Direct Observation of the Fourth Star in the Zeta Cancri System

Details Direct Observation of the Fourth Star in the Zeta Cancri System Direct Observation of the Fourth Star in the Zeta Cancri System

2000-04-19

arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0004284v1

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

7 pages including 3 tables, 1 figure; To appear in PASP

Scientific paper

10.1086/316587

Direct imaging of the zeta Cnc system has resolved the fourth star in the system, which is in orbit around zeta Cnc C. The presence of the fourth star has been inferred for many years from irregularities in the motion of star C, and recently from C's spectroscopic orbit. However, its mass is close to that of C, making its non-detection puzzling. Observing at wavelengths of 1.2, 1.7, and 2.2 microns with the adaptive-optics system of the CFHT, we have obtained images which very clearly reveal star D and show it to have the color of an M2 star. Its brightness is consonant with its being two M stars, which are not resolved in our observations but are likely to be in a short-period orbit, thereby accounting for the large mass and the difficulty of detection at optical wavelengths, where the magnitude difference is much larger. The positions and colors of all four stars in the system are reported and are consistent with the most recent astrometric observations.

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