body in this famous system.
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